Michigan Central Coal Tower in Michigan City, Indiana

That would make one fine model. Is that a VIA train in the picture? If so, does VIA roll into MI?

Very cool project for a structure. I will ask around, but you have some great leads.  Asking the architects, sounds like a plan. Hope they have the plans.

Jim,

You can scale it off of the picture you have. You know how high the locomotive is and with that you should be able to get the rest of the dimensions. Once you have done this, you may cut the size down to fit your layout anyway.

Alan Graziano

My wife is from MC. Approximately 850 north and 1 mile west of Rt. 39 Heading there tomorrow to work on her folks house. Could you specify the location of the tower I would like to see it.

Regards Mike AKA Trainman5

If you know the locomotive dimensions in the picture.  You can extrapolate from there, guestimate, selectively compress good for O scale to get the desired results, look and not have to search anymore.

He can park on the North side behind it or along the road by the curve.  Should not be a problem for a short term visit.

Thanks guys we will scope it out.

Regards Mike AKA Trainman5

Mike,   How about taking a tape measure and let us know the dimensions of the base, the legs, distance from legs to unloading track, to the conveyor structure, the sides of the conveyor and any other measurements you can SAFELY gather?  John

Hey Guys,

Just did a quick google search for rail road coaling towers and low and behold not only photos popped

up but many blue print drawings. here is  two but there are a lot more where this came from including depots 

MONON JIM,

Attached are some copies of a coaling structure that looks similar to the one your trying to model.   The prints are from the reprint of the Fairbanks, Morse & Co. mid 1930's Locomotive Coaling Stations.  

The provided copies aren't an exact duplicate of the coaling station your interested in, but to me it looks darn close and a lot easier to scale off of these drawings than having to drive to the tower and try to measure it.

This particular one is double tracked (like yours) and though it is open faced, it would be similar to yours if it were to be simply closed off. 

I've also provided another print which shows an array of coaling stations from that era.  As you can see your coaling station is very similar to the several different models, with the exception that they are single tracked.

Copy these images to your PC and then enlarge them as the prints have dimensions on them.

Hope this helps you out.

Allegheny, Thanks a lot.

Jim,

Your welcome!

Wonder if the builder (Fairbanks-Morse, or whomever) is marked on that Mich. City one somewhere, to narrow that down.?   I am glad that one is still standing.   I always wonder who climbed some of those high stairways on those towers...not a job I'd welcome.

had a chance to visit the coal Tower in Michigan City and also one in New Buffalo Michigan got some measurements of the base of the structure in Michigan City

on our way home now I will try to post some images later this evening

New Buffalo 

New Buffalo,  Roberts and Schaefer of Chicago

Forgive me my drawings are mislabeled.  The dimensions are from New Buffalo.

These images are of Michigan City. I will need to measure this tower on another occasion.

My wife was sitting in the car and had run out of patients.

Michigan City Coal tower

Trainman 5 posted:

Forgive me my drawings are mislabeled.  The dimensions are from New Buffalo.

These images are of Michigan City. I will need to measure this tower on another occasion.

My wife was sitting in the car and had run out of patients.

Is she a doctor?��

We actually have an O scale model of that coal tower. It was built by a local modeler who acquired the original blue prints of it and modeled it in its "as built" condition. It's made primarily of balsa wood. I'm in the midst of shooting it for a new I Love Toy Trains video, which is how I finally came upon this thread as I was doing a google search.

A similar coaling tower stands on the former MC just west of Augusta MI near Kalamazoo.

Ken

Joe Stachler posted:

We actually have an O scale model of that coal tower. It was built by a local modeler who acquired the original blue prints of it and modeled it in its "as built" condition. It's made primarily of balsa wood. I'm in the midst of shooting it for a new I Love Toy Trains video, which is how I finally came upon this thread as I was doing a google search.

I talked to the gentleman who made it and he informed me that he sold the model to I Love Toy Trains along with the prints. I contacted the firm that made the tower and they no longer had any prints.  Have been searching for the prints for a long time. I have seen the model and it is excellant.

terrific model. great work by the modeler.

There's a similar coaling tower in Grand Haven, Michigan, along with a Pere Marquette Berkshire on static display.