New Extention 2 My HO Layout

[TruckLover]

Josh,

If you did want to make it more traditionally cement-plant-ish, you could always do it with an appropriate backdrop that would give it more of an industrial flavour (if that's the right weay to say it)... Pictures from google images or other sources could be used to fill in the background with the "right" kind of buildings.

Love the name of the plant BTW...

HHHMMMMMM, That is it, great idea Andrew, Thanks for that:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

O and BTW, I like the name also lol

[/quote]

 

[TruckLover]

Hi, crabster

First off, welcome to the Gauge and enjoy your stay.

The only thing I would suggest is that you move the industry forward a bit. The way it sits now it appears you can only load 1 hopper, unless the track extends further back than the plan shows. Moving it forward would allow you to load a string of hoppers.

I could try and move the building more forward. The tracks to not dead end though and there are no bumpers, Just imagine that they keep going into the wall and down the line.:thumb: :thumb:

Ok, onto your actual structure you built. FANTASTIC! I really like it. And yes it does look like it could pass for either grain or cement. As someone already posted, there are cement facilities that look very similar to what you built.

Thanks for the complinents

 

[TruckLover]

I second crabster's advice. Moving it forward, or maye repositioning the building so that the silos go back and the build is more forward. out of curiosity, are the silos butted together, or is there space? and how big exactly is your stucture?

Leme go check on the measurements real quick and Ill get right back to you.:thumb:

 

[TruckLover]

out of curiosity, are the silos butted together, or is there space?

I'm not qiute sure what you mean. The way I made the silos is just how they are described in the directions but to join them both together I simply left out 2 end caps and continued the row. Then for the roof and base, I cut a straight line on 1 end to make them both fit together.

and how big exactly is your stucture?

The main building = 10.5" x 8"
The silos = 17" x 5"
The conveyor = 11" long
+ the bulk transfer conveyor

 

[viperman]

Wow, that's a big footprint

 

[TruckLover]

Yeah, I might have to take that into consideration when making the benchwork this weekend. Maybe need to make it a lil longer, say 5-10" to be able to move the building up a little as crabster and g_e_c had said.

 

[crabster]

Thanks for the Welcome!

I've lurked this site a few times before and finally got off my duff and joined. I am a N scaler who just converted to HO.

I love grain elevators! The bigger the better! Even though you are modelling it as a cement facilty, it is still awesome. Nice work! You bring up a nice point that I overlooked and that is that the track does "extend" past the loading area. Nothing wrong with that at all. I just like to see long strings of covered hoppers either at the elevator, sitting by themselves on a siding somewhere or in transport. There is nothing finer than a nice and weathered up 4750. I like the little ACF two bay's also. What is cool about your cement plant or any cement plant is that they will take a bunch of the two bays since they are so short.

Keep on working and and looking forward to seeing your progress.

 

[green_elite_cab]

I'm not qiute sure what you mean. The way I made the silos is just how they are described in the directions but to join them both together I simply left out 2 end caps and continued the row. Then for the roof and base, I cut a straight line on 1 end to make them both fit together.

i mean like, are all the silos standing directly next to eachother, or is there alittle space between silos on the ground? how densely packed are the silos.

yeah, you might need to modify the stucture a bit, but if you can more the freight car loading shed to the otherside, you can turn the building around to allow more room on your tracks for loading.

The main building = 10.5" x 8"
The silos = 17" x 5"
The conveyor = 11" long
+ the bulk transfer conveyor

yeah, i was thinking about an addition myself, and was curious because i have a bunch of grain hoppers with no where to go, and i was thinking either ADM or Magic pan. if i did use the ADM, i would add the extra silos, because i think the normal unmodified kit is to small, lol.

 

[crabster]

Here is a similar cement plants:

Ash Grove Cement
Chanute KS. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=454655

Ash Grove Cement
Louisville NE. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=194228

Portland Cement Plant
Fairborn OH. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=464141

Holnam Cement
Artesia MO. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=123093

So I'd say your right on the money with your kitbash.

 

[green_elite_cab]

Ash Grove Cement
Chanute KS. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=454655

Ash Grove Cement
Louisville NE. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=194228

Portland Cement Plant
Fairborn OH. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=464141

Holnam Cement
Artesia MO. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=123093

So I'd say your right on the money with your kitbash.

yeah, I think that the main building part though is ripe for some more modifications, which sounds like fun.

like i said, i'd swtich the sides on which the trucka and trains were loaded, then swivel the whole structure around. Then'd have to look into the buildings around the cement stuff, and see what kinds of things they have.

just out of cruiosity, do you plan to have other businesses on the line? i noticed you have lots of hopper traffic, and thats ok, but i'm wondering if you have other plans for different types of freight?

 

[TruckLover]

I've lurked this site a few times before and finally got off my duff and joined. I am a N scaler who just converted to HO.

I love grain elevators! The bigger the better! Even though you are modelling it as a cement facilty, it is still awesome. Nice work! You bring up a nice point that I overlooked and that is that the track does "extend" past the loading area. Nothing wrong with that at all. I just like to see long strings of covered hoppers either at the elevator, sitting by themselves on a siding somewhere or in transport. There is nothing finer than a nice and weathered up 4750. I like the little ACF two bay's also. What is cool about your cement plant or any cement plant is that they will take a bunch of the two bays since they are so short.

Keep on working and and looking forward to seeing your progress.

Thanks Cabster, I love the look of nice weathered covered hoppers to, it doesn't matter were they are, in a train, on a siding, being loaded..... they just look sooooo cool. I am going to try to make the building go a little further out, maybe so there is 3 cement hoppers instead of 2.

BTW, thanks for those pics. too, They will come in handy if I decide to scratch build some machinery for the plant.

 

[TruckLover]

i mean like, are all the silos standing directly next to eachother, or is there alittle space between silos on the ground? how densely packed are the silos.

The silos are butted right up against each other and are built just how it says to build them in the ADM directions.

 

[TruckLover]

yeah, I think that the main building part though is ripe for some more modifications, which sounds like fun.

I think that I am going to try and scratch build some machinery for the plant. I am going to use the pictures everyone has posted in this thread and see what I can do with them.

like i said, i'd swtich the sides on which the trucka and trains were loaded, then swivel the whole structure around.

I might consider doing that but not sure yet.

ust out of cruiosity, do you plan to have other businesses on the line? i noticed you have lots of hopper traffic, and thats ok, but i'm wondering if you have other plans for different types of freight?

Well, I might a have a couple of boxcars on the outside track (closest to the table edge) but other than that nothing. O wait, just thought of something cool, I might have a flatcar or 2 on the tracks bringing new machenery to the plant.

 

[green_elite_cab]

I think that I am going to try and scratch build some machinery for the plant. I am going to use the pictures everyone has posted in this thread and see what I can do with them.

yeah, kill that walthers straight from the box look. thats what i hate about my structures. in just about everything else, i like to be creative and do things on my own. Model railroading has been the only thing to contain that creativity and make it take a back seat to realism, which is weird. I need to start scratch building one day. I should buy me some modulars!

I might consider doing that but not sure yet.

yeah thats alot of work that i probably wouldn't even do, lol, but i suppose its worth a shot if you have the patience to remove the parts ( the easy part) then cleaning the plastic and re-gluing ( the hard part). If you think you need the space though, it would definitely be worth it.

Well, I might a have a couple of boxcars on the outside track (closest to the table edge) but other than that nothing. O wait, just thought of something cool, I might have a flatcar or 2 on the tracks bringing new machenery to the plant.

yeah, i wanted to do something like that for my oil refinery thing. I keep seeing these cool gondola loads with pipes, but there is no good place to park that for unloading. the tracks by my loading racks extend a little bit, but not far enough, and its to cramped in there anyway. speaking of which, i need to repain some track in there.

i have another idea. have you considered a team track? they literally are a stub siding with enough room for at most three 50' boxcars, and a loading dock. that would be a great place to display your trucks. there is one such team track near my house that would make a perfect source of traffic for such small space.

 

[TruckLover]

i have another idea. have you considered a team track? they literally are a stub siding with enough room for at most three 50' boxcars, and a loading dock. that would be a great place to display your trucks. there is one such team track near my house that would make a perfect source of traffic for such small space.

Hmmmm. maybe but Idk, Ill have to check. I wanted to but a backround building next to the track on the bottom of the Cement Plant complex (bottom track) but I dont know if I can fit it into the small space. idk if I can get a loading dock in there though either because the space I am thinking of is only a couple inches wide so it will have to be the building if that.

Ill have to wait and see when I get the building and track layed, great idea, thanks.

 

[TruckLover]

I have been doing some thinking and I took a look at the layout. I suddnely realized that I already have a concrete plantops: (blue star ready-mix). I completly forgot about this little building. I mean, it has been right in front of my face and I somehow overl ooked ithamr wall1 . Well, I have now decided that I am going to rip that complex apart and use the blue star ready-mix as part of the Hoffa Cement Complex. Here is a picture of how I want it to go together. I took the shed off in the rear of the buiding. Blue star ready-mix needs to be painted to match the rest of the complex also. The Bulk Transfer Conveyor will go about were the front loader is right now (end of conveyor)

Instead of putting this on the extention, I will be putting it where it is in the picture. I will use the extention for the Asphalt plant and I am going to attemp to make it look like this picture of one of the All American Asphalt Facilities (this one is right across the street from Arnies Trains in CA.

I also just found out that my mom and dad have not started buying the buildings for the the steel mill complex that was oringionally planned for this location on the layout.:curse: :cry: :curse: They have only been able to get the rolling mill. So, I think I am going to cancel the plans for the HO steel mill:cry: and go with the N scale steel mill (I can fit more in the space I have available).
I just bought the blast furnace (N scale) off e-bay this morringbounce7

First Pic - A view of the Hoffa Cement Complex
Second Pic - Another view of the Hudson Cement Complex
Third Pic - The All American Asphalt plant that I am going to attempt to model.

 

[Jim Krause]

Josh: One thing that you need to do scenerywise when you finish everything is put a liberal coating of cement dust over the entire area around the plant. Houses, machinery, vehicles. Then get ready for the EPA to swoop down on your operation and shut it down.

 

[TruckLover]

Josh: One thing that you need to do scenerywise when you finish everything is put a liberal coating of cement dust over the entire area around the plant. Houses, machinery, vehicles. Then get ready for the EPA to swoop down on your operation and shut it down.

That is a cool idea:thumb: , What do you think that I should use for cement dust??

 

[green_elite_cab]

That is a cool idea:thumb: , What do you think that I should use for cement dust??

hydrocal. I'm still cleaning that crap out of my layout, and i have't done anything with it since the early summer!

if you have any spare, its perfect. you can even crush up any flakes and excess for it to.

 

[TruckLover]

Sweet, thanks g_e_c. Ill have to get some next time I go to my LHS :thumb: