Wooden coal cart - advice needed

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FWLR
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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by FWLR » Fri May 24, 2019 10:28 am

Hi Rik, would this horse not do for your cart. most coal delivery carts, well the three that operated were I was brought up used these a lot.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Schleich-13831 ... 52&sr=8-11


Just in case you can't see the link mate

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On the sealer side Rik, you don't need to use a lot of it and it does allow you to still see any grain, plus it is a kind of weather proof also. It won't allow any slight damp to get in.

Just a thought to keep in mind mate. :idea:

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by FWLR » Fri May 24, 2019 11:12 am

Also Rik, I have found a few photos of some horse's with tack. You can see how the size of horse depends on what type of tack used.

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I found that photo of how a horse is tacked mate..... :roll:

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This is the site......

https://www.google.com/search?q=model+c ... JjM:&vet=1


My Dad used to show carts. He had a full size Stage Coach and also a Flat Cart has well as a 4 sided Wagon. He used to run the Coach four in hand, the Flat with a single and the 4 sided with two in hand.


I really hope this helps.

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by ge_rik » Sat May 25, 2019 6:26 am

Lots of useful info here, Rod. Thanks. Trying to decide what to use for making the tack. Maybe some sort of thin leatherette.

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by FWLR » Sat May 25, 2019 6:33 am

Thats easy enough to work with I would suppose. You could use those round headed brass pins you can get. Peening them at the back so they are moveable. But you may find something better. Not at my best 1st thing in the morning..... :roll: :roll:

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Re: Wooden coal cart - how to harness a horse

Post by ge_rik » Mon Mar 09, 2020 3:37 pm

Well! It looks like it was May when I first explored this topic. At long last I have got around to harnessing up the horse to the cart. As with a lot of things, now I've actually done this one, I now know much better how to do the next one. I've cut a few corners to make it work, but I think it's passable - as long as none of you are expert equestrians.
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I've still got to add nameboards to the cart and a few more details such as weighing scales, a feed bag and bucket and maybe a few other bits and pieces, but it's beginning to look the part.
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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by philipy » Mon Mar 09, 2020 4:05 pm

Looks really good to me Rik, but then again, I know nowt!
Philip

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by gregh » Mon Mar 09, 2020 8:57 pm

very, VERY nice.
Talk about a Jack of all trades - you are a Rik of all trades
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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by LNR » Mon Mar 09, 2020 10:37 pm

Lovely job Rik, and a great subject. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I have a soft spot for horse drawn vehicles.
Could I make one small point, the chain (trace) leading from the hame hook on the collar, should lead back to the eye at the base of the shafts to the left of the horse looking at the picture. It is what actually pulls the cart along. I do hope this is seen as a constructive criticism. :oops:
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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Mar 09, 2020 11:56 pm

LNR wrote: ↑Mon Mar 09, 2020 10:37 pm Lovely job Rik, and a great subject. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I have a soft spot for horse drawn vehicles.
It looks just right (as far as I know!) and will fit in with your railway period perfectly.
As Grant points out, there is a fondness for traditional horse drawn vehicles and a friend of mine is trying to trace many area specific types to reproduce in model form, as many have been left in barns to rot. They are built to approx. 1in/ft. scale and he uses a 1mm (Japanese) wood chisel to create perfect mortise and tenon joints, just as the original. They are definitely Museum quality.
I have known him for some time and saw him yesterday with his latest creation, which is still under construction..... it takes months (sometimes longer) to build as he is clearly a perfectionist, even using the same timber types as the original.....
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Naturally they are all Welsh carts!
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by LNR » Tue Mar 10, 2020 2:29 am

I've said it before, there is much talent lurking in garages, sheds, and workshops around the world. There is some top workmanship there Peter. Love the curved pieces of timber, coach builders didn't hesitate when it came to style.
Grant.
PS so I enter the workshop to see I have still got two large spoked wheels left, Hmmmm !

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by FWLR » Tue Mar 10, 2020 7:08 am

Great job Rik. Glad those photos helped. It reminds me of the horse and cart my Dad used to use for his shows. The horse especially looks just like the one he had. It lived to a great age of 19years.

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by ge_rik » Tue Mar 10, 2020 7:48 am

LNR wrote: ↑Mon Mar 09, 2020 10:37 pm Lovely job Rik, and a great subject. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I have a soft spot for horse drawn vehicles.
Could I make one small point, the chain (trace) leading from the hame hook on the collar, should lead back to the eye at the base of the shafts to the left of the horse looking at the picture. It is what actually pulls the cart along. I do hope this is seen as a constructive criticism. :oops:
Grant.
Hi Grant
I'm always happy to receive helpful feedback.
All three chains (traces?) are attached to the shaft on each side. It may not be clear in the photos or maybe I've left them a bit too loose.

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by LNR » Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:00 am

I'm probably being a pedant here, the straps that run around the horses rear end are the breeching straps ( used to back the cart up) can't remember the name of the middle chain, the ones I'm indicating (right hand red circle ) are the trace, and usually go to the eye on the shafts indicated by the left hand red circle. Maybe it's running down the inside of the shaft and I can't see it. All that aside the whole thing still looks very good Rik.
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I'll shut up now,
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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by philipy » Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:41 am

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?
Philip

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by ge_rik » Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:22 am

LNR wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:00 am I'm probably being a pedant here, the straps that run around the horses rear end are the breeching straps ( used to back the cart up) can't remember the name of the middle chain, the ones I'm indicating (right hand red circle ) are the trace, and usually go to the eye on the shafts indicated by the left hand red circle. Maybe it's running down the inside of the shaft and I can't see it. All that aside the whole thing still looks very good Rik.
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I'll shut up now,
Grant.
Hi Grant
Now this is interesting. I do like a good debate.

The Hobby's drawing I used show three sorts of harness - a wagon harness, a working trace harness and a decorated shaft harness. The drawing I used was the wagon harness - which shows the traces as I modelled them - from hames to tug hooks on the shaft. The working trace harness (eg for ploughing) shows the trace chains going from the hames to a spreader bar in the position you show. I'll PM you scans of the two drawings rather than put them on here for copyright reasons.

Maybe there are differences in the way harnesses were arranged in the UK vs Oz??

I've found a couple of photos of coal carts which show the arrangement I've used, though I admit I've made the traces somewhat too long.
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Rik
Last edited by ge_rik on Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by ge_rik » Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:32 am

philipy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:41 am 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....
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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by ge_rik » Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:44 am

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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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by LNR » Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:40 am

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.

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by FWLR » Wed Mar 11, 2020 9:38 am

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. :thumbright: :thumbright:
I will stop now and won't comment anymore.

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Re: Wooden coal cart - advice needed

Post by ge_rik » Wed Mar 11, 2020 12:43 pm

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?

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