How Big is your Elevator?

This afternoon, I cut the remaining support boards for the 2x8 section.  I will install those tomorrow as it got to be too late for drilling as people were sleeping in the house.

Later in the evening, I broke out the Walthers Prairie Coop Elevator kit.  I have been excited about this kit since it first came out.  It looks like many of the concrete elevators I have seen in Illinois.  This fits the bill perfectly.

I get the kit out and notice the size of the silos.  Wow!  This is tiny!  Surely, that must be half the silo and there are more pieces in the kit.  No.  Sadness.

Kit states it is 7 3/16" tall.  That may be with the additional dryer vents on top.  I measured from bottom of silo to top of head house at 6 13/16" (roughly 6 3/4").  I go grab a N Scale covered hopper for comparison.  Damn!  This is way too short!

I add the head house on top of the silo, but this still seems short.  I bust out the old calculator to determine this is 90 feet in N Scale.

I thought about purchasing another kit and doubling the height.  Silos and head house measure out to be 11 1/2".  This comes to 153' in N Scale.  That seems too large.  Performing a Google search, I find that these type grain elevators range in height from 100-130 ft typically.  90 feet seems to short.  I would rather have mine around 130 feet which is roughly 3" taller.  

I will have to ponder this.  Again, my goal is to recreate this.  I guess I need to break out the Walthers ADM silos and Walthers Famers Coop.  I have a feeling I will still need to add some height to this kit, but how much is the question.

Snow Day Progress Report

Today, I actually accomplished something.  Last weekend at the WGHS, I picked up a Walthers McGraw Oil Kit in HO Scale.  Did I turn to the dark side?  No.  I wanted to use the tanks from the kit for my bulk oil facility.  My father-in-law manages a small bulk oil facility in Illinois.  So, I wanted to create one on the layout.

Here is what the kit looks like normally.

The tanks are supposed to be four sections tall.  I only used three of the sections.  

I also trimmed down the standpipe assembly to be more in line with N scale.

These have a rubber hose (included with kit) that will attach.  All of these pieces will be painted.

I couldn't use the buildings as the door/windows would be out of scale for N scale.  The roof assembly and platform for the decking did remind me of a covered loading area for trucks.  I think I will use the roof and foundation along with some scratchbuilt pieces to do just that.

Here are the unused sections of tank.  I plan on adding the Walthers Interstate Oil Kit (N Scale) and possibly the Walthers LP Tank Kit (N Scale) depending on how much room I have.  Overall, I think it will be a decent bulk oil facility.

I'm happy to report one 2'x8' section of benchwork is nearly complete. I need to resize the intermediate supports underneath as I was a little long on my original cut.  

Snow Day Progress Report

It has snowed here in the sunny south.  Reports started off with a trace of snow.  Last report received this morning 3-6" of the whiteness.

While on vacation in Illinois, I stopped by Chuck's Depot in Marion, Illinois on our way home.  I found he had a N Scale Tug Boat and Coal Barge.  I'm not to keen on barge, but the tug boat would definitely work.  I want to create a river barge dock for the Peabody Coal Company on the layout.  The kit is by BlueJacket.  Here are some photos:

I plan on scratchbuilding a couple of barges for coal that are longer.

This is what I'm shooting for.  My wife's cousins work/family owns Canton Marine Towing out of Quincy, Illinois.  

I was hoping to get more accomplished today, but work had other ideas.