These shacks/shanties can also be used for non-railroad purposes. On my layout I scratchbuilt a small 10' X 14' office for the clerk's office at a busy team track. Small oil dealerships often had a small office on the grounds as well. Small equipment and hand tool storage are also a purpose for these structures.
I recall two smallish shacks (and for no particular reason I assume a shack is slightly larger than a shanty) near but not directly next to the depot in my home town. I believe they were both under the control of the local track gang; one presumably held tools, supplies, etc., and resembled the larger of the two LifeLike structures shown in the link. The other had crude timbers leading from a door to the rails so that the speeder could be placed on the rails (on a siding not the main). It was longer but not as large as a one car garage. They were right next to each other and the concrete bases can still be found in the weeds. After the shacks (or sheds) disappeared the track gang moved into the former freight portion of the depot, and two pieces of L shaped iron or steel were embedded in the station platform leading to the main so the speeder could be put on the rails.
Dave Nelson
If you are modeling the present, you could always keep them around as a sign of history for your layout. Or you could always do a museum, and put some in as "exhibits".
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
I built this set of three trackside shanties by B.T.S. for my downtown passenger station. You would find this type of small shack at Dearborn Station in Chicago.
Alton Junction
chutton01 Are these the Life-Like Sheds
Are these the Life-Like Sheds
Looks like the same ones, only you are showing older style box graphics.
If the OP Big Boy Forever is modeling the modern/recent era, say 1990, what about using some of those sheds in the backyards of private residences - while a lot of the steel & plastic sheds don't have windows, a number do, and it seems most wood sheds have at least a window or two. If the front of the shed model can be modified to have double doors, so much the better.
wabash2800Crossing shanites were common after WWII at locations with multiple tracks near yards, for example, where trauns were constantly going back and forth and automtic crossing protection would be a nuisance.
A lot of street crossings in cities and towns had crossing watchman-PRR had several here in Bucyrus Ohio as well as Columbus..
Their job was to lower gates(if so equipped) flag crossings with a red flag(lantern at night) with round stop sign.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Crossing shanties were common after WWII at locations with multiple tracks near yards, for example, where trains were constantly going back and forth and automatic crossing protection would be a nuisance. I know of some examples in the 1980s on Class One Railroads.
Victor Baird
www.erstwhilepublications.com
cacole The answer to that is going to depend on the railroad and time frame involved. Present day practice on the Union Pacific here in Arizona is to use containers or trailers instead of the types of buildings you have. In the days of steam they were probably common as line-side tool and spare parts sheds in roundhouse areas or along the main lines as required. Going back to the pre-World War 2 days, most railroads had gate keepers at grade crossings whose job was to lower the crossing gates or flag road crossings, and the gate keeper had a small shanty in which he or she could take shelter against adverse weather.
The answer to that is going to depend on the railroad and time frame involved. Present day practice on the Union Pacific here in Arizona is to use containers or trailers instead of the types of buildings you have.
In the days of steam they were probably common as line-side tool and spare parts sheds in roundhouse areas or along the main lines as required.
Going back to the pre-World War 2 days, most railroads had gate keepers at grade crossings whose job was to lower the crossing gates or flag road crossings, and the gate keeper had a small shanty in which he or she could take shelter against adverse weather.
Big Boy ForeverHow would the RRs use these small buildings in real life?
Some like the AM yard office was used by car inspectors,yard crew lunch room,on the caboose service track for the caboose sevice crew and the caboose switch crew,near the engine service area for the hostler and his helpers,roundhouse foreman's office,roundhouse lunch room switch service crew-back in the day these men clean and service switches including cleaning the switch lamp lenses,yard laborers,rip track foreman's office etc..
BBF,
These were used at places like the end of the yard lead(car clerk would use it to stay out of the weather when writing down car numbers as a train arrived). Could also be used as a 'phone box' location like at a junction switch. Sometimes they were 'crossing' shanties where a flagman kept out of the weather. Remember, there were no radios back in the 50' s for the most part. In yards there were used by carmen(keep spare brake shoes/air connections so they can replace a part quickly). They many times were used as 'skate' shacks in yards were switchmen keep track skate to keep cars from rolling to far. The bottom line is that there are lots of uses for a small structure on a layout!
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I have about 10 or so various plastic kits of shacks, shanties, small buildings all for HO model railroads I picked up at discount, some by Lifelike and others by AM.
I'm not sure, for prototype realism, where exactly you are suppose to place them on the layout and don't want to just place them anywhere that does not make any sense.
How would the RRs use these small buildings in real life?