steam locomotive service yard

[RJasonB]

Hello MRR's. My locomotive roster is comprised mainly of steam. I don't model any particular era. I would, however, like to model a locomotive service area that at least appears to have some utility. I have a roundhouse and turntable in place and operational. I'm in the process of building the machine shop. Once completed, I will build the ash pit, coaling tower, sanding tower/drying house, and water towers. If I have space left, I am thinking of a loco wash. Is there anything else I should consider adding? Also, in what order? This is what I have in mind so far...

Loco/tender come off the line, dump ash, get a wash, roll onto the turntable, enter roundhouse or machine shop. When ready for service, loco/tender exits the roundhouse, receives coal, receives sand, fills up with water, heads toward yard to receive consist, hits the mainline.

Sound about right? I look forward to your comments.

Jason in Colorado.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Sounds correct Jason. Thats the way I have mine set up. I have two tracks going to the TT. One is the inbound track. It has the ashpit on it. The outbound track has the other amenities on it. As the loco leaves the TT in order is the water tank,then the coaling tower, and the sanding station. The locos then proceed further down this track which now acts as the ready track.

 

[NH Mike]

If some of your steamers will be oil burners you will want a way to fuel them. The simplest is with an oil column and a small pump shed for it. Those don't take up much space if you describe the storage tank as being underground or you can use an above ground tank either vertical or horizontal if you have the room. Refilling the storage tanks adds another switching movement as well.

 

[RJasonB]

Thank you both! Mike, do you know of any such kits available, or maybe some pics? Sounds easy enough to do as a scratch build, but I'd have to see a prototype or a completed model to have an idea where to start.

Thanks again! Jason.

 

[NH Mike]

I have a brass one here and I'll post a pic of it for you. Any small wood or plastic shed can serve as a pump house next to it. The nice thing is the piping from the shed to the oil column was usually underground so it is a quick and easy detail to add. There would be exposed piping from an above ground tank to the shed.

Alternately, Model Power offers a diesel fuel service facility which includes a horizontal tank, pump house, and oil column all in one kit. Here is one of those that is on my RR. I added the large pipes on top of the tank and the pump in front of it so it could be filled from a tank car. The lettering is dry transfer I added. Everything else is part of the Model Power kit. Walthers often has it in their monthly flyer. The MSRP is less than $20 I think.

Update 4/24 - just got the May Walthers flyer. In the structures section it has this kit as made by Kibri, Schwarz Concrete Works Fuel Tank, #405-39932 on sale for $9.98. It looks like the pump equip isn't in a small shed and it may not have the pipe for fueling a loco but that isn't a big deal to add.

 

[NH Mike]

Jason, here is my oil column. This is more suitable for loading the oil tenders through a hatch in their top. Easy enough to scratch build with some plastic tubing and some rod with a hand wheel to represent the shut off valve linkage. This one is a brass offering from NJ International I picked up a long time ago. HO scale, part #OC 165. It is all pre-assembled in 2 main pieces. The base and the pipe assy. I don't know if it is still being made but as I said - easy enough to scratch build one.