Thoroughfare Gap Railroad: Coaling tower for Erewhon

Sunday 23 December 2018

Coaling tower for Erewhon

Erewhon is the fiddle yard and interchange with the outside world and because of the limited space on this section of the layout, there is not much room for structures. However, there is a two stall engine house, and turntable. I am still working on a small passenger station.

A couple of weeks ago I completed a coaling tower kit that I picked up on TradeMe for $25. It is an old model power kit which, like it says on the box, went together really nicely.

I didn't paint the kit, but did give it a dirty wash and dry brush with Humbrol paints. This gives the structure a suitable weathered look and the dry brushing brings out some of the details. I cut away most of the base and painted what remained with earth coloured craft paints.

Because Erewhon is a snow scene, the structure needed a covering of snow. I used the woodland scenics soft flake snow and stuck it in place with a combination of PVA glue and hairspray.

I made a space for it on the layout, sprinkled some more snow around and also spread some crushed up coal on the ground and over the tracks. I glued this all down with the tried and true method of 50:50 water/PVA glue; being sure to spray the materials with 'wet' water prior to applying the glue.

I'm a bit sad that because of where the structure is sited, viewers cannot see the other side of the structure with the coal buckets. I also have not modeled the service track to the coal buckets where a gondola would dump the coal. Again, there is not really any space behind the coaling tower or for such a track to meaningfully connected to the rest of the fiddle yard.

However, at this point I'm happy with the compromise. The tower, along with the engine house, gives an impression that Erewhon is of some importance, even if there is no space to model much else. Perhaps in a future layout it can be incorporated where viewers may see more of the structure.