Chemical Plant Industrial Layout

[Len]

This is the track plan of the Pfizer Chemical plant in Groton, CT from the 1954 Sanborn map book. It could be built as a stand alone switching layout, or made part of a larger layout. The plant produced citric acid, oxalic acid, penicillin, vitamin A, and a few other things I can't recall these days. It could be turned into a production plant for almost anything on a layout.

When I worked there in the early 70's a GE/Cummings center cab purchased used from the Navy, replacing an Alco S-2, moved things around the plant. When I was there it was painted dark blue, but at some point after I left it was changed to orange. Also after I left, a couple of SW-8 switchers were brought in. Various types of tank cars predominated, but there were also a lot of box cars picking up bagged chemicals of various types, and an occasional covered hopper. There were two runaround tracks to make it a little easier cars to be shuffled around.

The plant:


Len

[Len]

The GE/Cummins center cab can be seen here:

http://imagestorage.nerail.org/photos/2005/11/24/200511241603281981.jpg

SW-8 #1 and #2:

http://imagestorage.nerail.org/photos/2005/12/04/200512042145055228.jpg

Len

[trainman203]

Aren't those Sanborn maps mega cool.

[Len]

Very! Never thought I'd find one with the track plan of a place where I worked at one time.

And that's not the mainline outside the plant fence. It's a very long spur that runs from the New Have mainline, past Pfizer and down into the Electric Boat Co. shipyard where they build submarines. Which is also in the maps, but probably a bit large for even a stand alone layout. There also a couple of single track spurs for smaller business off the main spur.

Len

[Terry Toenges]

A layout with a submarine would be cool.

[Len]

Go for it! The inset image on the lower left splices to the top of the right hand image. My father worked at EB for over 30 years, rising from machinist to Ship Supervisor before he retired.



Len

[Terry Toenges]

My layout days are over. My oxygen level goes way down just walking from one room through two rooms.

[jward]

That center cab had me stumped for a minute. It was an oddball for sure, especially with that cab.

This is a GE 80 ton, one of the very first built. It dates to the late 1930s, when the very first standardized diesels were starting to appear. The 80 ton was a more powerful cousin to the 44 tonner in Bachmann's line, and starting in WW2 this model gained the sloped hoods and semi-streamlined cab often associated with small GE locomotives.

The early GE center cabs usually sported a steam locomotive style headlight mounted atop the hoods, making them a very unique looking locomotive.

Fortunately, this locomotive has been restored at the Valley Railroad, regaining the steam locomotive style headlights in the process.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Railroad_(Connecticut)#/media/File:Valley_Railroad_0901.jpg

[Len]

It was painted dark Navy blue, with an oval Pfizer logo centered on the cab, when I worked at that Pfizer plant. The "Safety Orange" paint job came some time after I left.

Fun fact: After a production run was completed, a lot of the mycelium molds a product was extracted from were washed, dried, crushed, bagged and sold as fish food. Which accounted for regular deliveries of empty box cars to haul it away.

Len

[Ralph S]

Does your experience from this layout..., was there a helium production plant in the area?  I am trying to figure out how to make/build a helium plant on my layout.  I have several helium tank cars but no helium plant for them.  Goggle doesn't do justice on what a helium plant looks like.

[Len]

Sorry, no helium plant. Just chemicals and submarines.

Len