Hello!
Readers of my blog who follow our Penn Central Car Movements may remember a recent reference to the "Cement Job" bringing a string of empty coal hoppers and two bay covered hoppers to West Mill from "Tri Mount Cement".
Here is the first video of this train from P.C.C.M. #80.
When that video was filmed Tri Mount Cement was just an construct in my mind. I'm happy to report that there is now a concrete (if I may) example of a cement industry on my layout.
Tri Mount Cement (named after a Boy Scout Summer camp in the Catskills that I enjoyed going to for several summers) is the latest interchangeable industry that I've built for the shelf layout part of the Kings Port Division. These shelf layout businesses increase traffic options for the virtual operations I enjoy participating in with model railroad hobby friends John and Neal.
Here is the new business set on the shelf layout below the KPD.
I loosely based the design of the industry on photos of prototype plants and the Walters Cornerstone model.
Here are more photos of the cement plant after some weathering.
Since Tri Mount Cement is one of several interchangeable scenes that are frequently moved, I used sturdy inexpensive materials such as recycled mailing boxes in its construction. The buildings seen on this section of the layout are often moved and stored to accommodate other scenes such as the yard at Mechanicville....
The KP&W's Mayfield Yard...
Port Owen...
Bloomberg's Agway...
...and Quality Fabrications and Zenith TV.
In an effort to save money and also limit the number of structures I need to store, several of them are double sided. Tri Mount's background structure also serves duty as International Paper when turned around.
The plant can accommodate several cars.
Speaking of which, a string of two bay hoppers at West Mill awaits assembly into the next "Cement Job".
The structures can still use some more details but I thought I'd introduce the newest customer on the KPD that will be involved in future "virtual ops" with John's New York Central Train Layout and Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R.
Thanks for taking a look!
Ralph, your model railroad vision is amazing! A great idea to use double sided industries to limit storage and movement and add yet another fine industry to the virtual ops!! I liked the idea of the name paying tribute to the summer camp and the logo design paying tribute to the Catskill Mountains. The freight agents on the NYCTL look forward to a profitable partnership moving sending and receiving freight cars to and from Tri Mount Cement. Well done!! Actually very well done!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks John! This was a fun one to make and I hope it will add to the virtual ops!
DeleteRalph, that is amazing! Not only the new addition of an industry, but having one building double sided is a testament to your creativity and ingenuity! Dedicating it to a place that gave you happy memories of the Catskill Mountains makes the building that more enjoyable. So when can I send my empty PC PS-2 hopper cars to you for an order :)?
ReplyDeleteThanks Neal!
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