There was an article in the model press how someone built a concrete silo grain facility out of PVC pipe in HO scale. What size pipe did they use?
-- Phil Anderson Up hill slow, down hill fast, tonnage first, safety last.
any one have any info on this article? I would like to do the same. I am modelling Saskatchewan so kinda stuped on the fields of grain as well.
Hi Phil,
Marion Brasher is using, IIRC, 2" PVC on his Rock Island layout in the basement of his store. I am going to use something like 3" diameter PVC but only around 40'-50' high for a couple select silos by a brewery, just for the variety.
Take care.
"Paul [Kossart] The CB&Q Guy" (Modeling the 1960's In HO.) Peru, IL
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Did that article specify a single size or a range of sizes? Judging from the elevators I've seen, I'd be surprised if there is a standard size. Even the amount of arc in the columns differs so you could probably cut a single pipe into segments (lengthwise) and glue them onto a sheet of plywood to get an elevator that doesn't use a complete half circle for the arc of the bins. You'd get a bit more milage out of your pipe materials. Doing a rough estimate I'd say you could get away with using pipes from 3" to 6" in HO. ie.
You'd be surprised... they're amazingly roomy and well-appointed.
Good morning;
If I can make a suggestion, a two D-cell flashlight handlight would be scaled fairly close for a smaller silo or a taller model in N scale. Builders tend to use ratios of 1:3, 1:4, possibly 1:5. 3" pipe would render a silo with an approximate 25' base. At 1:4, it would be 12" with dome top. Any object over 50' tall within 3 miles of an airport must be lit at night, otherwise anything over 100' must be lit. Some have an external conveyor. All have a trap door for filling either wagons or bins at the base.
I live within 20 miles of several silos, but I see them from a distance as I travel the highway. In my locality, many of the tops are six pieces with alternating vertical colours of either red & white or green & white.
Anyway, just a thought.
Cheers, John
PVC and PB (polybutylene) is also available in gray. With some sanding or dullcote, it could resemble bare concrete.
Of course, you could use the plastic pipe as a form and actually cast the silos from cement, which would resemble concrete even more :)
Dale
I saw some textured spray paint the other evening at the local home improvement store. I wonder how much texture that might have? It is supposed to resemble concrete or a stucco type finish. I think it was a Rust-o-leum brand product.
dlm
Dan Merkel spake thus:
I think you're fooling yourself that you can get a good concrete texture this way. Keep in mind the 1:87 scale thing: all those lumps and bumps from the textured paint will essentially be magified 87 times, and probably end up looking pretty horrible.
Look at actual concrete textures; on structures like grain silos, the surface is usually actually very smooth. What you see are *color* variations, not texture. So what a guy would want to do is to recreate those colors using (flat) paint; classic weathering, basically.
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