Kernow Model Rail Centre has announced the release of two exclusive commissions from Graham Farish Scenecraft in N Gauge of China Clay Dries and Clay Dries Chimney.
The mining of china-clay, kaolin, for the purposes of porcelain production began in Cornwall back in 1745. By the early 19th century, the deposits in Cornwall had emerged as the largest in the world.
After arriving from the pit the china clay in slurry form had to be dried because of its very high water content. The drying of the china clay slurry was traditionally undertaken in plants called “pan-kilns”. Pan-kilns consist of 4 major areas: sand and mica-drags, settling pits, settling tanks and the “dry” building.
The “dry” building is a long, narrow building with a chimney at one end a coal-fired furnace at the other end. Internally, the dry consists of 2 terraces. The upper terrace is called the “pan” and was used for drying the china clay, while the lower terrace was called the “linhay” and was used to store the dried china clay before removal by rail or road. Therefore, there is often a railway line just below the linhay.
The highly detailed Scenecraft models of the China Clay Dries and Chimney in 2mm scale are cast in resin and fully painted are similar to those in use at Wenford Bridge and other locations throughout the clay district in Cornwall.
Graham Muspratt, Development Manager said: “The China Clay Dries and Chimney has been very popular in 4mm scale so it was a natural choice to be part of our new range of N Gauge Exclusive Graham Farish Scenecraft buildings.”
The China Clay Dries models are exclusive to Kernow Model Rail Centre and available now:
42-059Z Graham Farish Scenecraft China Clay Dries - £54.95
42-060Z Graham Farish Scenecraft Clay Dry Chimney - £34.95