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Just because the manufacturer is N Scale Architect doesn't mean that they only make N scale structures: They also make Z scale items. However, I must admit that this is going to be a bit of a "cheat" because it is indeed an N scale model. However, I think that it will still look okay on my Z scale Old West Layout.
The kit consists of four structures: 1) The gantry engine house pulls ore cars up a two-foot gauge track on the gantry (all one structure) to be emptied into a waiting train car. Ore cars are brought up from the mine inside 2) the shaft house. The cars are hoisted out of the mine at the end of a steel rope which passes over a big pulley at the top of 3) the head gear. Power to pull the rope is provided by some sort of machine in 4) the hoist house.
The kit includes four sheets of laser-cut wood, a sheet of plastic for the window panes, and a few metal items. The directions were pretty straight-forward. I followed directions and painted everything before it was removed from the wood "plates." I did come to one useful conclusion - keep the paint off of any pieces that need to fit into slots. The fit is probably already tight and a layer or more of paint doesn't improve the fit one bit!
Woodland Scenics Scenic Glue was applied with a tooth pick to hold the wooden pieces together. HobbyTown USA Maxicure Extra Thick cyanoacrylate glue was used to hold the ore car to the two-foot gauge track on the gantry, as well as to glue the steel rope to the front of the ore car.
I had a problem placing piece H6 - the floor around the pulley in the head frame - because I wasn't sure just what the lines pointing to it were actually pointing at on the diagrams. I thought it was a roof since it did not fit as the floor. Unfortunately, it wasn't until after the glue had dried that I realized that it must be the floor. I got it unglued and forced it to fit anyhow. Plate 4 was backed with paper to protect a layer of adhesive on each piece cut from it. These pieces were mostly the window frames, the pulleys, and the braces for the gantry and head frame. I used Woodland Scenics Scenic Glue to hold the rest of the wooden pieces together and I think that perhaps it would have worked better than the adhesive on the pieces from Plate 4. Besides, after removing the paper backing from the braces, I had to paint over the adhesive on the legs of the braces.
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