Well it started over two years ago. I wanted to scratchbuild a modern ho elevator that looked as if you could load a shuttle train, unlike Walthers that looks like each silo could only load 1 car. For the first couple years, I just tried finding pictures during my free time to base it off of but decided to make a generic one considering I don't have a layout yet so there wasnt a need to be based on an exact prototype. So...it wasnt until my semester break this year from Dec. 20-Jan. 20 that I was able to start working on it. I got most of the elevators main components done but hadn't gotten started on the base when I had to head back to school. Finally, June rolled around and I was able to finish it by adding final details to the elevator and laying track and scenecing the base. I was just able to finish it by our club's open house on June 23. Here's some pictures of the result.
Wow! That is an impressive elevator! Not to mention the fantastic photography as well. Nice job on the composition, I had to look at the enlarged photo to tell it was a model. Especially the one at sunset, if I did not have the others to compare it to I would swear that it was real.
Nice work! Love to see some more photos!
Greg
wow wow wow Do you have pictures of the other side?
What did you use for the silos? Really amazing model!
Fooled me! I thought you'd given us photos of the prototype. Nice photography, great modeling.
Well done.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Looks like good work, but I'm curious what it looks like without the digital manipulation. Is the background the only thing added? Or have the images been digitally enhanced overall?
Don't get me wrong - the images look great. The problem is that you can't tell what's real and what isn't - how much of what we see is the model, and how much is just digital adjustment. I'd like to see the models without all the photo retouching.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Thank you all for your compliments. As requested Ill post a couple more pictures on here.
XG01X, I used 3.5in (outside diameter) pvc pipe cut to 13.75in tall which scales to just under 100 ho feet. I ran strip styrene down the cracks inbetween the silos as you can see in the picture and glued and filed a styrene roof to the top. Considering real silos are +/- 140 I have a compression of about 2/3. To the top of the leg tower is almost 22in.
As to Brunton's comment, it wasnt modified at all. I set my module outside on saw horses (pic included) and took a picture with my sister's run-of-the-mill digital camera. These pictures are exactly how they transfered from the card.
The other pics Im including are bloopers and a couple construction pics. enjoy -Tom
tomnoy3 wrote: As to Brunton's comment, it wasnt modified at all. I set my module outside on saw horses (pic included) and took a picture with my sister's run-of-the-mill digital camera. These pictures are exactly how they transfered from the card.
You are truly a magician! I was sure that the backdrop, at least, was a post-photo addition (a relatively common practice these days, which is why I thought these were as well). My apologies to you for thinking that. Your modeling and your camera work are extraordinary.
Tom, I would the others' comments - please write this one up for MR so we can learn (a lot) from how you did your elevator.
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Now if you did use Photoshop, there would not be enough of the right adjectives to describe your work - simply great!
One of the biggest problems I see with writing an article is the high standards they have for submission, much of those on photography. Plus, the two construction pictures I have on here are pretty much the only pictures I have taken while building it, which would lead to an uninteresting and probably confusing article. Any questions that you guys ask me about how I built it I will answer to the best of my memory and as clear as I can.
Thanks again for the comments. -Tom
I to thought that you had minipulated the image some how, great work. (Really I thought you photographed a proto site and were passing it off as a model LOL)
Kevin
tomnoy3 wrote: One of the biggest problems I see with writing an article is the high standards they have for submission, much of those on photography. Plus, the two construction pictures I have on here are pretty much the only pictures I have taken while building it, which would lead to an uninteresting and probably confusing article. Any questions that you guys ask me about how I built it I will answer to the best of my memory and as clear as I can.Thanks again for the comments. -Tom
Wow Wow Wow That all I can say
I have seen hundreds of elevators in hundreds of small town and yours looked like thee real thing. Now you gave me the insperation to build a elevator of my own. My only question is what is the yellow pipping above the track??
For more information on the yellow truss above the track, go to fallprotectionsystems.com. What it has is the main steel components that you can see in the picture, plus a roller bearing that moves allong that which connects a tether to a harness warn by someone working on the railcar. It works much like a seatbelt, you can move slowly and it gives you slack, but if you were to fall or tug it quickly, it locks preventing a fall.
Great work Tom!
Excellent modeling and photography!
Tom, what material did you use to model the yellow truss?
I'm adding this thread URL as a link within my "Modeling Techniques" page on my web site for future reference.
Cheers,
Ryan
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
tomnoy3 wrote: One of the biggest problems I see with writing an article is the high standards they have for submission, much of those on photography. Plus, the two construction pictures I have on here are pretty much the only pictures I have taken while building it, which would lead to an uninteresting and probably confusing article.
One of the biggest problems I see with writing an article is the high standards they have for submission, much of those on photography. Plus, the two construction pictures I have on here are pretty much the only pictures I have taken while building it, which would lead to an uninteresting and probably confusing article.
Sounds like maybe you should build a second one and take more photos this time!
Tom
Ryan, the truss material is from Plastruct and the support towers for it is Evergreen. Here's Walthers page for the truss: http://walthers.com/exec/productinfo/570-90401
Im probably gonna take a break before I build another elevator for now. But if I can ever build my dream layout, modern Union Pacific accross Nebraska, Ill have plenty to replicate.
tom,
Great looking elevator.
A really impressive model and the photography is great too.
In the photography department you accomplished more with a good eye and luck than many of us can do using every trick in the book.
Great work on both counts.
I would be interested in a step by step construction description and list of materials.
Keep up the good, no, great work!
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
Ok everyone, with this post I drew up some step-by-step diagrams on MS Paint for the elevator leg. Fortunately, I grew up on a farm where we had a 15,000bph (bushel per hour) grain leg and was able to get access to elevators in the area so I knew pretty well how the real operations worked so I could reflect it in a model. Only after I built it this summer did I get a summer job at an ethanol plant where I had to climb up to the top of their 130' legs which are similar to the ones I modeled.
Both Walthers and Rix manufacture elevator legs but in my opinion they look like they are about 5000bph. Elevators that load shuttle trains need to average atleast 30,000bph so had to scratchbuild. The prototype that I based mine off of is manufactured by Schlagel Mfg. in the 30-40,000bph range. With my techniques you can make yours however larger or small, just use different sized styrene.
My elevator would have an underground conveyor system so I didnt need to model a boot (where the corn enters the leg) so I started on the trunk. Forgive me, but I am up in college so my elevator is 4hrs away so I wont have percise measurements. I used the largest available rectangle tubing from Evergreen. At 14'' long, I had to butt and join pieces together to get it to 21?'' I laid the two long pieces down side by side with a 1-1-1 spacing if you know what I mean. I then measured at scale 10' spacings and put c-channel around the out sides (the typical size of trunk sections is 10', this represents where the pieces are bolted together). With the long and short sections completed like that, I leveled them from the top and then attached them in a square formation. I had to put some shiming in so it rested flush on the top of the silos. I then painted it dark machinery gray.
For the head of the elevator, I drew the outline using two different diameter round objects to recreate the rounding off of the head onto medium thickness styrene. After I cut that piece out, I traced it and cut 3 more identicle pieces. I then clamped them together and filed them into uniform shape. I layed down pieces 1 and 3 and glued extra styene I had used for the trunk to get proper spacing. I then glued pieces 2 and 4 onto those and ensured they were properly lined up. I then cut strips of extremely thin styren and glued along the top, sides, and bottoms of the trunk. I added pieces of channel along the sides to support the motor, access doors, and the bearing mount to the head sections and painted them dark machinery gray. I then glued motors I had in a scrap bin and a piece of orange painted channel from the motor to the bearing to cover the "belts"
To make the base, I started small square styrene and framed a square equal to the size that the legs were. I then made a rectangle that was 16 scale feet long by a width of 5 times the width of a leg. I braced the to together with even spacing width wise and spaced to the front of the head resting on the square would be against the front of the rectangle. I attached Tichy handrails along the sides and back and small ones to the edge of front. I painted it at this point dark machinery gray. Heres where I screwed up, I cut the metal walkway from and Athearn Genesis cov hopper becuase it matched the perforations that our GSI platform has, however, Schlagel uses a slotted pattern. Once the paint was dry I was able to mount everything together. I left the 3 pieces unglued to eachother at this time becuase I still had to do the down spouts.
These pictures below arent the greatest but the focus on the leg.
Good luck to anyone who trys to create a elevator leg. If you need something cleared up, just ask. -Tom
Tom,
Gotta agree with everyone here. Fantastic work, both modelling and documenting it.
The extra bits you've added were exactly what I was thinking of when you said you only had the two construction photos. You've added them yourself, but MR has staff that can help massage what you've got. I'll agree that it's worth seeing what they think, as you've done some great modelling and depicted it briefly and well already.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
To be honest though, i submitted my pictures of my elevator to MR's photo contest and didnt hear anything back. So I dont think Im going to try to submit an article on how I built it with what little pictures/remembrance I have of it. This forum was created so members can help other members so thats what I intend to do. Not for profit, I will help anybody who wants to attempt to replicate it or parts of it. Thats the only way I think this hobby will expand. We are here to help eachother.
-Tom