What did you do on your layout today?

Sometimes I just wonder where these posts should go - since this is currently on my layout and will be on the workbench later, "now" trumps.  These silos started life as carpet and flooring tubes - 4 inch OD and 12 feet long. Amazing how such a long tube turns into nothing after a few quick cuts.

I think the dimensions/proportions look about right - these are 22" tall, (the 24" tall version looked too tall). The elevator building and top side conveyor building will be added later. While I would prefer these to be on a back wall somewhere, this is the only suitable spot I have without compromising other wants. The idea here is to have the unloading cars on the high rail behind the silos, loading cars in front (as seen) and barge loading in the wharf area.

Most O scale kits have the silos around 14 inches tall - so do I cut these down or leave them tall? While I would like not to obscure the town view, these are massive structures - they are all over the place in Central Illinois.  On the other hand cutting these down to 14 inches would leave them 1 inch above the retaining wall of the town leaving a clear view of the town.  What do you all think?  Here is that "compromise" word again. Thanks for looking/commenting ... Jeff

@Alan Graziano  Alan if you see this post, wondering how you would approach this given your expertise in building everything in O scale industries.   

Jeff, I agree that sometimes I don’t know if something like this should be on the layout thread or the workbench thread.  As far as other people’s posts go, I don’t care which thread they use.

I have only seen grain silos like you are building twice, that was on two trips to Mattoon, Illinois which is the location of the headquarters for the company that bought North Pittsburgh Telephone where I worked.  If you didn’t have the town behind, then these are great.  However, cutting them down to the height of the retaining wall would not look right in my opinion.  Maybe you could split the difference and see how that works out.

@jdstucks great looking g fascia! It really dresses up the layout and love the 3 track entrance.

@ScoutingDad Jeff if it was me I would cut them down.  I used Pringle cans for my Menards Morton salt building.

@jdstucks fascia looks nice and clean as it really dressed up the layout.

@ScoutingDad posted:

Sometimes I just wonder where these posts should go - since this is currently on my layout and will be on the workbench later, "now" trumps.  These silos started life as carpet and flooring tubes - 4 inch OD and 12 feet long. Amazing how such a long tube turns into nothing after a few quick cuts.

I think the dimensions/proportions look about right - these are 22" tall, (the 24" tall version looked too tall). The elevator building and top side conveyor building will be added later. While I would prefer these to be on a back wall somewhere, this is the only suitable spot I have without compromising other wants. The idea here is to have the unloading cars on the high rail behind the silos, loading cars in front (as seen) and barge loading in the wharf area.

Most O scale kits have the silos around 14 inches tall - so do I cut these down or leave them tall? While I would like not to obscure the town view, these are massive structures - they are all over the place in Central Illinois.  On the other hand cutting these down to 14 inches would leave them 1 inch above the retaining wall of the town leaving a clear view of the town.  What do you all think?  Here is that "compromise" word again. Thanks for looking/commenting ... Jeff

@Alan Graziano  Alan if you see this post, wondering how you would approach this given your expertise in building everything in O scale industries.   

@ScoutingDad have you considered moving the silos down and omitting part of the water area. You could always use one of the corrugated style (Sea Walls) after the silos so you could still have a smaller water area. You could even have a barge there getting filled with grain or what ever you are using the silos for. Just a couple ideas for you.

@ScoutingDad, I like the silos tall but don't like the obstruction of your nice town buildings. How about only using 3 silos left tall? Just my 1 1/2 cents....

Mike

I finally cut out and installed an insert I made to fit my 310 Billboard.

@ScoutingDad Jeff- I'm in the less is more camp. Fewer silos and shorter.

@Oldegreybeard- You don't see adds like that anymore.

@jdstucks- The fascias look great. Gives a nice finished appearance to the front of the benchwork.

Bob

I am thinking of making silos (Or tanks, or towers) out of these.  They are only 7” tall and 3” in diameter, but they seem to be the right size for my little (5’x9’) layout.

Jeff

It looks like you will have three silos on each side of the elevator/ machinery building.

The layout seams fine. The material you are using will require using a glue gun to assemble. I would stay with cardstock and mdf material.  When I build I use abs or styrene materials so I can use solvent glue for 95 percent of my assembly.

if you want to change the layout, you can put a double row of three silos with the building on one end.

if I did not give you enough of an answer, send me an e mail.

@ScoutingDad posted:

Most O scale kits have the silos around 14 inches tall - so do I cut these down or leave them tall?

Per Wikipedia there is no standard sized silo. So make it what height you want.

Hi all, thanks for the helpful replies. The forum really helps bounce ideas around I may have not thought of - that is really valuable to me - thanks.

I am still considering options, but I am leaning toward cutting the silos down a little such that they are no taller than the first floor of the buildings behind. So going from 22 tall to 16 to 18 tall.  There is 8 inches of space on the deck = not enough room for a silo double stack and a track. Unless I use tighter track curves I do not have room to add a couple of inches for the 2nd silo row and it would increase the approach grade.  Thought about moving or reconfiguring the area - a possibility - a better solution would be a bigger train room which equals a new house.

Various types of silos are all over central Illinois. It is hard to recognize how tall these things are given they are the only tall structures in an essentially flat landscape. Even the towns built around them are dwarfed by their size.  Many newer ones are huge corrugated steel structures or large area concrete low-wall covered "bins".  Just trying to model what I have gotten used to seeing over the years. 

Jeff, that sounds like a good height.  You will still be able to see the buildings in the town.

@scoutingdad... My cement silos model from L&NE Martin's Creek, PA are based upon prototype style and height.

Walter

Chris Hughes photo...NOTE:  photo removed due to copyright per OGR TOS

@jdstucks Nice job! The fascia gives the whole layout a professionally built appearance.

I've used both of the products that you used at the portal. The walls as seawalls and the girder strips provided a fascia for my upper level of the layout which is a different scene.The strips are painted black. They are below the concrete fence.

@ScoutingDad

You present a conundrum. The few industrial silos that I have seen in my travels around the country were massive and  controlled the whole scene. I think that will be true on your layout; viewers eyes will be drawn to the silos and possibly miss other creations that you have made. Although already in place, my thoughts are to raise the town scene behind the silos; or lower the area of the silos. Definitely not an easy task.

@pennsyfan  Bob, Had not thought about raising the town. All the back sections are on 1 1/2 foam board, with no wiring as yet. Other than making additional retaining walls its relatively easy. Of course then I would need a ladder to work on the town. Food for thought. I am planning a trolley line back there, so access is needed.

Your comment on dominating the scene (although prototypes really do)  is spot on. I am not looking for these to be statement pieces - so reducing the height may be the compromise.  THX

Quick question... other than preference is there a reason why to build Ore Load  with a false bottom? Is it to just save on the ore? And why glue it down? Seems like it would be ok just to fill them up with your ore of choice and be done. Is there a weight concern, or concern if it derails it will make a mess (like in real life).? Just curious. Working on a couple.

@CR Cole posted:

Quick question... other than preference is there a reason why to build Ore Load  with a false bottom? Is it to just save on the ore? And why glue it down? Seems like it would be ok just to fill them up with your ore of choice and be done. Is there a weight concern, or concern if it derails it will make a mess (like in real life).? Just curious. Working on a couple.

Huge waste of material. I've built mine on the plastic loads supplied with the car, and just sit them in the car. Allows for removal so that you can run empties or loads as you like.

Foam core or core board can be used as a base to build a load on for cars that don't have fake loads. And yes, a derailment could lead to a big clean up in aisle 12.

It’s not what I did but what my buddy Keith delivered today. It’s the pedestal for the transformers and it has wheels that lock. There will be an angle board to mount the switch controllers and related items.  If I could get my car on top of it, the weight would be supported.

Jay

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

It’s not what I did but what my buddy Keith delivered today. It’s the pedestal for the transformers and it has wheels that lock. There will be an angle board to mount the switch controllers and related items.  If I could get my car on top of it, the weight would be supported.

Jay

Looks like it would hold a 500KVA transformer. Should be fine for a toy train transformer.

Your friend does nice work.

Bob

I’m very fortunate and he also built my bench work. If there is an hurricane or tornado, we’re going under the layout.
And, we both enjoy triple distilled spirits.

@RSJB18 posted:

Looks like it would hold a 500KVA transformer. Should be fine for a toy train transformer.

Your friend does nice work.

Bob

You beat me to it, Bob!!  Jay, your friend did a great job!!

I am not very good at SCARM but here goes - This is a view of what I would see if standing where I usually run trains. The silos were cut down to 18 inches from 22 - that seems to make a difference.  The red-brown building is a freight (future) warehouse to service the yard and mate up with the water on the other side. Three stories tall on the track side, two stories on the water side with room on the water side for semi-trailers.   

That looks like a good rendition of your main structures and elevations, Jeff.  I think 18” is a good compromise.  That is quite the freight house you plan; a testimony to a very busy railroad!

I recently got my first Marx accessories including a #418 Bell Ringing Crossing Signal. The instructions mentioned a track clip that, it seems, would allow the bell to ring intermittently as wheels roll over, as opposed to one long ring that you'd get with a full-length section of insulated outer rail. Robert Grossman Marx parts showed one clip that it says is a little big for 027, which I'm using, so I decided not to order. I found descriptions of the clip online where posters described various methods of making your own. Tonight I tested my own method. I taped a 2" piece of clear packaging tape over the outside rail. Then I applied inside of that a 1.5" piece of copper foil tape I got from Hobby Lobby. (Diamond Tech "Studio Pro" Stained Glass Foiling tape 1/4" x 36 yds copper. I initially made a mistake and found that this copper tape has the best adhesive in the world. It just sticks.)  It doesn't sound great I think because I've got my finger on the bell, but it does sound the bell intermittently as the individual wheels roll over so I'm happy.

@John's Trains posted:

I recently got my first Marx accessories including a #418 Bell Ringing Crossing Signal. The instructions mentioned a track clip that, it seems, would allow the bell to ring intermittently as wheels roll over, as opposed to one long ring that you'd get with a full-length section of insulated outer rail. Robert Grossman Marx parts showed one clip that it says is a little big for 027, which I'm using, so I decided not to order. I found descriptions of the clip online where posters described various methods of making your own. Tonight I tested my own method. I taped a 2" piece of clear packaging tape over the outside rail. Then I applied inside of that a 1.5" piece of copper foil tape I got from Hobby Lobby. (Diamond Tech "Studio Pro" Stained Glass Foiling tape 1/4" x 36 yds copper. I initially made a mistake and found that this copper tape has the best adhesive in the world. It just sticks.)  It doesn't sound great I think because I've got my finger on the bell, but it does sound the bell intermittently as the individual wheels roll over so I'm happy.

Creative thinking John. Nice work.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Creative thinking John. Nice work.

Bob

Thank you, Bob. I haven't tried soldering it yet. The copper tape is designed for soldering stained glass, but I don't know if the heat will destroy the packaging tape's electrical insulation.

John

Continued painting the steel mill (cast house).  Broke a few pieces off in the process but they were pretty simple to reattach. I may be able to start weathering before the week is out. Here's a peak..

Dave

That’s going to be sooo impressive Dave.

Today, May 1, 2024,  was wash day for the caboose...no not O or G or even HO gauge but a true scale 1:1 caboose. CNJ #91545. It sits on about 85ft of prototype CRR-NJ rail rolled in the early 1900's with actual full size railroad ties and proper stone ballast. So I guess this can be considered a layout, albeit a little larger size.

Every year in the spring the caboose is washed and every 5 years or so completely repainted. This year CNJ #91545 , which was built in May of 1942, turned 82 years old. Happy Birthday!

@Walter Matuch . So I guess this can be considered a layout, albeit a little larger size.

Every year in the spring the caboose is washed and every 5 years or so completely repainted. This year CNJ #91545 , which was built in May of 1942, turned 82 years old. Happy Birthday!

Yes sir Walt , if this is in your back yard it would definitely be considered to be your layout getting taken care of.      I'm guessing that might be you on that ladder.......if so , you're looking in good health sir.

HAPPY 82nd 91545.

Beautiful caboose. Thanjs for posting. Is this part of some historical society?

Tom

Dallas Joseph...Not me on ladder. I am spraying water with hose to wash off the soap. Feeling good and am about 7 years younger than the caboose.

PRR8976...Privately owned by my wife and me. Not associated with any society or group.

Walter

I have finished the other part of my Pier, and Girder facing for the edge of my layout and the legs. The Girder part is intended to coverup the 2x4 edge of the layout itself and face parts of the leg will cover the 2x4 legs. I will be painting the 2x4 legs a darker color to match the color of the Laser Cut pieces I am cutting.

idea-thinker

@idea-thinker Very unique!

Tom

Got some train-time today & continued laying out some subroadbed as well as plotting out the small yard, team track, etc.  Pardon the mess, it will look better eventually ! 😃

Rich

Idea thinker, your piers will look great!  You certainly have a knack for thinking outside the box, with amazing results.

Rich, Your progress looks great!  I've been saying "pardon the mess" for over 5 years.  'Eventually' is the word of the day!!

Today I completed, at least for now, the window sill storage/display yard.    Added some printed flats on each side of the window and a new stone retaining wall.    Track is painted but I do not think I will be adding ballast.    The buildings and stone wall are pinned in place but everything else is resting in place. Easy to modify or remove as the spirit moves me.    Now I have room to add more repaints as they become available.    This coming Saturday is the biannual Twin Cities Model RR Club train show so I will attend with an eagle eye for new projects.  

Cheers to all, Dave

Very nice job, Dave!

@darlander posted:

.................Added some printed flats on each side of the window .... 

Cheers to all, Dave

Those printed flats and stone wall look really good. I especially like how you combined the 3-dimensional stairs with the flat building. It kind of tricks the eye.