Wooden coal cart - advice needed

[ge_rik]

I think it looks brilliant, but if we are being pedantic, the reins pose doesn't look natural to me. Since the horse isn't moving, the reins would surely droop down from the drivers hands and hang along the horses back, not arc up?

I tried to make them droop. The reins are actually twisted Gaffa tape. They are desperate to untwist which makes them spring upwards. Perhaps if I'd twisted them the opposite way they'd have drooped downwards....
Rik

[ge_rik]

Aha! Managed to track down some drawings online showing the two types of harness, for clarification - I hadn't realised that we can't attach images to PMs

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Rik

[LNR]

Certainly no debate from me Rik regarding the top pic. of the coal man and his cart, but notice A how high the shafts are and B the lead of the trace chain is rearward, your horse would step a long way forward and in doing so would lift the shafts and negate the purpose of the Ridger (the name I couldn't remember). I know there are variations in harness depending what is being pulled, and may even be geographical as well. A horse pulling a light buggy would have a very simple collar mostly leather with perhaps a horse blanket lining, whilst a Clydesdale's working harness would require a heavy leather collar with Hame irons set in to keep the load out on the horses shoulders and have horse blanket lining usually straw filled for padding. I might be wrong but I don't imagine a coal cart would be a particularly hard load to pull on cobbled or sealed roads.
Grant.
PS sorry just noticed and read your PM.

[FWLR]

They would be up when the driver was about to tell the horse too 'move on'.
I think you have done a brilliant job once again Rik.
I will stop now and won't comment anymore.

[ge_rik]

I've taken on board the feedback and made a few adjustments. The traces etc have now been shortened and I've had a go at drooping the reins. Unfortunately, between drooping them and taking the photos, one of them sprang up again. As Rod says, maybe the driver is getting Neddy to gee-up!

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Does anyone know who makes a set of whitemetal coal scales? I know I've seen some somewhere but it might have been on the Back2Bay6 website. I've got a bucket I can hang from the back of the cart and can probably fashion a feed bag.

Any other suggestions for accoutrements?

Rik

[ge_rik]

BTW
I've blogged the build of the coal cart .......
https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2020/0 ... -cart.html

....... and the harness .......
https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2020/0 ... -coal.html

...... just in case anyone else feels the need to have a bash!

Rik

[KjellAn]

I have stained some of my waggons with acrylic paint mixed with isopropanol. This gives a nice look to the woodstructure.