CSX Palmetto Spur

[SSWUPinSA]

Hey Mal... how about some detailed shots of your roof details and items around the track for me to...um....copy!!!???!!!

I need some aircon units and ducting to liven up my structures... Also need to add scenic stuff...looking rather dull... I was thinking Heki Wild Grass or Deco Grass? Also trees...? What about supertrees?

[alcanman]

Hi,

Here you go... first some roof detail, fridge unit and roof vent from <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.unitmodels.com/">http://www.unitmodels.com/</a><!-- m -->

   

Unit Models have loads of small detail parts. I spoke to the guy who runs the operation recently at the Newcastle show. He is a modeller
and he said some items eg battery / relay boxes are based on US prototypes.

Next, pic shows one the battery boxes and a nice palm tree from <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.themodeltreeshop.co.uk/">http://www.themodeltreeshop.co.uk/</a><!-- m -->

   

For other small trees and shrubs I like to use Woodland Scenics 'Fine leaf foliage' or WS 'polyfiber' with WS 'ground foam' sprinkled on.
Silflor/Mininatur 'grass tufts' have been used extensively all over the layout.

I hope this helps.

Your layout is looking great.

regards,

Mal

   

[faraway]

Unitmodels is a great source of all kind of details. I bought several items from them. Nice people, no problem handling international customers.

[alcanman]

Hi,

Looking again at that last pic reminded me that the Food Processor at Palmetto has now gone, along with the 2 silos that were located there.

This is how it used to look.

   

This is how it looks now.

   

Good news is that the Food Processor warehouse has now been occupied by a Beer distributor.
Looks like I need a couple of these beer cars.

   

Then I wondered if those 2 silos could have been recycled?

   

cheers,

Mal

[Paulman]

Curiously, the local distributor in Orlando does not use 60' beer cars, but 50' cars—Railboxes and many fallen flag cars from EEC and HS, and the occasional FXE box bringing in the Corona.

Given your limited space, that is an option.

[alcanman]

Thanks for the pics, Paulman

You are right, 50ft cars fit better. Looks like this Railbox car will be a regular sight at the Beer Distributor.

   

I have a feeling that this little industry will around for some time and I've made my contribution by going
to my local supermarket here in the UK to buy some nice US craft beers

Mal

[Brakie]

Guys,As a side note the Sabine River and Northern is not a fallen flag.The SR&N did sell off a lot of their 50' boxcars.

[Paulman]

Guys,As a side note the Sabine River and Northern is not a fallen flag.The SR&N did sell off a lot of their 50' boxcars.

That's true. I was generalizing, as many EEC and HS cars are.

[Brakie]

Guys,As a side note the Sabine River and Northern is not a fallen flag.The SR&N did sell off a lot of their 50' boxcars.

That's true. I was generalizing, as many EEC and HS cars are.

Indeed including at least one Seattle & North Coast 50' boxcar still in fair shape!

[PhilM]

This looks like a nice little industry idea. Does anyone know of HO palletised beer kegs and gas bottles etc suitable for the modern era?

[Paulman]

This looks like a nice little industry idea. Does anyone know of HO palletised beer kegs and gas bottles etc suitable for the modern era?

I've conducted several searches and come up blank.

[FCIN]

Does anyone know of HO palletised beer kegs and gas bottles etc suitable for the modern era?

Plenty of pallet kits or castings available (both wood and plastic), but those aluminum beer kegs - I guess you'd just have to scratch build some. Perhaps some plastic tubing of the correct diameter painted bright silver with some other markings on them would work. They wouldn't be very large in HO scale, so close enough should work just fine. Stacks of pallets at any warehouse type facility is always a nice detail.

Seems really odd that Florida Distributing would be receiving beer in unequipped box cars. It's usually handled in insulated box cars (50ft and/or 60ft). Coors/Miller and Anheuser-Busch all have their own insulated box cars, along with railroad owned assigned cars for that service. At least one Bing view shows four (4) 50ft plug door box cars (probably insulated) on spot there, while another view shows both tracks full of unequipped 50 ft box cars.

Also odd that they'd leave kegs of beer stacked on the loading dock where some enterprising local with a pair of bolt cutters could get his weekly supply of brew late at night! I'm wondering if perhaps these were shipments of either new kegs or empty kegs to be refilled?

I plan on having a beer distributor on my ISL currently under construction, based on a couple that I'm familiar with in this area. I'm using the Exactrail 60ft beer cars along with a few 50ft insulated box cars that would be appropriate for such shipments. Two of my Exactrail cars are stenciled to return empty to Adolph Coors & Son Golden Colorado, so no question about what's loaded in those.

[alcanman]

Hi,

Interesting comments regarding boxcars used for transporting beer. I have a couple of Atlas RBLs, so I may use them at the beer distributor.

Meantime, with all this talk of beer and new industries at Palmetto, I just had to go along to film some switching action.

Here's what I found <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Alcanman1?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/45LPlmEbIr8">http://www.youtube.com/user/Alcanman1?f ... 5LPlmEbIr8</a><!-- m -->


Enjoy,


Mal

[FCIN]

I have a couple of Atlas RBLs, so I may use them at the beer distributor.

Those would be perfect for transporting that Bud, Miller or Coors!

Nice video - always enjoy seeing your work and really like the layout. Sort of threw me off a little when I saw the MP15ac pulling the plastic pellets on to the spur, but was great to watch.

[fast car]

Curiously, the local distributor in Orlando does not use 60' beer cars, but 50' cars—Railboxes and many fallen flag cars from EEC and HS, and the occasional FXE box bringing in the Corona.

Since this is a distributor, I would suspect that the the kegs setting on the loading dock are most likely empty kegs as opposed to full beer kegs. It seems more logical that filled kegs are trucked in and the empties go out by rail back to the bottler. Also, the average weight of a half barrel/full keg is between 140-170 lbs. Having full half barrels stacked 8 high, on their sides, on wood seems extremely dangerous if the pallets should split. I have seen empties like this at the large Miller distributor across the street from where I work. This distributor also receives several 40'-50' shipping containers on truck trailer most likely with import beers or wine.

Larry