After spending much of my modelling time recently on J17s it has been fun to return to an old 16mm scale project, an Eimco Rock Shovel. I took a bunch of photos of the prototype at the Threlkeld quarry museum a few years back. There is some nice video of one in action on the Lea Bailey light rail.

I still have to model up all the controls and detail on the side but I wanted to test print one to see if I'd got the basic shape right.

The scoop doesn't have a simple pivot, it is held on to the body by four cables. This means that the scoop rotates back following the cables eventually depositing the contents of the bucket into a mine skip positioned behind the shovel.

Now I'd love to be able to make this more than a static model, we'll have to see if it is possible to fit a motor and pulley to make the scoop move. In reality the machine was air operated so would have had a pipe linking it to a compressor. It could move forwards or backwards under air power but I believe the slew action was just by muscle with the operator physically shoving the body to rotate it.

It was definitely an interesting shape to 3d model and I'm now feeling happy enough to work on the 'gubbins' on the side and to fit into the middle of the body.

It has certainly been something a little different to work on, whether it brings me any closer to making a mine adit diorama/micro layout remains to be seen.

Having missed both Scaleforum and the show in Bury St Edmunds due to the lurgy I'm pleased I'm feeling up to a trip to visit the Apedale on Saturday for a driver experience arranged for me by my wife. Not sure what I'm going to get to drive but it will probably be small, uncomfortable and go dugga-dugga-dugga very loudly.  Looking forward to it!

David