Tag Archives: Scenery Stuff

Grain bins on the NKP

Distractions, ,
201608_tk_Metcalfdepot
Photo by Tony Koester.

There’s a slight breeze but the air is hazy with humidity on this August day in Metcalf, Illinois. A dull cicada chorus surges to drown out other noises as we await Nickel Plate timetable train 49 to pass. A B&O switcher has paused to obey the signal in anticipation. The grain bins will be full soon as another local harvest approaches on the calendar.

A distant whistle pierces the air as the westbound blows for a crossing east of town. It’s time to move down to the tracks with the new Leica and capture a Berk on the mainline.

This is Metcalf on Tony Koester’s HO scale Nickel Plate Road, Third Subdivision layout. Metcalf is a town on the east side of the state just north of U.S. Route 36 where NKP’s St Louis line and B&O’s Indy/Decatur line cross. In the northwest corner of the crossing were located dozens of standard size “Butler” grain bins. Tony’s modeling the scene using several of our grain bins. As of now the bins aren’t painted. They’re in the natural grey casting color. We have plenty of these bins in stock on our Scenery Stuff page.

Resin Car Works new kit!

Models, New Kit,

grain_bins4

Resin Car Works announces a new kit to kick off their Scene Setters line focused on once common elements that weren’t far from the tracks. These simple kits can enhance a scene on your model railroad. The first Scene Setter kit represents an iconic Midwest structure, a round corrugated metal grain bin.

The prototypes began with a government grain storage program in the 1930s and thousands of these grain bins were installed in towns across the Midwest.

The Resin Car Works HO scale model is a one piece resin casting and will only need to be painted before it is set into a scene on your railroad. Four grain bins are included for only $36, plus postage and handling. Check out some completed model photographs and review the kit instructions on our website.

Resin Car Works has several of the acid tank car kits in stock, but supplies are getting very low. A new freight car kit is also nearing completion. We hope to share more news very soon on this exciting HO scale model.