Cryogenic Plant & Helium Plant

[beiland]

I've been working on this cryogenic, helium plant scene for a couple of weeks now,..on and off and slowly. As I mentioned before I have now found space to put both a helium facility and cryogenic plant between the cryo-loading tracks/tanks at one end and the refinery at the other.




This is still preliminary, but the basic idea. That's a large cooling tower separating the two facilities, helium on the far side, cryo on the near side. There will be additional cylindrical stacks/towers associated with both plants, and the cooling tower itself will be a shared facility.

There are two tracks running parallel and to the inside of the 'ramp track' that is the upper deck loop mainline. That cryo tank car in setting on one of those tracks I call a primary holding track. It is utilized to hold a variety of cars at different times. It can hold cryo tank cars waiting to be shuffled to their loading sidings. This is accomplished by pushing them to the end of that track that can hold up to 2 such cars at any one time. These are then pulled by a switcher along the inner track to their specific loading stub tracks.



Notice there is also provided a siding for the switcher loco dedicated to moving a variety of cars around the cryo, helium. and refinery tracks.





Both of these 'holding tracks' might also at any time be used to hold a variety of fuel tankers and propane cars waiting to be shuffled into the 2 refinery loading tracks. And they might also hold some helium cars waiting for their turn to be shuffled to the two helium loading tracks.

That holding track next to the ramp might also be used to line up coal hoppers from the mine above, that are waiting to be picked up by a coal hauling train coming around that upper deck mainline.




This entire area could be a bee-hive of switching/shuffling activity without interfering with mainline activity.

 

[beiland]

I don't have a destination for my cryogenic and helium tank cars on my new layout,.... BUT I certainly will have enough generation facilities....ha..ha

 

[trailrider]

What year is your layout set in? That would probably dictate where your cryo products could go. Any time from the mid-1950's on, especially around 1958 or so, you could be shipping LO2 (lox) and helium to Cape Canaveral. A little later the stuff could be shipped to Atlas and Titan I ICBM sites. Helium and argon could go to distributers for inert gas welding, all over the country. All you really need is a mainline going "off the layout", which could also handle all sorts of products.

 

[beiland]

What I was saying is I do not have any room on my layout for industries that might be utilizing the quantity of those gases that I have the capability of loading. It just goes onto trains to be taken to those various industries that are located somewhere off my layout.

There is the possibility that some liquid oxygen could be taken to the EAF (electric arc furnace).

Maybe some of the welding gases and helium gases could be delivered to the carfloat for delivery down the Chesapeake Bay to the some civilian-military facilities on its shores.

 

[beiland]

I've been working on this cryogenic, helium plant scene for a couple of weeks now,..on and off and slowly. As I mentioned before I have now found space to put both a helium facility and cryogenic plant between the cryo-loading tracks/tanks at one end and the refinery at the other.




This is still preliminary, but the basic idea. That's a large cooling tower separating the two facilities, helium on the far side, cryo on the near side. There will be additional cylindrical stacks/towers associated with both plants, and the cooling tower itself will be a shared facility.

This relatively small 'plant' has appeal, AND it could be made to fit in the relatively small space I have set aside for it. Yesterday I was at a train show and picked up a 'parts box' for the Walthers refinery. I'm sure there are a few refinery towers in that misc parts box that can be used for my SMALL helium plant.

BUT I have yet to find a building to represent that plant. Perhaps I will need to create one using 'cardstock' structures? But does anyone know of another existing plastic kit that might be made to create my helium plant??

 

[santafewillie]

What type of structure is actually used? I googled cryogenic plant images and all that I see is tanks and piping. At best there is a small 12'x20' structure in some pictures. That or anything larger can be made with parts from one of the many different Pikestuff corrugated metal building kits.

 

[beiland]

I think I will take your advice and get some Pikestuff siding and scratch build a building,...OR maybe a cardstock exterior.

A couple of days ago I purchased a 'partial kit/leftovers' of a Walthers refinery kit,..should be some good parts in there i can use to fabricate those 'gas towers'

That large structure over on the right is likely some sort of cooling tower??

 

[beiland]

Just found this rather good image of a helium plant, with lots of cars lined up,....and what looks like a cooling tower similar to the one I intend to use.

 

[beiland]

rwsnyder5 wrote:
Guys,I work for a trailer
Guys,
I work for a trailer Manufacture that built some of these units for the Military. These are 20' ISO modules with 22" tubes that are flown to the middle east during the war.

We also have some of the tubes from the old cars that we repurpose into storage units.


Wayne

Here is what I have in mind,..fictitious or not.

With the renewed interest in helium, I'm proposing a few new ways to transport it by rail,...repurposing some of those excess 48 or even 45 foot well cars to carry helium tanks. Perhaps they would look like those 20' container tanks like you shipped overseas,...OR perhaps they would be a variation of those 'savaged storage tanks' placed into an arrangement like the original helium cars,.. only a bit narrower to fit into a std container frame that fits into those surplus well cars??

As an example here are a couple of those well cars with container frames sitting to the forefront of my old std helium cars at my helium plant.




BTW, I chose those longer cars because the extra well space at either end would allow for door access to the tube manifolds on those ends'

 

[beiland]

multitube intermodal tank containers

http://www.weldship.com/products/iso-specifications.html

 

[Smudge617]

A very interesting build, I look forward to seeing how this develops

 

[beiland]

gmpullman wrote:
I don't know if anyone has posted these photos from the Barriger Library showing several cars in various stages of construction.

4368007 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr

4368009 by John W.


Regards, Ed


Thanks guys for your replies. These 2 images almost promote a modern kit product from some manufacturer or parts printer!

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Just ran across this new helium car offering on ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/145443037583

This offering is for the kit, not the built model shown in some of the photos. This is the first time this kit is available and is limited production. The kit is based upon the Third Generation "Navy" car built by GATX in 1942 and 1943. The kit design started from the ground up by creating new 100T ACF clasp brake trucks, not available anywhere else. Then creating the car with the help of Jay Miller and Pat Bray, both helium car experts with many online articles and reference material.
The kit features the following:

• Complete New Design Using Factory Drawings and Photos provided by Jay Miller
• New Correct 100T ACF Trucks with Clasp Brakes (Can leave off for late versions)
• Choice of Solid/Friction Bearing and/or Roller Bearing Style Trucks
• Model has 30 Tube Tanks so that you can see between the tanks like the prototype, not flat plates with bumps
• Correct Tank End Taper using factory drawing, not just a pencil sharpener version
• Framing visible below tanks due to no flooring
• Dual Underframe Brake Systems
• Separate ladders for added realism, not just molded into the body
• Wire Grab Irons with predrilled holes included
• Hinge and Rivet Details
• Unique Car End Details to include Door Latching Equipment
• Correct Coupler Height with KaDee #148 Couplers included
• Can be used for 1940s to 1990s versions of the car with instructions on how to model newer versions
• Two Versions of the Model shown in the photos, one as delivered to the Navy and the other latter MHAX version without Roof Walk
• Decals by Jay Miller provided with the kit
• Kit includes Car, Wood Style Roof Walk, Grab Irons, Trucks, 33" Intermountain Wheels, KaDee #148 Couplers, and Decals
• Builder should only need glue, paint, and possibly a decal set made by K4 for helium cars, depending on version wanted
• No need to add weight, kit is on the heavy side of the NMRA recommended weight

When I started this project for my own use, both Pat and Jay told me it was important to model the tanks, not just a wall with bumps and to have the tanks visible from below due to no flooring. Both AHM and even the brass kits use fake tank walls. Use the correct tank end shape, not just a pencil sharpener taper. Create new 100T ACF trucks with clasp brakes instead of trying to modify hard to find non-clasp brake trucks. Make the kit so that you can paint and decal the tanks prior to assembly to get the paint in hard-to-reach places once assembled.
After getting an invite from Jay Miller, I presented a prototype kit at the Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society Convention in Houston, Texas in June. This turned it from a home project to a business. I had a sign-up sheet that has resulted in 22 kits sold and paid for just to that gathering. I sent kits to both Jay Miller and Pat Bray for their opinions and both gave me high praises. Pat actually assembled the kits that are in the photos and is keeping a few for his own layout. He has assembled 6 kits so far and has made recommendations that I have included in the kit instructions.
If you want more than one kit, I put them in the same box and refund $10 per extra kit, unless you specify separate boxes.
Finally, if you need help on deciding how to model in your era, send me a message and I will try to help you. I have included some historical reference charts in photo section that are my primary reference source.
Comments from others:
Jay Miller

BUT check out the price for this KIT !!!
(I think one of the existing freight car manufacturers could have produced this car for considerable less. We'll have to wait and see what size market might have existed?)

 

[santafewillie]

BUT check out the price for this KIT !!!
(I think one of the existing freight car manufacturers could have produced this car for considerable less. We'll have to wait and see what size market might have existed?)

I don't know. That's a rather detailed car and I think that the price is reasonable for what is included. Some other manufacturers are getting upwards of $60 for a simple flatcar!

By the way, it's good to see you back here, I hope that it wasn't any serious issue that kept you away.

 

[Smudge617]

I agree with Willie, for a car as detailed as this is, the price is about right, and it is a rather unique car, if it's not mass produced, it would warrant the price tag.

 

[beiland]

thanks Willie
,....no serious issues, just a bunch of non-train relater STUFF.

I don't see where this car is more complicated to mold, nor assemble that some of those cryogenic cars I like so much,...Yet they are priced much lower.
And its not as if the end doors opened up to relieve all the manifolding.

I've got an older 'kit built' version (forgot the name) that makes it look like individual tanks,etc. (I'll have to get a photo)

 

[beiland]

More info that I likely have already posted, but interesting to reread,..
http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2012/04/helium-cars-part-1.html

and it mentions, "There have been three models of these cars in HO scale, to my knowledge. First was the Ambroid “One of 5000” kits". I need to look that one up,..perhaps it is the kit one I have?

I also found this quote interesting as related to marketability of a good model,.."some modelers seem to think that helium cars were as rare as hen’s teeth on the prototype. But helium had a number of aerospace uses, starting with U.S. Navy blimps for coastal patrol work, and much more extensively in rocket engine and experimental science work. Since there were a number of aerospace facilities in California after World War II, the helium car is actually a realistic and characteristic freight car for modelers of any west-coast railroad and certainly the Southern Pacific."

 

[beiland]

Here is one image i found of a kit built by Steve Sandifer

And here are some images of the one i have,...this one is kind of overpainted, perhaps with just a brush !!
(for some reason I believe I might have another of these kits as yet unbuilt?)