New Major Coaling Station Coming

Hi All,
Here is sneak peek of my latest structure coming out for N & Z scale,
hopefully by December.
regards, Reynard

Hi All,
Well, it looks like the Peanut Butter Lid is going
win the Z market. Who needs a Z coal station when we've got
so many nice diesels anyway?

Hi
This year I road the Amtrack from Chicago down to Southern Illinois, where I seen an old coaling tower along the old IC route, somwhere in northern/central Illinois. The concrete tower was still there but the fixtures were all missing. Just because we are in the diesel era doesn't mean we wouldn't see these towers (or whats left of them).

Hi Kelley,
By your description of the location I am willing to bet that you crossed under the DeKalb Coaling Tower, probably one of the most significant coaling stations still standing in the USA. This is the one that I am just finishing up prototype work on for the N scale folks. This is a complex and interesting model. Hopefully I can make all the chute not only deploy per the actual, but if the are any tiny model coal granules available for the N scalers, they will be able to actually drop model coal into a hollowed out tender! Not only that, I am also attempting overhanging "grain of rice" lamps on each side of the model. The second iteration prototype brass arrives this Tuesday and I'll give you a full report after assembling it (will take about a week).

As for a Z scale version: Have not seen enough interest yet to justify the expense of manufacturing one. Also will have to do some real wizardry to make it as functional as the N scale version. We'll see.

Anyway, enjoy the images for now!
best regardZ,
Reynard

I thought the same thing but it is in wrong direction. There is another somplace on the IC line between Chicago and Carbondale. Actually between Chicago ans Springfield I believe. I am modeling the transition period so a working tower would not be out of place.

Hello Kelley, Guess I lost that bet but it doesn't surprise me. In Illinois there are many old coal facilities, foundries, etc. that served the railroads during the steam age. The Micron Art "Metal Foundry" comes from a few scant photos of one in Northern Illinois. We are now sold out of both the N and Z versions.