HO Structure Kit
BRICK KILN
933-4100
© 2018 Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., Milwaukee, WI 53218 waltherscornerstone.com I-933-4100
2
2
4
4
1
3 X6
3 X6
Thanks for purchasing this Cornerstone kit. Please take a few minutes to read these instructions and study the drawings before starting
construction. All parts are styrene plastic, so use compatible paint and glue to finish and assemble your model.
For thousands of years, builders have chosen brick for its good looks, durability and natural resistance to fire. Early brick-makers typically
set up shop alongside rivers and other bodies of water, where clay could be found in large quantities and hauled short distances. Until
the 19th century, brick making was done entirely by hand and a good crew working 12 to 14 hours could produce from 3000 to 5000
bricks in a typical day. Production increased slightly early in the 19th century with the introduction of animal-powered machinery, but by
the mid 1800s, demand began to skyrocket. As local sources of clay were depleted, brick makers turned to the railroads to bring in raw
materials over longer distances and to move finished products to distant markets. Innovative new machines powered by steam were
introduced that processed and prepared the clay for brickmaking. After being allowed to air dry for several days, these ³green bricks²
were moved into ³beehive kilns,² named for the rounded shape that resembled an old-fashioned beehive. As firing could take up to a
week, most brick works operated several kilns to keep production moving with fewer delays. The body and interior floor was constructed
of specially made ³fire brick² (also called refractory brick) to withstand temperatures that could reach 1950° F (1065.6C) inside during
peak firing. As the kiln would expand and contract substantially, large adjustable steel bands were installed around the outside walls to
restrict the amount of expansion. Firing actually began by stacking some 70,0000+ individual green bricks inside a kiln with a little air
space between them and the flue openings in the floor, a job that might take up to two days by hand, although forklifts would later speed
things up considerably. Once this was done, the doorways would be bricked over, and low fires ignited in small ³fireboxes² burning coal,
oil or natural gas (as depicted by this model). These were evenly spaced inside the kiln and were only open on top to force the heat up
towards the domed roof rather than directly at the stacked bricks. While this produced a more even heat inside, it also reduced the chanc-
es of burning bricks closest to the fires, and most importantly, drew off their remaining water content slowly to prevent cracking or worse
¬ a sudden surge of super-heated air could turn this to steam in an instant, causing the bricks to explode! While coal fired kilns required
constant attention, fuel and air were supplied by overhead lines attached to the exterior of gas- and oil-fired kilns, although the air supply
could be adjusted in a process called ³flashing² to produce more color variety in the finished bricks. Although there was a small opening
in the dome, no heat was lost through it; the hemispherical shape reflected heat downward while the strong downdraft created by the
large stack forced the superheated air back over the bricks, and through the flues built-in to the kiln floor. When no steam could be seen
venting from the top, the burners were opened wide to raise the interior temperature, and the bricks baked at full heat for roughly three
more days. At the end of this time, the burners were shut off, and three or four days allowed for a complete cool down to reduce the
chances of cracking or pitting. Unloading or ³drawing² the kiln might require another day or two, and the still hot bricks were moved to a
safe area until they could be taken to the sorting shed. As there was no way to uniformly heat them, every one had to be inspected and
sorted for color and quality. The best were used on exterior walls, second best for interiors and any warped or burned bricks might end
up as decorative walls or sidewalks. Although bricks were once loaded in boxcars, gondolas or wagons by hand, palletized and banded
shipments became increasingly common to reduce costs. While kilns of this type were standard for making bricks from the 1800s on,
many firms also used them to produce clay pipes and tubes of various sizes, durable brick pavers for streets and even small household
items such as dinnerware and crocks. Although newer methods and machinery arrived in the 20th century, some of these venerable kilns
were in use until the late 1990s, and a few remaining examples are now being preserved. Your new model can be built as either a coal
or gas-fired kiln to fit a wide range of modeling eras and is a key part of any brick works. Several can be combined to model a typical
operation using the Brickworks (#933-4102), Brick Storage Building (#933-4101) and Stacked Bricks (#933-4103) kits, each sold sepa-
rately. For additional details, railroad equipment, vehicles and more to complete your brick industry, visit your hobby dealer, see the
current Walthers Model Railroad Reference Book, or visit us online at walthers.com.
Parts are included for two complete kits, and both assemble
as follows:
1) Align the openings of the Portal Walls (2x 2) with the open
areas on the Base (1); glue in place as shown and allow to
dry. Doors (2x 4, one per wall) may be left off to model a kiln
being emptied or loaded, or glued in place to depict a model
being fired.
2) Align lower edge of each Curved Wall (12 x 3; six per side
as shown) along raised ridge and glue to Base and at inside
edges where each sections meets the other.
