Online Structures

The Louisiana, Texas & Pacific has one diesel and one steamer on the roster. I don't suppose the diesel will ever have servicing facilities; it will have to pull up to the charger when necessary. However, the steamer now has a way to refill its tender. The new water tank is in place and only needs its water spout!

The tank is made of individual slats of treated wood, about 80 of them. I used two pieces of 3/4 marine plywood for the inner forms, one top and one bottom, with a thinner ring in the middle to keep the slats aligned. I filled the cracks between slats with a glue/sawdust mixture, sanded the whole tank, and painted it twice with Olympic paint. I took James' N-scale water tank to Lowe's to have them match the color. Yeah, I know you are asking, where are those bands to keep the tank from coming apart? I'll get to it! Scale-wise, the support piles are 12 x 12s, with 2 x 6 cross-braces. The floor is supported by 2 x 12s and the entire support structure is painted brown. Four of the main piles are connected directly to the slab with galvanized angle brackets, screwed on.

I'll tell you one thing: it's big! It stands about four feet high, with a diameter of 24 inches.

Chris Schieck of the Forest & Western Railroad has provided me with some neat little electronic boards that drive three-color signals. I have been building two G-style three-light signal heads and their masts and other accessories to protect the long stretch of single-track main line on the LT&P.

The first photo shows the draft version of the head, made from aluminum sheet, a 3/4" LB fitting, and some trimmed down 3/4" conduit couplings for sun shields. The second photo shows one of the assemblies in its current state (as of 8/27/16). The 1/16 x 1/2" aluminum stock for the ladders is installed, with a couple of the ladder rungs added. I made the base from two pieces of wood trimmed to approximate the scale size of the base of a Walthers O scale signal. I painted the base with some of that neat "stone" textured paint to help it look like concrete. The mast is 3/4" conduit, screwed into a 3/4" cast iron base plate.

Chris had the good idea to make the components of the system removable; the only part that will remain outside all the time is the wire between signals. The signals and the "claim" and "release" buttons will be kept inside when we are not running the railroad. I am still working on the details, but I think everything will simply plug in when it's in place.