Gold has been associated with two lead mining areas in Scotland - near Tyndrum and at Wanlockhead. At the former, there has been search for gold in modern times, with a long exploratory tunnel dug with the aid of a narrow gauge line to remove debris but without finding any commercial quantities of gold. At the latter, gold has been obtained by panning nearby streams (but not mining) with usable but small amounts of gold being recovered.
The purpose of any railway associated with gold mining would have been to remove rock debris to rubbish tips and ore to processing areas (for the actual gold to be extracted). The greater proportion of material carried by far would have been debris, which would have been tipped as close to the adit mouth as practicable, producing sizeable spoil heaps, although, unlike those associated with lead or arsenic mining, these heaps probably wouldn’t have rendered the surrounding area barren.
The railways used would have been simple - a single line into the adit and an odd point or two outside, and to a gauge of 2 foot or less. Trams would have been used to remove the debris and ore, no or little wider than the track gauge so that the adit didn’t have to be dug out any larger than was absolutely necessary. Motive power might have been by hand, by cable or by battery locomotive (typically Greenwood & Batley).
Both Nonneminstre Models and KBscale produce kits for suitable trams, the former in white metal, the latter largely in plastic, and Nonneminstre also produce a kit for a Greenwood & Batley battery loco (although as it is intended to mounted on a 16,5mm gauge SPUD a suitable chassis would have to be built by hand - not an impossible task).
David Woodcock
Champlon, Belgique
