So on my layout I have a grain elevator along a backdrop. The elevator itself is walthers ADM kit, but the silos are simply PVC pipe im painting. Right now they are just freestanding. one side is three silos long and the other is much longer. I was wondering if anybody could come up with an idea as how to attach them in a line.

Well i guess two options off the top of my head are,

1. Put them in a jig and glue the back ends where they meet together, so you can't see the glue

2. You can get a piece of styrene and make a base for them and glue them on

There should be a head house (not sure if that's the correct term) that distributes the grain to the proper silo, like this:


If you don't have one, it should be easy to fabricate something suitable from sheet styrene. While you're at it, make some styrene tops for your silos - just set the silo on the styrene, trace around both the outside and inside perimeters with a pencil, then cut out the circle. To keep the tops in place on the silo, cement short lengths of .100"x.100" or .125"x.125" to the top - placing them just inside of the line representing the inside perimeter of the pipe. That should give them a snug fit when placed atop the silos with the small bits inside the pipe. You could also do the same for the bottoms, too.
In fact, since the head house will cover the centre of the silo tops, you could use one continuous top for all of the silos - cut the circular area where it will be seen but leave all of the material where it'll be covered by the head house. This is how Walthers made theirs, in order to keep the silos together. Use a solvent-type cement for the styrene construction and you should be able to depend on a friction-fit to keep the top(s) in place, and the silos all together.

Wayne

Thanks for the help guys! Got some good ideas! I didnt like the walters white, so I got a gray that I thought would match concrete, but its much more of a blueish gray than I wanted. In your picture you posted docwayne, any work on the color and weathering you chose? I really like the finish!

I used light gray primer out of a can for an even base coat. Horizontal masking tape was used to get constructional sections of the concrete that have been emphasized with PollyS concrete and aged concrete brushed on.
The silos are out of two Walthers kits with some bashing to get the double length.

Kevin, I keep a record of paint mixes for most standard colours - diesels, passenger cars, railroad structures and most industries, and, as most folks are aware, seldom use any colour right out of the bottle. However, for some reason, there's no record of the formula for GERN's paint. I did locate two PollyScale bottles of it though, and there's evidence that the colour is a mix of Reefer White and CSX Tan. Unfortunately, I don't recall the proportions, although I'd guess it to be 50/50. Rather than trying to match a colour, I find that for structures especially, it's better to pick or mix a colour which you find suitable and pleasing to your eye. If you're trying to model a particular prototype, though, pick what looks closest, then alter it to be even closer.

Wayne

Here's a quick pic of my GERN elevator during the continuing build seqence.The silos closest to the camera are simply ppieces of PVC that I glued into groups of 8.they will be glued into a single unit eventually .

I used PVC cement to glue the assemblys into solid units and capped them top and bottom with sheet styrene .I used both the PVC cement and CA to glue the styrene to the pvc plastic.The headhouse is scratch built .There will be a door on either side of the house so the lights mounted to the tops of the silos can be accessed for repair and/or bulb replacement.



The silos on the far end are from the Walthers kit and will be replaced with PVC pipe.

Catt Wrote: ... The silos closest to the camera are simply pieces of PVC that I glued into groups of eight. They will be glued into a single unit eventually ... I used PVC cement to glue the assemblies into solid units and capped them top and bottom with sheet styrene (using) both PVC cement and CA ... glue the styrene to the PVC plastic.

I like the work you are doing there ... it looks really properly industrial! Keep up the good work!

Just out of curiosity, how tall are the lengths of PVC that you have used for the silos?

biL,
The silos are 1 1/2 " by 6 1/2" or roughly 86 N scale feet.The actually should have been at least 110' tall if not more.

Wow, Johnathan! Mark one up for "looking right!"