Mining & Heavy Industry · Wild West Pioneers
Iron Shaft Mine
Subterranean timber-shored shaft sunk into rock formations. Extracts 2 Iron Ore every 40 seconds (3.0 Ore/min) to feed blast furnaces and toolmakers.
Construction Cost
70 Timber, 40 Stone, 8 Pioneer Tools
Worker Capacity
4 Miners
Operating Upkeep
10 Gold / day
Extraction Rate
2 Iron Ore / 40s (3.0 Ore/min)
Deposit Type
Surface Iron Vein or Subterranean Node
Structural Maintenance
Requires 5 Planks / month for shaft shoring
Downstream Consumer
Iron Smelter & Blacksmith Workshop
Frontier Tier
Tier 2 (Expansion)
Operational Overview & Strategic Role
Wood and stone can establish a camp, but iron builds a lasting civilization. The Iron Shaft Mine plunges deep into rocky hillsides to extract raw hematite and magnetite veins. Smelted iron enables advanced farm plows, railroad tracks, repeating firearms, and durable nails.
Parametric Specifications & Workload Matrix
| Attribute | Operational Metric |
|---|---|
| Construction Cost | 70 Timber, 40 Stone, 8 Pioneer Tools |
| Mining Crew | 4 Deep-Shaft Miners (Pickaxes & Dynamite) |
| Ore Extraction Rate | 2 Iron Ore / 40 seconds (3.0 Ore/min) |
| Shoring Timber Consumption | 5 Wooden Planks / month to prevent cave-ins |
| Deposit Longevity | Standard vein yields 1,200 Ore before exhaustion |
Logistics Optimization & Placement Tactics
- Minecart Track Spur: Lay heavy wooden or steel cart tracks connecting the minehead directly to the smelting yard to avoid slow wagon transit.
- Timber Shoring Guarantee: Always maintain surplus planks in reserve. If timber shoring runs out, the shaft collapses, killing miners and demanding 50 timber to reopen.
- Geological Survey: Have your Scout Post survey rocky ridges early to identify the richest ore nodes (>85% iron purity).