Engine House Project

[jonathan]

A couple of years ago I won a raffle at a train show which included some nice structure kits... one was a two-stall engine house.  I built the kit but it turned out too big for my yard.  Finally I got around to building a space for this engine house.

What follows are a series of photo showing the progress on the construction.  I used insulating foam to build a platform, some flat paneling to raise the fascia, and finally a combo of extra codes 83 and 100 track.  Needless to say I got pretty good at smoothly marrying the two codes together.  

The wiring is done and I've started the scenery.  Don't have any tortoise machines, yet, but we'll get there by-and-bye.

Will post the final pics when it's done:





































There will be lighting, inside and out.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Doneldon]

Jonathan-

Your work looks beautiful, as usual. I like the way you managed
to tuck this into a tight space. Very prototypical.
                                                                            -- D

[jonathan]

Thanks, Doneldon.

A few more shots. The scenery is nearly complete.  I lifted half the engine house roof to get a peek inside.  Still need to weather the structure and wire up some lighting.  Also, I think there needs to be some sort of smallish  coal, sand, grease, tool... kinda little shed... something to look like the work crews can get a locomotive going every morning.

Regards,

Jonathan

[rogertra]

Nice job, well done.

Cheers

Roger T.

[J3a-614]

Looks good as always. 

Weathering, when you get to it, can be pretty extreme on a structure like this, and still be prototypical.  I've seen some photos of structures like this that were almost black, but not quite. 

You will, of course, need a nice, really black set of streaks right over the center of the doors, from sooty stack exhaust.

That cramped service location could include a very small coaling facility, maybe even a bucket and crane job.  You could even just have a gondola on one of those tracks and laborers shoveling the coal into tenders by hand.  Ditto for any ash handling, this is a very secondary facility, and a lot of those could be on the primitive side.  It's cramped enough that water would either be supplied by a penstock from a tank elsewhere, or could even be from a tank nearby on the main. 

This photo is from Japan, but it shows the effect of steam locomotive exhaust.

http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=0b99d580-a1df-44e1-96ae-72c9fb963cd2&gid=3

http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=1d561556-eb57-4de8-8ef8-1166f05af385&gid=3

A Decapod on the table at East Altoona.  This was a very busy facility, and the dirt shows it to be so!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alcomike/6824748782/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alcomike/6824803402/

A little harder to see, but you might find a good look at what is behind this UP 4-6-6-4:

http://s147.photobucket.com/user/VIEWLINER/media/1001%20PTA/JDCW1.jpg.html

We'll close out with a roundhouse in Poland, still in use until very recently.

http://img.readtiger.com/wkp/en/PL_PT47_Wolsztyn.jpg

Hope these give you ideas on that engine house.

[jonathan]

Thanks Roger.

And thanks, J3a-614.  The pics were very helpful.  I was looking for some weathering ideas.  Also, how to number and mark the stalls.  I have two on/off switches for the stalls.  Yes, my home layout is still DC.  A couple of the pics showed how the prototypes were done.

Coal loading from a gondola seems like a great scenery idea for the extra tracks on the far end.  Notice one track has the coupler height gage mounted. Why not have some guys shoveling onto a small loader which drops into a tender?  Great idea.

I do have a water column not too far from this facility.

Regards,

Jonathan

[ebtnut]

Sites such as this often used one of those portable conveyors.  The unit would sit under one of the doors of a hopper car and hoist the coal up to dump into the tender on the adjacent track.  Those tracks where the scale cars and Dockside would be just right for this.  A couple different outfits make models of the conveyors. 

[rogertra]

Here's what I did on my old GER for coaling steam on a similar two road engine house that I'd scratch built.

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I kitbashed the crane, shortened the jib and added a bucket.  Not sure who made the original.

When the photos were taken I was using two bay hopper for the coal but a gondola would be more prototypical, which is what I later used.

Cheers

Roger T.

[J3a-614]

Roger and EBT, I had forgotten about conveyors and steam cranes for coaling.  The NKP used what they called "whirleys" at a number of locations for coaling, much as you did.

Take note of the 2-8-0 under a conveyor.  Not only is this a modelable scene, but the 2-8-0 is the prototype for Bachmann's 2-8-0.  And also take note of how the air compressors are mounted behind the pilot beam on this and other IC engines in this series.  This is what is behind those shields you see on many other steam locomotives; IC did not bother with the shields.

http://www.railarchive.net/rlsteam/ic.htm

There are a number of images here, not all of roundhouses or steam, but do note in particular that some facilities, such as the shanties in the railroad yard on the PRR, are almost as dirty as a locomotive facility.  In another shot, taken well into the diesel age, the soot from steam still stains all the bricks.

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/railroadfacility/interesting/

Location is New Zealand, but we used stuff like that here:

http://www.ohinemuri.org.nz/journal/jnl_images/photos_no.46/engine_shed_with_ab_class_engine_1959.jpg

How about this amazingly ugly coaling plant in steel for a scratchbuilding challenge?  Me--no thanks!

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/cpr_steam/2582_8481.jpg

This shot is a classic:

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/cpr_facilities/Ottawa_West_2401.jpg

Source:

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/cpr_facilities/two.htm

Note not just the weathering on the roundhouse (which does not have numbered stalls, apparently this was not universal), but also take a look at the gondola full of ashes next to the steam engine over the ash pit.  There's no sign of an ash conveyor, and the way the ashes are piled into the gon suggests a "whirley" was used to clean out the pit now and then.

I'll also add that you can click on this scene and blow it up a bit, and also note I cannot say just how much I would like to walk into it for a look around!

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Bruce/orangeville_roundhouseL.jpg

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Bruce/BRANCHES_1.htm

It's all Canadian, but a lot of good stuff here; bet Roger knows all about this one!

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/

[jonathan]

That orangeville roundhouse scene is magnificent.

Roger, I'm going to start stealing your ideas to use in my layout.  Thanks.

Regards,

Jonathan

[rogertra]

Roger, I'm going to start stealing your ideas to use in my layout.  Thanks.

Regards,

Jonathan

I'm flattered Jonathan.  Feel free to steal away, that's what I do anyway.  I generaly steal from the prototype though, rather than from models but I do take ideas from what I see in model railroads.   I just don't like to model other model railroads.  

Cheers

Roger T.

[rogertra]

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Bruce/orangeville_roundhouseL.jpg

What a great looking yard to on which to base a model.

Cheers

Roger T.

[jonathan]

OK, "borrowing" from Roger, here's a little scene.  Still need a bucket for the crane.  However, I may switch to a small conveyor if I find one at the next train show:







Connected the light wires and started a touch of weathering for the house.  We're getting there



Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

I could not fit a sanding facility in the engine house yard.  However, I could fit one about 200 scale yards down the branchline, right next to the turntable and roundhouse.  So, reasonably close I guess...

I now have a means to get coal, water and sand for my locos. Details are getting there:

no particular order












Regards,

Jonathan

[rogertra]

 jonathan

Coming along nice there, keep up the good work.

Cheers

Roger T.