Northern Pacific Rocky Valley Branch Switching Layout Build


Tar paper the roof of the shed. You have a tight space, so it will be more challenging.

These 3D printed tanks may work for you also.

www.ebay.com

1:87th HO scale oil diesel Chemical Storage Tank Kit | eBay

The ladder is leaned up against it in the picture and would have to be glued. Tank bottom is 1 1/4 not including box off to side. Total height is 3 1/2 from bottom of tank to top of pipe when put together.
www.ebay.com

www.ebay.com

1:87th H.O. Scale Modular Chemical Storage Tank #1 with Detail Kit | eBay

This modular chemical tank kit including the detail kit can be built in various heights up to 90mm. The parts for the chemical tank include 1 base ring, 4 center rings, 1 top ring with safety rails and 2 versions of the top cap.
www.ebay.com

I'm going to kit bash a Walthers Interstate fuel and oil dealer that I picked up for $15 into a smaller transition era industry.
 
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Marlin39 said:
Tar paper the roof of the shed. You have a tight space, so it will be more challenging.

These 3D printed tanks may work for you also.

www.ebay.com

1:87th HO scale oil diesel Chemical Storage Tank Kit | eBay

The ladder is leaned up against it in the picture and would have to be glued. Tank bottom is 1 1/4 not including box off to side. Total height is 3 1/2 from bottom of tank to top of pipe when put together.
www.ebay.com

www.ebay.com

1:87th H.O. Scale Modular Chemical Storage Tank #1 with Detail Kit | eBay

This modular chemical tank kit including the detail kit can be built in various heights up to 90mm. The parts for the chemical tank include 1 base ring, 4 center rings, 1 top ring with safety rails and 2 versions of the top cap.
www.ebay.com

I'm going to kit bash a Walthers Interstate fuel and oil dealer that I picked up for $15 into a smaller transition era industry.
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Those are some nice tanks! I had only used one tank from the Walthers storage tank kit I bought which has different styles. I like the look of the horizontal tanks but those take up more space. I may end up using some of the vertical tanks but we will see:)
 
I did a little bit of work on Rocky Valley this week as I’m busy this weekend but progress has been made nonetheless!

I am still reworking the oil distributor but I think I’ve come up with a plan. Here is the current setup:

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My plan is to run a set of pipes from the pump house behind the horizontal tanks, with one pipe extending vertically to the top of the taller tank. You won’t see where the pipes connect to the horizontal tanks but it will be implied that the connections are behind the tanks. I may put a stair case that connects from the middle horizontal tank to the top of the vertical tank for maintenance access but I’m not sure if that would look good. Will have to experiment some more:)

I’ve also gone ahead and finished up the last two coal loads for the NP hoppers:

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I’m hoping to have a little time tomorrow to continue with the oil distributor.
 
Work continues on Rocky Valley Fuel Co..After some more helpful suggestions from some Facebook group members, I adjusted the positioning of the pipe for the vertical tank.

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The general consensus was that the pipe should be oriented towards the bottom of the tank, rather than the top. Due to the small amount of space I’m working with, I had to route the pipes from the pump house over the edge of the concrete supports for the horizontal tanks, and back down to the bottom of the vertical tank. Probably not the most prototypical but it gets the job done:)

I also added in a few more details here and there including the transformer for the utility pole, some more dead trees stacked along the edge of the tracks, and I finally installed the two piles of junk I had been working on.

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Lastly, I decided to start working on a pipe load for Rocky Valley Fuel Co. as well. Not sure about the positioning of these but you get the idea. I plan to detail these a bit, perhaps with some chains holding the pipes down.

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You're doing a great job! Keep it up.

A couple of observations and suggestions for you to consider.

1. Your junk looks very monotone. Dry brush a little burnt umber or rust on the metal parts, a little off white dry brushed for high lights if you want, then hit everything with a black wash. Also add some 55 gallon drums.

2. Pipe loads usually sit in wood "cradles" before being secured to the flat car. This should be real easy to put together.
 

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Marlin39 said:
You're doing a great job! Keep it up.

A couple of observations and suggestions for you to consider.

1. Your junk looks very monotone. Dry brush a little burnt umber or rust on the metal parts, a little off white dry brushed for high lights if you want, then hit everything with a black wash. Also add some 55 gallon drums.

2. Pipe loads usually sit in wood "cradles" before being secured to the flat car. This should be real easy to put together.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

I think you’re right, definitely monotone. I’ll see what I can do with them.

I have some scrap wood from the general store build that will be perfect for the pipe load project! Thanks for the suggestion:)
 
Did a bit more work today. I made more progress on the oil distributor, removing ground cover in preparation for where the tanks and pump house are going to be placed.

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@Marlin39 made a couple suggestions for improving the junk piles and pipe load. I didn’t have a chance to work on the junk piles yet, but I did start working on some wood braces for the pipes on the flatcar.

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Next weekend I’m going to continue with the oil distributor, as well as the pipe load braces. I’m hoping I’ll have some time to work on improving the junk piles too.
 
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Received some excellent news today! Rocky Valley will finally have its appearance at the train show it was originally designed/built for. The show is November 10th in Vernon, CT.

On a different note, I did a small amount of work this evening on the layout. I began enhancing the monotone and rather bland junk piles I created using some dry-brushing with lighter colors. Once this dries, I’ll add some more variety in color.

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I plan to use some more weathering powders on these as well to enhance the look further.

The other task I completed is some additional painting and weathering of the pump house for the oil distributor.

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Still much to do on this little structure but it’s getting there:)
 
GuilfordRailman said:
Thanks! I’m still not sure what the best way is to apply the wash. These junk piles are glued down already to the layout and if I pull them up, the underlying scenic material will be pulled up as well. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Apply it right over the top. Brush it on. You're not trying to "flood" it. It will just tone down and blend it all together. Some may end up on the landscaping, but wait for it to dry before deciding to touch it up. You may like the results.
 
Marlin39 said:
Apply it right over the top. Brush it on. You're not trying to "flood" it. It will just tone down and blend it all together. Some may end up on the landscaping, but wait for it to dry before deciding to touch it up. You may like the results.
Click to expand...
Fair enough lol. Last thing the layout needs is a flood!

I will apply a light coat of a wash shortly and see how it goes:)

Thanks for the help!
 
A little more work done today!

I started touching up the areas around where the original oil distribution center was with some ballast. Once it dries, I’ll vacuum off the excess material and blend the remainder in with weathering powders and various turf.

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As you can see, I’ve also placed a portion of fence along the track for Rocky Valley Fuel Co. I had this piece leftover from the general store fence so I thought I would give it a try. My plan for the fence is to make it very worn and rough looking. I may or may not keep it, we will see:)

I’ve also continued work on the junk piles utilizing a gray wash over each pile. It came out a little darker than I had anticipated but I think I can fix the issue using light colored weathering powders.

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You will also notice the sandpaper on the roof of the pump house. I am trying out something using the sandpaper as the roof shingles. I’m painting it with matte black spray paint and will see what it looks like before gluing it down.

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