May/June 2010 - O Scale Trains Magazine Online

RoundingOut ANewRoundhouseWarner Clark,photos byRich BourgerieIn OST #45 I talked about the new roundhouse for my P48Clover Leaf Route. In this issue I cover the support facilitiesthat are often found nearby on the prototype.Most model railroads have an engine facility. If steamlocomotives are involved, then you will need water serviceplus coal and sand delivery at a minimum. Cinder dumps,covered inspection pits for servicing inside bearing locomotives,along with the means for starting fires and repairingrunning gear will be added touches along with the use ofcompressed air and steam to run various items. If diesel locomotivesare involved, all you need is a fueling, water andsand delivery plant. The one I built is constrained by limitedavailable space, and by my childhood memories.By the mid-Forties, Toledo had become a backwater terminalfor the NKP. The facility provided running repairs (bearings,tire shimming, brake shoes, bulbs, gaskets, bushings,and change outs of boiler jewelry); and on rare occasion,boiler washes and 90 day locomotive inspections when thefacilities at Delphos and Frankfort were not available. Thestoreroom was always stocked with several grades of lubeoils, grease sticks, cotton waste, bearing brasses, etc.Starting with the roundhouse, I added interior lights andmetal forming machines from OMI. Western Scale Modelssupplied the belt driven radial drill press, engine lathe, and50HP electric motor. All the figures are by Arttista. In the frontoffice, enginehouse foreman, John Hoeger is giving the ”kid”the latest engine line-up while machinists Pat Bends and OreSwan work on returning NKP 597 to service (Photos 1-2)To round out my compact facility, I added a small cardepartment repair shop to do wheels, draft gear, brakes andsafety appliances (Photo 3). Remember, it wasn’t until dieselsand roller bearing trucks were well established that theindustry changed from joining steel with rivets to welding andHuck bolts. The building itself is a limited edition of Stoney12May/June ’10 - O Scale Trains • 37