Scratch built water tower ?

Adam, I have some water tanks that were built by Alan Graziano WHO ALSO IS A MEMBER OF THE ogr AND USUALLY POST'S VARIOUS WORK HE IS DOING FOR PEOPLE. tHE FOLLOW ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF HIS WORK.

A little clarification on the type water tower your referring too please. One like Popsrr is showing in his photos, or the old style wooden water tank that serviced steam loco's ?

Bob

Popsrr,

I love the Shell tower! What a great addition to your layout. It is to modern for my steam layout but it does look so real!

Dave

dpc,

Thanks for your comments on my water tower.It also looks quite nice at night with its lights sitting amoung the other vessels on the Oil Refinery. Thanks again.

Scratchbuilding a steam loco water tank seems like a hard way to go, as there are so many kits of them that show up in the auctions...some of those are large ones you'd see on a class one..

On my short line, I am kitbashing the inexpensive and commonly available Lionel kits

with the square pumphouse under them, using the tank.  There are a lot of narrow gauge kits, too,  for 2 and 3 foot gauge that can be bashed to work for three rail.

"We choose to go to the moon not because it is easy but because it is hard."

                --JFK

Adam,

As Popsrr stated, Alan Graziano makes all kinds of structures for members on the forum and elsewhere.  Just recently he made a wooden tower for an OGR member and posted the results in one of the Sunday showcases.  Do a search on water tower, Alan's name, and sort by date.  Look for the Nov. 10th Sunday showcase entry to see the results of his craftsmanship.

I purchased one of David's wooden water tanks from Crescent Locomotive Works and then stained and painted the tank myself.

Outstanding weathering, Al.

I picked up an old Skyline Builder kit on Sunday at a train show for $15.   I've seen them a lot at train shows.  Though it is largely cardstock, it is nicely proportioned and I plan to upgrade it with wood coffee stirrer sticks, NBW and banding details.  I'll post more photos as it progresses.  Since Skyline is long since out of business, I could send you a copy of the plans.

  Adding the coffee stirrer sticks:

Norm Charboneau did a really nice scratchbuilt tower using a PVC pipe.  Pictures from his Blog.

And here is Altoona Model Works tower kit:

Bob

I kinda enjoy scratchbuilding. I don't care how long something takes me to build as long as it fulfills my idea of what i wanted. I spend a few winter months several years ago building this water tank a board at a time, a shingle at a time. In O scale this is a nice big structure, and that's one of the reasons I'm in the scale.

Bob

A few assorted construction views:

I made some quick and dirty ones using 4 inch pvc.  I have made a pdf on what I did and what I used.  Russ

http://www.hobby-tronics.com/1...images/watertank.pdf

Flanger, I like it!  Dave G.

Bob I really like what you have there...I need to make some myself.

Nice work Bob (Flanger)

What did you use for the turnbuckles, the gauge, and the hatch hardware?  The detail and weathering are excellent.

Bob G

Those turnbuckles were available from Grandt Line. The gage is scratchbuilt and the number strip was drawn out on my computer and printed. The hatch hardware was also scratchmade from bits of wire and tin stock. Making this stuff is quite enjoyable, and always a challenge I like to take. In case you wondered, those shingles were cut individually from .020" veneer stock, and distressed one by one before being applied to the roof.

Bob

Couple closer views

A different approach to a scratch built water tower.

I like it!    That is very cool and just a bit funky and I think funky is great!  Nicely done.  Russ

I certainly would not disparage scratchbuilding...I've done enough of it and shown it

on here...but like Russ, I wanted a series of similar water towers, with stone bases

(D,SP,&P style) as the "standard" for my road that could be quickly whipped out.  Just

not what I chose to scratchbuild.  What is the prototype for that square one, jackiejr,...I have seen a picture of something similar..logging road?  These board by board ones above ARE great models.

I was inspired to build the rectangular water tank from a picture/story book on the subject of old English country railroads. My layout does not follow a strict authenticity of any particular railroad. I build what interest me and thought this was pretty cool and different from the "norm". I also googled  the subject to include pics and came up with many ideas. Thank you for the interest.

I understand your point of view, but for me the pleasure of building something special is the essence of the journey. I will build another of these tanks identical to the one shown above and that is all my branchline requires. It does follow my prototypes design, and has the family look I was after.

Adam

While looking online for some detail ideas for my Skyline Builders kit, I found these blueprints:

Here is the link to the full size file.

Bob

And another source for drawings:

http://www.drgw.net/gallery/v/...dplans_p263.png.html

Russ