An accident changes an industry

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
I've had this scratchbuilt bulk commodaties industry on my layout for years. It was supposed to represent an company that off loaded gravel, aggregates, and coal from river barges to be transfered to rail cars.
It looked like this with a tug pushing a barge full of gravel up to the loading chute.

http://forum.zealot.com/attachments/19569d1113069509-river2.jpg

Yesterday I snagged my shirt on the conveyor and the entire assembly fell to the floor and broke into several pieces! I thought about rebuilding it but it occurred to me that having a fragile structure with easily caught pieces so close to the fornt of the layout isn't a good plan.

I'm going to turn it into a river side oil storage facility that will be served by barge and rail. I'm picturing simple tanks made of heavy duty plastic pipe. I'm going to change that gravel barge into an oil barge but my research of such crafts suggests that they are quite long compared to other barges. I may selectively compress one anyway and base it on this drawing I found at the top of a web page about oil barges.

http://www.k-sea.com/images/KTCbarge.gif

Updates to come.
Ralph
 

Nomad

Active Member
Sometimes accidents can lead to bigger and better things. Looking forward to seeing the results of this accident.
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Dang, sorry to hear about that Ralph

but hey, if you are going to get a oil refinery out of it that serves both rail and barge thats pretty cool

cant wait to see some pics of it :mrgreen: :thumb: :mrgreen: :thumb: :thumb:
 

MCL_RDG

Member
Ralph, that...

...was a good story. An Aesops' fable of sorts. Short, poignant with a glorious tone of re-birth after mishap.

Take a look at PVC end caps. No pipe to cap or fabricate a dome for- it is the tank, the dome the whole...

You'll hafta steel wool 'em to accept paint. Well, ya don't hafta, but ya do if ya know what's good for ya. Or, would you like me to tell you a little story from Aesop's Fables? (BTW that's my Hank Kimble impersonation from Green Acres:mrgreen:)

Regards,

Mark
 

steamhead

Active Member
One thing I learned early in life was not to place "tallish" structures near the front/edges of the layout. Don't ask how I learned...
Good luck with the replacement structure..!!
 

myltlpny

Member
Ralph, I can't tell you how many trees I've knocked over on my layout the same way. I'm sure it's frustrating to break something you've worked so hard to build. It sounds like you have a plan, though, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with. If it looks as good as the first picture, it should look great.
I'm not sure anyone else uses this, but for things that can move I mount them with a bit of FunTack. It's like playdoh, but sticky. It holds things like cars very well, but is easily removed. Kind of like post it notes for models. It might preserve your future model better. I have a Norscott front end loader mounted on a flat car using FunTack, and it's never moved. However, if I ever need to take it off, It'll pull off without damage or residue.
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
Well, I finally did some work on this project and took some photos. The space for the tanks is narrow so I built tall tanks instead of wide ones out of black plastic plumbing couplings and end caps. The larger tank on the right is a cylindrical cardboard box some truffles came in for Christmas! I saved it because it looked like a tank to me! Reuse/recycle! :) I may add details like catwalks and piping but will avoid anything too intricate or delicate considering my luck with edge of the benchwork industries!

Here's an overall shot of the tanks and greatly "compressed" oil barge.

7-30-2007-21.jpg


I made the barge out of pieces salvaged from the bulk commodaties industry that hit the floor. The barge's grey hull, originally Atlas bridge sections, was once used to make a bin for gravel. The pilot house was once the cab of a Tyco Plymouth switcher. I made ersatz piping on the deck and the hoist for the hoses out of palstic sprues.

7-30-2007-15.jpg


Here's an overall shot of the new industry:

7-30-2007-22.jpg


I'm pleased with it so far and I like having a place to spot my five tank cars.
Ralph
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
I managed to save one section of the former bulk loading industry, this crane and barge scene a little to the left of the oil tanks. This loading area will have to share a spur with the tank cars making for some switching challenges at times.

7-30-2007-10.jpg
 

mole

New Member
Hi; Looks great! I'm disabled and sometimes I have a hard time forceing
myself to remain motevated, but seeing the hard work of others comeing
to completion with such satisfying results realy helps to keep me going!
Model On! Lawrence
 

bigsteel

Call me Mr.Tinkertrain
first off:welcome to the gauge mole :wave:! and what you said is true for everyone here! these great modelers keep me going too,i want to be half this good some day :thumb:.great job ralph,its good looking,not often modeled and functional :cool:.keep it going.--josh
 
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