Large Scale Central

Rebuild - how to deal with a "defining feature"

Track and Trestles
#1

These diagrams are rough and ready. This is what we had before the rebuild began.

The inner loop was built as close to a 52.8’ circumference as possible, to facilitate speed testing. Now that that’s done, I’m gearing up the layout for simple switching games with my grandsons. If possible, I want to avoid buying any more track and switches.

I definitely want the top crossover (i.e., the one away from the tank). At present, that’s about half done (it involves elevating the track). The bottom crossover is more interesting, because the water tank is a defining feature in our garden. I want whatever happens to integrate as well as possible with it. Does anyone else have a “defining feature” on their railroad (i.e., something immovable, and unrealistic in the context of a railroad) that they’ve managed to integrate to their satisfaction? It doesn’t have to be a water tank - I’m more interested in why the object, whatever it is, was a problem, and how you devised a way to incorporate it into your overall plan.

#2

Dave,

Not knowing the dimentions of that tank makes it a little hard to picture in relation to your trains, but a large industry comes to mind. would it be possible to paint the tank to resemble a large brick structure on the lower portion with sky above Maybe a few lean-to roofs added on the viewing side or a trackside loading platform with a siding? If it sits high enough maybe close in the underneath and put some large freight doors on one/both end(s) for inside unloading as some industries have.
Throw around a few more ideas?
Dave

#3

Dave,
Along with the dimensions, do you have any pictures of it?

Can it be covered? If so, how about an acrylic structure? It’s fairly light and you could make it so it could just lift off the tank. The acrylic could either be painted to look like a building, or covered with some texture and then painted.

There’s lots of industries to choose from. Any favorites?

#4

Dave:

Any chance of getting a picture and some dimensions for the tank?

I can think of several ways to either disguise it or make it part of the RR scene as suggested above by David and Bruce, but without some more information, it’s pretty difficult to give specific recommendations that would make sense.

We all have some version of “defining features,” including buildings, fences, walkways, driveways, etc. Your 5000 gallon tank is just a little more obvious and challenging in that department!

Happy RRing,

Jerry

#5

Make a couple of flat car cut outs out of plywood to stick on the sides and turn the tank into a tank car. Get the grandsons to help you paint them.
I didn’t have the obstacles you mentioned since I was able to pick a part of the backyard that was fairly obstacle free.

-Brian

#6

Dave,

The old Colorado Midland (prototype) had a defining feature it wanted to get rid of (true story).

There had been a wreck along a cliffside on the railroad. A locomotive had tipped over and and slid part way down the slope. The wrecking crew removed the locomotive but left the badly damaged tender there since it was beyond repair.

A while later a RR official was riding in one of the Midland’s passenger trains and noticed some of the other passengers pointing out the window at the abandoned tender laying beside an electric transmission tower. Concerned that such a sight might unnerve the paying public he ordered the tender removed.

A crew was sent out and assessed the situation. They decided it was too dangerous and time consuming to try and haul the tender up the slope to haul it off so they set off to blow it up. After loading the tender with dynamite the crew retreated to a safe distance and set off the dynamite. The resulting explosion threw up a huge cloud of dust and debris completely obscuring everything. After the dust cleared they could see that the tender was still in about the same place albeit with a few more dents but now, laid out flat beside it was the transmission tower.

It cost the railroad a pretty penny to pay for the tower and the tender remained where it was. So be careful how you handle your defining feature. :wink:

This story came from Colorado Midland by Morris Cafkey.

#7

Dave,

I see the tank is a 5,000 gallon, quite a large tank. You probably wouldn’t be able to obscure such a large tank completely. One way I would suggest is first to paint it as neutral a color as possible, one that will help to camouflage it into the background. It needn’t be the same color on both sides as you can’t see both at once anyway, just color(s) that will blend in a bit. Then you could “fence” it off to a reasonable height of say a couple of feet and construct building flats against the fences on either side or alternately a rocky slope or cliffside or building flats on one side and scenic obstruction on the other or any combination. Be an excellent way to build a large RR station along one side too as you’d only need to model one wall for a flat.

#8

Best picture is this:

(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj307/healydj/GrandpawithGabrielandSamSmall.jpg)

The tank is the ivy-covered structure in the background. When we built in '79, I back-filled to half its height after building a brick enclosure for the 1hp pump that pushes the water out to the garden. I’ve tinkered with the idea of ripping the ivy off, but have recently become more inclined to regard the beast as a garden feature and leave it at that.

#9
Dave Healy said:
I've tinkered with the idea of ripping the ivy off, but have recently become more inclined to regard the beast as a garden feature and leave it at that.
Me thinks that would be your best bet..............
#10

Dave,

Best I can think of is steam engines and a water spout. However, a hydro electric water power generation plant has a possibility. Deliveries of machinery and pump supplies to a siding could become a well deserved operations feature and a reason for your railroad and trackage to exist.

#11

Something that big, probably best to leave it be. The ivy looks good. Great pic of the kids, BTW.

#12

Dave Healy said:
Best picture is this:

(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj307/healydj/GrandpawithGabrielandSamSmall.jpg)

The tank is the ivy-covered structure in the background. When we built in '79, I back-filled to half its height after building a brick enclosure for the 1hp pump that pushes the water out to the garden. I’ve tinkered with the idea of ripping the ivy off, but have recently become more inclined to regard the beast as a garden feature and leave it at that.

That truly is the “BEST PICTURE!!” It looks to me that the tank ‘problem’ is already well taken care of. I think your ‘new’ layout, where the ‘siding’ is on the same side of the tank as the ‘mainline’ is better for operation of more than one train, but the previous arrangement did provided a significant alternate route. Mostly I see three ‘kids’ having loads of fun. Just keep that up and it doesn’t matter where the track (or tank) are. Happy RRing, Jerry

#13

Yes, judging by the photo of three mavericks having so much fun I’d say there’s no problem at all. :slight_smile: