Thread: Mine cart beginnings......

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OK I am building a mine cart. I was inspired by fellow Hauntforum member Wyatt Furr. I personally have never seen a mine cart in person and have no idea what size they typically are. I need my cart to be sort of smaller then what I think they might typically be. So my question is if anyone knows an approximate size for a mine cart. I have built a frame and it seems kind of small, but I think it is about as big as it can be for where it will be in my yard haunt. But, before I finish it out I was wondering if I should make it bigger. So far it is 17" tall, 22" long on the top, 18" long on the bottom, and 16" or so wide. Here is a pic. Any help on size would be greatly appreciated.

Looks fine to me. But that doesnt mean anything

watch the second Indiana Jones movie, they have mine carts in it.

I think the only reason size would matter on it is if you are putting someone in it.

Scatterbrains, my thoughts exactly!

LisaLisa also mentioned the Indian Jones movies. I will just have some bones sticking out of it so I don't think I need to make it any bigger. However if I decide to have another one that is more in the forefront of the yard haunt, how big should it be? Are real life mine carts as big as the ones they use in movies? Or should I just make a movie sized one because that is what people are used to seeing?

Okay, so you're looking for technical information regarding minecarts.

Mine carts have been around for several centuries and have come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Here is a small collage of minecarts.



Here is what Wikipedia.org has to say about minecarts:

The minecart is a transportation tool for moving ore and materials in the process of mining. Minecarts are no longer used in modern operations. Shaped like large, rectangular buckets, minecarts are set upon metal tracks so they can be pushed or pulled by things (men, animals, or engines) much lighter than their contents. Minecarts range in size and usage; however, they are often viewed as being made completely of metal for hauling ore. Throughout the world, there are different titles for such carts.

Thanks TK. I saw most of those when I originally did a Goolge image search for "mine carts", but it is great to see them all in one place. Hopefully this will be helpful for others wanting to make mine carts. I think I am going to stick with a wood cart. Not really for any other reason then when I envision a mine cart in my mind I see a wood cart. I was actually kind of using the image that is second in the second row(the one that seems to be under a roof) for my cart. In all my searching I never really found any dimensions, so I think I will stick with my smaller version. Even the wiki says they come in all shapes and sizes. Makes it easier to store as well. Wyatt Furr used styrofoam for his cart. But I think I am going to stick with pallet boards for mine.

Sounds good. You have a lot of freedom in your design and build due to the broad spectrum of minecarts available.

What are you going to do for wheels? Are you going to build a small track?

Originally Posted by TK421

Sounds good. You have a lot of freedom in your design and build due to the broad spectrum of minecarts available.

What are you going to do for wheels? Are you going to build a small track?

I am going to build some sort of track. The wheels are still to be determined. I was thinking of taking the rubber part off of the front wheels of a lawn mower. That would leave just the plastic part that has lips on both sides.

Good solution.