Hi All,

[Rvjimd]

Found the site the other day while pouring through the tons of video from the ill giants quarry!

I built a pond in the backyard two years ago and put a working lock chamber in between the top and bottom ponds. I run a small tow and some barges around the ponds in the summer. I want to build some other dirt, rock and sand equipment for the surrounding areas and am inspired by all the videos!

I have a build thread on one of the rc group web sites, if you want more on the pond and lock chamber and tow boat construction. Hoping to learn enough here so I can decide if I can build or purchase some rc equipment to complement the pond. Would love to have a sand pit with loading and unloading capacity for a hopper barge!k

Here is a link to one of the vids on YouTube of the pond and tow pushing barges around.

http://youtu.be/wRC5V2xUyg0

[BRICKNICK]

Well I'm glad you found us and welcome. I would love to see a few pics if your boats and lock.

[Rvjimd]

It is a pretty long thread but the history of the project and pictures are found on rc groups.com. I hope it is not a rules issue for me to post the link here?

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1428572&highlight=backyard

The actual build starts on the third page where I start the planning on the grass in the yard using garden hose. I also started scratching the first of two tow boats.

Jim

[Lil Giants]

A functional lock for your rc tug, the 1st I've ever seen. :cool:

How much weight can you float? A functional hopper barge would be a nifty build.

I've been thinking hard about tugs & barges, be a good dirt work project for the fleet in the backyard to work at.. some of the equipment I've aquired lately, the basement is much too small for them; a river system would be a good long term (seasonal :() project.

Links to other clubs is perfectly acceptable. ;)

[Rvjimd]

I have never measured it. One of the last parts of the build that is still on the bench is more of a hopper instead of the flat top barges. Even it at this point is still using a solid 2x6 as a base so I am wasting a LOT of the displacement potential.

I don't remember exactly now without measuring them but one barge is about 5x18". If I could convert that to gallons and say sink it halfway for some freeboard margin I doubt it would amount to more than a quart. Which would be 2 pounds of capacity. I could be off either way by a factor of 2.

Last summer I did pour sand onto two of the flat top barges until the sand was rolling off the sides. It sunk them up to the top of the barges but they still stayed afloat. It was fun pushing them around because they were so much heavier. The momentum is cool in the water!

Jim

[Rvjimd]

I forgot to say,

After watching all your video from the quarry over the years, I would love to see you get into the "barge and towing business"!

One thing I figured out almost instantly once the pond had water in it, I wish it was bigger and I wish I had more river sections. I could scale back the tow and barges but I like the size I have now, it would have been nice to have more pond surface and river sections.

Under my YouTube account there are some open water tests I did at a nearby city pond. It was fun pushing 9 barges! I can never do that with the space I have at the backyard pond.

[Lil Giants]

Yeah, I viewed your other vids already, a bigger area is definitely a plus!

I have an area between the tree rows of roughly 80'x150' with a well water source very close, use a heavy wall plastic for the liner? Lots of room between other tree rows for river channels.. gonna build a garage next summer, the "project" will follow be behind that.

[Rvjimd]

I agree, it would be a really big project using scale equipment to do it all. But, when I was digging my three ponds and river section by hand, I remarked several time how much fun it would be to do at least some of it with RC.

I know joe was doing for the fun and had no completion deadline but it always looks to me like he needs more operators. I will work for free on the pond project if you need another operator!

Side question, is 1:14 the "standard" for trucks and hoes and dozers? Why? Just trying to get myself up to speed on the hardware. I think my scale around the pond is going to settle in on HO or maybe just a tad bigger. One thing I want to add is a rail system. Ho would be easy to find, but it is smaller than I would have dreamed, but the lock chamber and tow and barges can't grow unless I tear it out and start over.

Jim

[Lil Giants]

It's an ambitious project for sure! should keep me busy for a long while ..a couple of yrs away though. I first need to build myself a better workshop on location so I can build better models & make improvements on the ones I have with the freedom to cut, weld, machine all in one place.

Not really space in the basement for more than one or two operators, however with being outside.. :D

Anyways, I didn't mean to sidetrack your thread Jim with my hobbies..

Yes, 1/14th is the majority, I suppose b/c of Tamiya trks/trls with their affordability to get started in the hobby a decade ago, the construction model scene followed in favor. No reason why you couldn't have two different worlds sharing the same scene? 1/14th scale is borderline able without some human intervention, unless it's 80+mt equipment you're modelling.