Water level gauge

[Anonymous]

The water level gauge on the wooden tank when it shows the marks how does it show them?

Any one have a templet?

Toad 

[Ray Dunakin]

Usually the way it works is, the marker is weighted and attached to a cord or cable that goes up and into the tank. On the other end is a float, which weighs more than the marker. As the water level goes up, the float goes up, and the marker goes down. When the water level drops, the float goes down, and the marker goes up.

On the water towers I've seen, the gauge is marked at one-foot intervals, though sometimes there are indicators at the half-foot levels too. It's possible that a tank might have a guage marked in gallons, but I've never seen that.

[Anonymous]

On the water towers I've seen, the gauge is marked at one-foot intervals, though sometimes there are indicators at the half-foot levels too. It's possible that a tank might have a guage marked in gallons, but I've never seen that.

Mr. Dunakin,

Thank you, this is the exact info I needed, ever seeen on in ral life. They just don't have any old buildings hardly anymore for me (or if I could get to them).

At the County museum all the old people ask what you need it for, research, duha!, what kind of research? Just don't care for nosy people and you get to fill out a long paper and all this was before 9/11!

Thank you Sir,

Toad 

[altterrain]

This is one I made from cedar with a small dado in it. The weight is a fishing tackle bit. The rope is tripled up and twisted sewing thread dipped in Titebond III.

-Brian 

[Coogler Rail Line]

TGreat work altterain! Thanks Ray for the info. and thankfs Frog for asking the question. That is what I like about these forums and you guys. Something new everyday. I have a Piko water tank and it just came with the gauge.  I aways wondered how the  real thing worked...

[Anonymous]

TGreat work altterain! Thanks Ray for the info. and thankfs Frog for asking the question. That is what I like about these forums and you guys. Something new everyday. I have a Piko water tank and it just came with the gauge.  I aways wondered how the  real thing worked...

That is why there is no dumb question, your here to cuss and discuss!

Toad

[Ray Dunakin]

Here's a photo of my water tower:

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR-Photos.html#35


It's a replica of the water tower at Dos Cabesas siding, along the San Diego & Arizona RR. It's not a very large pic so you probably can't see the water gauge very well, but it's made from a tube with a slot running lengthwise. On the prototype, this was a narrow pipe. The marker weight was inside the pipe, with the marker sticking out through the slot. The rope from the weight went up through the pipe and over a small pulley at the top.

Recently I had to replace the slotted tube when the tower got knocked over and damaged the gauge. This time i just drew a black line down the length of the tube, using a permanent marker. Trying to cut a thin, lengthwise slot in the tube was just too much trouble the first time, and I didn't want to go through that again.

The spout bracket and hinge is somewhat speculative -- I've never seen any photos of the tower when it still had the spout, so all I had to go on was the hardware and hinge pins that remain on the tower.

When that photo was taken, the tower was in a temporary location out of the way of construction. Recently I was able to move it into its permanent location.