Peter's Model Railroading | My Library | Magazine Categories
Structures - Engine Servicing Articles

"Inside" Vignettes

Various prototype photos of scenes on and around the engine yards, which were usually off-limits to non-railroad personnel.

1950s Milwaukee Road One-stall Enginehouse

The author took a B.T.S. kit and turned it into a model representing the one at Canton, South Dakota.

50,000 Gallon Water Tower Kit

The author summarizes the history of the Lehigh Valley Models kit, which is still available via K&P Brick Co. Included are tips & tricks for building the model as well as construction photos.

A Bridge Crane Modeling Project

The author shows how he built a railroad yards crane in both O- and HO-scale. The article includes model photos, and scaled and detail drawings.

A Fire Hose House

A simple structure that holds the fire hose for keeping the wooden structures of an engine servicing facility safe. Model is based on the B&O design.

A Fishbowl Roundhouse

Building a see-through roundhouse roof to show off the engines inside.

A New Life for an Old Revell Enginehouse

Kit bashing a Revell structure that happens to be the right scale.

A Not Too Large Water Tower

Scale drawing of the structure.

A Simple Transition-era Servicing Facility

A single prototype photo shows lots of details that can be modeled in a re-fueling station near a passenger station in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1953.

A Tale of Three Sandhouses

Using his own O-scale building as a guide, the author described how he scratchbuilt an HO-scale model for a friend, using new and improved techniques and materials. This, in turns, leads him to rebuild his own O-scale model.

Adding Track Pits to a Heljan Roundhouse

The author talks about how difficult it is to find good photos of the interior or roundhouses. The article describes how to build stall track pits using balsa wood. The text is accompanied by detailed photos.

Air Facilities in Yards

The author answers a letter where the person wanted to know how air pressure is provided for in the servicing yards.

Along the Line

A photo of a K-37 rolling onto a turntable.

Ash Hoist for Old-time Railroad

A drawing of an ash hoist.

Blueprints

Reprints of the C&NW 1937 Standard 24Ft Water Tank On 20Ft Wood Tower And Concrete Foundation.

Blueprints

Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railroad turntable at Eureka Springs, AR.

Blueprints

Photos and scaled drawings for the C&O Railroad Engine House in Thurmond, WV.

Build a 19th Century Pumphouse

The model provides water for an engine servicing facility. It is scratchbuilt from basswood and styrene castings. The article is a step-by-step photo guide.

Build a Wooden Water Tank

In O-scale a Quacker Oats box is almost the perfect size for matching the prototype model of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic (now Soo Line) one in Marquette, Michigan. Includes construction photos, and detailed and scaled drawings of the model.

Build An Animated Coaling Station

A detailed article on how the author built a coaling tower modeled after the steel tower that the Colorado & Southern built in 1946 at its Rice Yard engine terminal in Denver, Colorado. It has animated coaling chutes to simulate the flow of coal into the steam engines' tender over two tracks. Includes many close-up photos of construction details and a scaled drawing. The animation is done using Hankscraft slow-motion switch machines.

Build an Animated Water Tank

The author built a Pine Valley Branchline Water Tank kit to animate the spout using a Tortoise switch machine. The article includes photos and diagrams that show how to set up the linkages to get a realistic movement.

Building a Freelanced Sandhouse

The model was based on W. J. Ewell's plans as published in the Jan/Feb, 1990 issue of the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. Although freelanced, it is models the D&RGW Durango sanding facility. The article includes photos of the completed model, several construction photos, and several scale and detail drawings. A parts list is also included.

Building a Western Scale Models O Scale Machine Shop & Radial Drill Press

The author mostly followed the instructions of Western Scale Models' engine shed, but instead made it a machine shop. The detail parts are by the company. The author discusses how he made the belt-driven machines appear to work. Includes detailed photos, parts list, and tools list.

Building a Yardmaster's Office

The author builds a small building to act as the yard office. He discusses how he designed it in a CAD program, and covers all the work he did to build the various parts. He also covers how to integrate the building into the surrounding scenery.

Building the Ladysmith Tank

Modeling a small water tank in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Includes prototype and model photos, and scale drawings.

Caboose Servicing Facilities

This article describes these kinds of structures for the Milwaukee Road, the ATSF, and the Wabash. Includes photos and scale drawings.

Care and Feeding of the Steam Locomotive

Drawings and model photos accompany this article covering how to model a coal dump, an ashpit, a tool rack, a wash stand, a roundhouse, and a hydrant house. The text covers the water supply, fuel supply, ashes and washing, sand supply, turning engines, the roundhouse, lube supplies, and fire protection.

Casting Structures from Plaster

In this article the author describes how he cast walls for his roundhouse using plaster. From the description it seems like a fairly straight-forward method. He covers simulating concrete walls, brick walls, and stone walls. Scale diagrams for the roundhouse walls are included.

CPR Standard No.2 Icehouse

This brief article is about scale drawings of a Canadian Pacific icehouse.

Crestline Enginehouse

The author's researching into this enginehouse.

Design and Build a Brick Roundhouse

The author describes his design for a brick roundhouse where dummy stalls make it look imposing without taking too much real estate. Includes various diagrams for how one might design a roundhouse in limited space. Also included are model photos, construction photos, and construction diagrams.

Design and Scratchbuilt a Roundhouse

The author describes how to layout and design a turntable and roundhouse for your layout, how to construct the basic building, and how to add the surrounding details. Included are model and construction photos, detail drawings, and scaled drawings.

Detail Your Roundhouse

Adding small details to clutter up the roundhouse area.

Diesel Fuel Facility

The author shows how to use a single-dome tank car to scratchbuild a fueling facility for a branchline operation. A sidebar shows another approach, as well as several prototype photos of these types of installations.

Duluth Missabe & Northern Roundhouse

The article includes prototype and model photos of the roundhouse the author built for his NTRAK module. It also includes scale drawings of the various key parts to allow modeling of this large structure.

East Broad Top Shops at Orbisonia/Rockhill Furnace

A photo essay of the author's layout as he models the EBT.

EMD Designed Diesel Shops

EMD helped design several railroads' engine servicing shops. Includes many prototype photos.

Fire-damaged Enginehouse

Using a variety of different parts, the author built an enginehouse that has just experienced a near-total fire. The article includes several photos, and it describes how he built the building.

Getting Real

The author describes finding prototype information about the Yosemite Valley brick oil house, his first attempt at building the structure, and his second attempt, with better prototype info. He also details how he built the third version using modern laser-cutting.

Hidden River Models Milwaukee Road Car Repair Shed

This is a product review of this kit.

How I Built Locomotive Servicing Facilities on the Southern Pacific Cascade Line Part I

The author describes how he built the locomotive servicing buildings.

How I Built Locomotive Servicing Facilities on the Southern Pacific Cascade Line Part II

This second installment covers the construction of a second, but smaller, engine servicing facility in the other's second room (which is connected to the first room, whose models were covered in the first installment).

Inside the Enginehouse

Most of the article is about the Lackawanna Terminal's Scranton diesel shop, with a sidebar on how to model the structure. Includes model photo.

Keep Them Doors Open

The author examines the prototype devices that keep roundhouse doors open while engines go in and out of the facility. Prototype and model photos are included, as well as some design diagrams.

Kitbashing a Backwoods Enginehouse

Kitbashing a Sierra West Scale Models engine house

Kitbashing a Coaling Station

Building a kit in such a way so as to not have it look like everyone else's. Includes many drawings, and several model photos.

Korber 2-stall Engine Backshop Conversion to a Single Stall

The author kitbashed the Korber Models diesel engine house into one long one. Includes one photo of the final model.

Minneapolis and St Louis, Winthrop Roundhouse

After a brief history and some prototype photos, the author describes how he built a model of it.

Missouri Pacific Standard Pump House

These structures were used to pump water into the watertanks used to fill tenders. Includes only scale drawings.

Model of the Month

Two-stall enginehouse with complete interior detailing.

Modeling a 650-ton Coaling Station

The model is based on Union Pacific coaling stations. The article includes model and construction photos, prototype photos, parts list, and scaled drawings.

Modeling a CPR Enclosed Water Tower

This article covers the history and the model construction of a western Canada water tower that is of octagonal shape. Includes scale drawings, how to make the roof, and how to make the water spout.

Modeling a Modern Sanding Facility

The author describes how the Rochester Institute of Technology MRR Club used a 34-foot, twin-bay hopper, just like the prototype, as a sand storage facility. Several other parts make up this scene, which doesn't require much space. Includes model and prototype photos.

Modeling a Sanding Facility

The author describes how he built this modern-day version of a sanding facility that includes a building that is no longer used (implying history). Includes scale drawings, materials list, and prototype and model photos.

Modeling an Engine Terminal

The author built a small diesel engine terminal, which consists of an engine house, a fuel stand, a sand tower, and a sand house. He describes how he prepared the track area, and how he built the various structures including a utility pole. Includes some sketch diagrams.

Modeling Illinois Central's 2-Stall Engine House

Prototype and modeling photos.

More Tuolumne - The West Side Lumber Company Engine House and Slash Burner

The author describes how he built these two models. Includes scale drawing and construction details of the slash burner.

My Windy River Timber Co. Engine House

Model photos accompany this article of how the author built this two-stall engine house. He won a prize with it at the 28th National Narrow Gauge Convention.

New Conway Diesel Shop

Norfolk Southern's diesel shop in Conway Yard.

New England Enginehouse

This scratchbuilt structure provides a single-stall for a steam-era enginehouse, which includes a small repair shed. The author details how he built the walls to give them strength, while still maintaining the board-by-board construction look. Scale drawings are included.

Pennsy Water Tank at Orleans, N.Y.

The scaled drawings that accompany this brief article have some interpretation done by the author, because only the main structure of the 40,000-gallon water tank remains.

Pennsylvania & Pacific RR Modern Engine House

The author takes you through his design process for making a three-stall engine house that actually fit his large engines, and then shows how he scratchbuilt the model.

Powering the Turntable at New Lisbon

The author wanted a simple turntable driver, so he uses a reversible 24-volt 2rpm DC timer motor, which is controlled with two pushbuttons. Includes model photos and detail drawings.

PRR Dennison, Ohio Oil House

The author scratchbuilt a compressed model of the Dennison, Ohio oil house from drawings found at the PRRT&HS archives.

Railroad Yard Structures

Several buildings that are typically found at yards are covered in this article. It is mostly a collection of scale drawings, such as for the section toolhouse, switchman's shanty, oil shed, interlocking tower, carpenter's shop, blacksmith shop, and car department with lunchroom.

Rounding Out a New Roundhouse

This article covers the support structures found near a roundhouse that the author added to his layout. Includes many close-up photos of the details.

Sand House

Bob shows his steps for building an open wet sand bin, a drying house, and the delivery tower.

Sanding Facility

This steam-era sanding facility article includes scale drawings and photos of the author's scratchbuilt model.

Scale Scene

The author shows how he adapted the Walthers HO-scale Car Shop (#933-3040) kit for S-scale.

Scratch Build A Shortline Sandhouse

The author presents a materials list, a scaled drawing, and step-by-step guidance to how to scratchbuild a sandhouse. Includes two small photos of the completed model.

Scratchbuild an Enginehouse in HO Scale

Model photo and scaled drawings included. It is a two-stall rectangular structure that might be found on a branchline.

Scratchbuilding a Boiler Flue Storage Rack

The author details how he built this unique storage rack, with tips on how to install it and weather the pipes. Includes prototype and model photos, and detail and scaled drawings.

Scratchbuilding a Quarry Turntable

The author's friend, Chris Abbott (the article includes a sidebar by Chris about the mechanism) designed and built the turntable mechanism, while the author built the two-foot gauge turntable based on the Bridgton & Saco River Railroad, found in Bridgton, Maine. Includes prototype and completed-model photos, as well as construction photos.

Scratchbuilding a Stone Roundhouse

The author describes his method for simulating brick walls, especially dealing with the curved front and back walls. After creating the design, the article continues with the actual construction steps. Several construction photos are included.

Scratchbuilding a Turntable

Step-by-step instructions on how the author built a turntable. Includes lots of photos and drawings.

Scratchbuilding Steam-era Water Tanks

The author describes how he modeled a 1870s water tank. Includes many photos and scaled drawings, as well as a materials list.

Short Line Water Tank

The author builds a water tank as his foray into Fn3, and is surprised by how big this modeling scale is.

Shortline Sand House

Scale drawing of the structure.

Smoke Jacks

Three prototype photos of the engine house at Framingham, Massachusetts on the Boston & Albany.

SP Yard Office

This article covers the prototype yard office building of SP's El Paso Adair Yard. Includes photos and diagrams, as well as a bill-of-materials.

Steam Locomotive Servicing

This small article briefly describes the various things that go on in a yard to service a steam engine, and how we could model those in our layouts.

Tank Car Water Tank

Use of salvaged tank from a wrecked tank car as a water tank for topping off branchline steam engines. Includes model photos and detail drawings.

The Coos River Engine Facilities

The author describes how he converted HO-scale structures into an S-scale engine house, another into a machine shop, and used other parts to build the sand tower, drying house, fuel oil tanks, and water tower.

The Fairbanks-Morse "Universal" Cinder Conveyor

The curved rails in this model required the author to learn how to make parts using home-made etched-brass pieces. So, even though this article shows how he built this structure, a large part of it describes how he learned how to make etched-metal parts.

The Maumee turns a Mike

The author describes how he modeled the steam engine servicing facilities on his layout. Includes model photos and a track plan of the area discussed.

The Quarry Powerhouse: A Model with Sound & Lights

The author scratchbuilt the structure and installed DCC-controlled sound and lighting. The construction of the building isn't the main focus of the article, but the electronics installation is. All items are neatly laid out and attached to the roof of the structure, including the speakers.

The Waupaca-Green Bay Rwy. Enginehouse

The author describes how he built this two-stall, multi-level roundhouse. Includes scale diagrams and prototype photos.

Touring Soo Line's Engine Facility at Portage, Wisconsin

This photo documentary of a visit to the facility includes a track arrangement.

Trackside Photos

Degulbeef & Cradding RR's two-truck Shay backs out of her shed before trundling off to work at Port Cradding Harbor. Alexander Zelkin of Le Mans, France, took this photo on his Sn3 diorama.

Two-stall Engine House Part 2

This installment completes the construction of the engine house by building the interior trusses, center beams, and lighting.

Update A Common Water Tower Kit

The author shows how he converted an HO-scale Atlas water tower into a more-realistic looking tower by using parts of the kit and scratchbuilding some other parts. Includes a materials list, several key construction step photos, a scale drawing, and how to model the wire the spout.

Vancouver's Diesel Inspection Facility Part II

Building a 225-foot inspection pit, with the overhead structure necessary to support diesels. Includes step-by-step photos, as well as finished model photos.

Water Tank Tips

Making the Atlas water tank kit look more realistic. Includes model photos.

Water Tower Animation

This brief article shows how the author built an animated spout on a water tower using a Circuitron Tortoise slow-motion switch machine.

What's On Your Workbench Today?

A photo of the Overland 350-ton UP coaling tower after having received its primer paint coat.

What's On Your Workbench Today?

The photographer is working on a two-stall engine house, and a water tower.

What's On Your Workbench?

The author shares photos of his continuing work on his BN diesel servicing facility.

World War II Yards

Prototype photos of various rail yards.