Oh, look, another project! Not an engine, thankfully (though I do have the paint just about finished and the decals on 1508 in the blue and tangerine). Wanted a switch tower, but couldn't find anything I liked at a price I wanted to pay. So, after looking at a few pictures of Essay tower, I said to myself "Self, that wouldn't be too hard to build, would it?"
A few sheets of styrene brick and shingles later from Micro Mark, and I come across someone who's got the actual proposed scale building plans to it, with all the dimensions. There's one window on the plans that it doesn't look like ever made it into the tower from all the pictures I can find, but I'm not averse to cutting one less opening.
I'm going to 3D print all the windows and doors, roof gutters, downspouts, chimney top and exterior stairs, and I'll be in business. Going to make it in 2 parts. The upper 2 stories and roof, so until the point where I actually have a layout to put it on it can sit on a flat surface and look charming, and the cellar, which will either be made with a sloped bottom to sit on a hill, or flat bottom to sit into a hill (since the original's front is one story lower than the rear, as the track that leads to the Amboy secondary rises after it leaves the NY&LB).
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I MAY have found the parts to make the large 12 wheel tender for the heavy Mike. I was going to just build one with a standard USRA style tender (because donor shells for 50' tenders are in short supply), but man, they just look massive with those big ol' class W tenders behind them...
