Good Day Mark the Menards Guy,
How about offering a 1:48 Scale Grain Elevator?
Regards,
Swafford
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I agree with Swafford. A small foot print but an add on or two to make it longer if you want. I would say depending on the building this concept would work on a number of buildings ending up with a small complex. People that have smaller layouts would get nice buildings and those with larger layouts could get bigger complexes with add ons.........Paul
Great idea, just right after they produce a weathered coal tipple/building.................................
That is a good idea, I like it.
Those are also Called Grain Terminals if they are located at a port or a destination city like Minneapolis.
Or how about the classic grain elevators used in Canada such as Pool, Alberta Wheat Pool, Pioneer, National etc.? Yes, I know Menards is not in Canada (yet!), but would be for Canadian modelers, and since its your layout whose to say a real world someone thought that style would work for their grain operation, especially if they lived close to the Canadian boarder. Here is one that I like (google Canadian grain elevator for lots of picture ideas, no doubt a handy modeler could put one together pretty quickly as it does not appear they were standardized too much):
I like the idea a lot and Swafford has done all the design work for Menards, just produce it! I like the first drawing with the stairways best! Just sayin!
Troy Towery posted:Great idea, just right after they produce a weathered coal tipple/building.................................
......And that weathered coal tipple will be right after THE BREWERY!!!!
Swafford, keep em coming. I'm on board. And from grain elevator to brewery .........Paul
Replicate the real ones around the Twin Cities.
My attempt at an elevator using PVC pipes and other parts. 
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ADM, Cargill, Ralston Purina, Quaker Oats, United Grain would all be ideas for this.
Matching hoppers.
VISTADOMESCOTT, like your grain elevator. I want to do a few for myself. What size PVC pipe did you use. Thanks........ Paul
paul 2 posted:VISTADOMESCOTT, like your grain elevator. I want to do a few for myself. What size PVC pipe did you use. Thanks........ Paul
Paul,
I used 4" PVC. I have plans to add more detail in the future... unless Menards comes up with something better first.
Or if I can talk Swafford into sending me the one he has pictured! :-)
Thanks VISTADOMESCOT, I was going between 3" and 4". Respectively they would be 12' and 16' diameters. But now with Swafford showing one done with 6" pipe now I have to see what the footprint will be with 6"............. Paul
To look proportional the elevator and silo need to be about 25" tall.
Good Day,
I'm curious..............do you think there is a market for large grain elevators to be offered this size with silos 5"or 6" in diameter with prototypical height? Offer these in a variety of grain companies like Coop, ADM, Cargill.
Regards,
Frank
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Dont's forget, Guys, that Korber has offered one of these in kit form, along with expansion kits, for many years now. Not too difficult assembly was required. Also, Lionel had, for many years, a grain elevator of the "square" design, instead of tound cylinders for storage. I had both of these for many years, completed and added detail to the Korber model and it's still on my layout, but the Lionel building I could never find a place for and finally sold it at York. Wonder if Menards were to make a model of a grain elevator, if it would really be a good seller.
What we could really use would be a nice factory building with a loading dock for a siding, and a lot of details like ventilators or blowers. If this building could be made expandable Menards would have a winner.
Paul Fischer
Fisch330, a few years ago Menard offered a building which was essentially a Woodlands Scenic Morrison Door Factory building which had a lot of detail and is a terrific addition to the layout! From pictures I 've seen of other layouts it is very popular! It meets your description to a tee I think!
fisch330 posted: What we could really use would be a nice factory building with a loading dock for a siding, and a lot of details like ventilators or blowers. If this building could be made expandable Menards would have a winner.Paul Fischer
Absolutely!
It could be made expandable right next to the BREWERY. All kidding aside a factory with a loading dock would be great.
While l far and away prefer wooden elevators, with infinite variety in design, for quantity production, since concrete elevators have a long history, l would be a prompt customer for one with a package of decals, including "CO-OP". For Canadians, include decals cited above. (however, the ones l photoed on the Alberta prairie were big red wooden ones)
Mark could travel to Milwaukee and gather information for building models of the grain elevator, silos, and brewery.
I agree with Paul Fischer. Korber and now Woodland scenics have grain elevators along with other O Scale model makers and their kits. Don't forget lionels grain elevator Kitsap are out there too! Another factory or a modern lumber mill would-be warranted for the investment funds.
A really good, well detailed concrete silo type grain elevator model could do triple duty. First; the obvious choice, modern grain storage at trackside. Also those same silos could be used as the core of a Portland cement plant, or even storage bins for a limestone mine. (See attached photos). This is a former PPG limestone mine, now abandoned, west of Akron, OH. It would make an outstanding model. It's BIG and impressive1 Check out those spiral stairs going all the way up the outside. I estimated the height at about 100'. Probably not possible, but I'd pay a good sum for a detailed kit featuring the stairs, and the top deck detail. With at least three variations, it could serve as the basis for a number of industries.
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There is a former grain storage facility in Buffalo/Lackawanna NY. It would possibly make it a good choice. It has four tracks going inside but would work I think with three tracks. Here is a pic...........Paul
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