Too Tall?

Charlie,

That stack will fit right in. Just add some red lights.

If you have to have some tanks and towers, or just consulting, give me a call.

Alan Graziano

Ahhh, a Harry Heike creation I have 2 of those bad boys next to my General Light & Power bldg. They are beautiful stacks. Does yours have the red light and suethe smoke unit?

Cesar

Not yet!!!

It's a great looking stack but in our model world, I think it's way too big. It may be an exact scale model but in comparison to everything else, it's overpowering. Remember we're creating an illusion not replicating reality in 1/48 scale. Even the largest layouts don't have room for a scale mile let alone a full city block. Factories and buildings are often selectively compressed. Even trees are not usually scale sized because, again, they would tend to dwarf everything around them.

The only out of scale detail that struck me were the access doors. Aside from that having lived in Chicago as a kid several centuries ago, enormous stacks in height and width were fairly common. There were several powerhouses I recall that had similar stacks back in the day, prior to the clean air act. BTW, I saw a layout that used a humidifier with distilled water that was piped to several stacks and the "smoke" looked better than Sueth units that burn light oil. The mist looked like convincingly like smoke.

Dennis

I don't think it is "way too big".

This one will be used for a diorama  of a small refinery in Norco, La that occupies about 6 acres. The 12 foot by 8 1/2 foot refinery diorama would hardly overwhelm a large O scale layout.

But I do appreciate hearing your comments and opinions.

Here is a similiar stack used for my Brewery Diorama

I agree, on a 81/2 x 12 foot refinery diorama, it will fit right in. It's all relative. The stack used with your brewery looks fine but then again it's properly proportioned to the scene.

Dewey,

It looks fine but is it actually 3 feet tall?

 It's either too tall or your backdrop's too short. 

The window blinds make it work,

No worries, Dewey.  The magic words are "forced perspective". 

Charlie....I don't think the stack is too tall based on what you are planning to model.

Dewey, your use of the stack looks great...and by the way, don't sweat the showcase!

Alan

Then why post with the subject line "Too Tall"?  I think that's what generating some of the criticism.

I agree with Dennis and MichMikeM. Why invite feedback if you're going to rebut it?

Was wondering the same - maybe for the entertainment value.....

Aparently not a good day to debate a "perfect world" Charlie.

As Patton said to Rommel, Dennis,[more or less],"I read your Book".

Dewey, I hope you didn't think my comment was directed at you ? I was answering Charlie's question, and half-jokingly. I know that is not where he is planning on having the tower but I was also pointing out what Dennis said about not being in proper perspective to the surroundings.

Yes, it was entertaining

It was okay Fred even if it was directed at me in fun[your icon], I don't have rabbit ears. I was having fun and being sort of sarcastic my self[see Coffin/Creamation comment and Generals Patton/Rommel analogy]. But if it seems to me that when a thread is moving sideways from critique rather than contribution, I move out and on. I get in enough trouble as it is.

I enjoy the scenery threads more than anything on the Forum, in particular the high skill set of you and several others and am not shooting for that level. I can no longer do even the basic level of scratch building or any slightly difficult assembly. I now buy components and cram them together in a spot.

Dewey

What locomotives are you running these days?

As I remember you are Southern RR fan.

I still recall my trips from Philly to the Big Easy on the Cresent limited in 1977 and 1978 working at a PP Plant start up in Norco for ten months.

Seems to me the motive power was a set of FP7's but someone recently said they were probably E units.

My original comment in this thread was simply a response to the question "Too tall?" regarding the stack as it is shown in the original photo. How should I have answered otherwise? It wasn't meant to criticize; it was my honest answer to your question. 

DennisB

As  mentioned above your comments are always wecome. The size of the stack is going to be reevaluated once the pipestill is finished. Your perspective got me to rethinking the layout of the diorama so all the parts fit together when viewed from the aisles.

I don't worry about those that jumped into the conversation with some  negativity.

Hi Charlie

I have dismantled both of my fairly large layouts here[ '09] and at the mountain cottage ['08] and now I am reduced to a small 9x16 round-the-wall attic layout. As a result, I am usually running only four car passenger trains on one mainline, usually behind a Southern Ps-4 by MTH or Lionel, or a single "A" Southern E6,7 or E8 diesel--Lionel, Williams/3rd Rail, Weaver. Right now the layout is in disarray and nothing is running.

Also, on  the other mainline, I run short freight trains of about 7 cars behind a Weaver 2-8-0 or 2-8-2 K-Line Mikado. My model era ends in 1953 when Southern converted to diesel and in 1960 when N&W did. My N& W and Clinchfield engines tend toward the big articulated stuff and remain boxed or shelved. I do operate my N&W "Water Buffalo" Mountain type to drag N&W coal hoppers under the Yard Coaling Tower. 

I run every thing very slow compared to on the larger former layouts,at least utill the Grand Kids get here and go wide open[and noisy].

I only rode the Crescent once, July 5, 1949 enroute to New Orleans to connect with the SP and on to San Diego for Navy Boot Camp. They bussed us up from Raleigh Navy Recruiting Office back to Greensboro and we caught the southbound Crescent well after midnight when we boarded sleepers. When we awakened next morning the power was a stinking F3 Diesel. Later on the West Point Ry and then L&N into NO we were behind Steam but I never knew what brand.

My first train ride was on the N&W from Madison N.C. to Dennison in northeastern Ohio to visit my maternal grand parents. It was August 1932 and at 6 months old I remember it well  of course!

My last consistent train riding was on my daily commute to reach Manhattan during the 1970s on the old Lackawanna Electrics from Morris Plains to Hoboken. Prior to that I just rode to Newark and worked in the East Ward.  On a Sunday night 1961-67 I frequently boarded the Piedmont Limited at 6:30 p.m. in Greensboro, slept all night and arrived Penn Station NYC at 6:30 a.m.  Checked into the Statler Hilton across from Penn Station and walked up to 1440 Broadway and went to work.

Friday night at 6:30 pm I caught the Southern Peach Queen back to Greensboro and arrived Greensboro 7:00 a.m. Saturday Morning. Think about it, no Laguardia or Newark Airport hassle [until the boss said get on the Eastern Electras and messed up my plan].

Southern Fan Trip Specials aside. Sorry, more than you wanted to know!

Yes Dennis I really have read your book and followed the suggestions often. I understand your protocol--your perspective on scene perspective for example. I paid for your critique up front. So, if you provide a second edition verbally and free that is just fine with me. 

But there is no way I can measure up nowadays so I cheat more often than I used too. Perhaps you noticed!

Anyway, I always have the option of submerging the stack down into the foam and subroadbed to shorten it. But if its too fat for proper perspective I am skunked.

Good! 

Big diorama; "The 12 foot by 8 1/2 foot refinery diorama" - got track/structure plans you can share?  Solid area or pop-up holes or wrap-around????   Looking forward to seeing photos of it completed.

So yeah that stack is too tall for the layout but you can put it on the floor for a stool and sit on it, don't hurt yourself haha, it was an "entertaining" topic.