How Big's a Binnie?

[cooltrain]

Hi all,
Been doing some pondering of late about rolling stock for the Selby Granite Tramway. I wanted to build up a giant fleet of skip wagons, something rather typical of small tramways in Australia (I was reading about one particular tramway that owned 72 skips!). I have considered Binnie skips but I'm concerned that they will look minuscule behind my Roundhouse Billy and Fine Line Alfie. So I was wondering if anyone could give the overall length, width and height of a Binnie (in mm).
Thanks, your help is much appreciated!
Ronan.

[GTB]

I wanted to build up a giant fleet of skip wagons, something rather typical of small tramways in Australia (I was reading about one particular tramway that owned 72 skips!).

So I was wondering if anyone could give the overall length, width and height of a Binnie (in mm).

Sounds like you've been reading the article on the Torrumbarry Weir tramway in the current issue of Light Railways.

I've got a dozen Binnie skips that were built to run behind my Aster Krauss. I don't have a Billy, but there is a photo of a short rake of Binnie skips with my Krauss impersonating a SR&WSC work train in the post below. The Krauss is about the size of a RH Bertie to give you some idea of scale.

https://gardenrails.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=9806

The dimensions of the Binnie skips are as follows :-

Length over underframe - 99mm
Width over bucket - 75mm
Height over bucket - 62mm

The 45mm gauge kit has a wider underframe moulding than the 32mm one, but the maximum width of the kit is over the bucket, not the underframe.

Hope that helps. The Binnie kits are easy to put together and Peter is a nice bloke to deal with. The kits are much more affordable than a rake of LGB skips.

If you want larger quarry type rolling stock, trucks similar to the Bachmann US style side tipping trucks were used by the SR&WSC on the Hume Weir project before WW2 and I've seen photos of them on other civil engineering projects as well. A rather more expensive proposition to build up a reasonable rake though....

Regards,
Graeme

[cooltrain]

Thanks for the advice Graeme. Yes, I have been reading about the Torrumbary Weir Tramway in Light Railways, It is quite an interesting article.

I have a feeling Peter might get a rather large order of 45mm gauge skips soon... I think I'll become very good at building Binnie skips!

[Big Jim]

Building Binnie skips is one of the delights of garden railway modelling.

I always keep a few in stock to have a go at when things fail to go right on another project. I find that after a disaster/monumental cock up. The ability to produce something that runs in less time than it takes to make and drink a pot of tea is a great restorative of enthusiasm and calmer of troubled minds.

[bazzer42]

The Roy Wood metal wheels can add some weight but obviously increase the cost.

[FWLR]

Small strips of lead put in the inside of the under frame would help with the weight.

[cooltrain]

I'm not super stressed about weight. In fact I'd rather them be as light as possible as my line has 40 metres of 1:20-1:30 all the way up to the quarry.

I'm getting some money together at the moment to buy some skips. Unfortunately I can't afford 72 though as 30 of them are already going to set me back $500 AUD.

[Peter Butler]

Unfortunately I can't afford 72 though as 30 of them are already going to set me back $500 AUD.

Perhaps a quantity discount might apply?

[IanC]

Unfortunately I can't afford 72 though as 30 of them are already going to set me back $500 AUD.

Perhaps a quantity discount might apply?

72! I'll settle for double figures. 6 so far so over half way. I see they are going for around UK£15 now. My first one cost me less than UK£10. They're great models. I like the idea of having some in stock. I used to do that when I modelled OO.

Ian