The first structure kit I purchased when I made the decision to go from N scale to HOn3 was a JV Models Branch Line water tower kit, and from day one I decided to have the spout animated. It took a bit of trial and error (after all, there is a first time for everything), but I managed to get the result I wanted.
The first thing I did was assemble the kit as instructed. This kit features two MDF board ‘formers’, which are glued onto a wooden shaft. The boards for the side of the tank are then cut individually and glued around the edges of these formers. I left ten of the boards off, to allow access to the interior. I then drilled a 5mm hole in the former at the base of the tank, touching the wood dowel. This was to accommodate the drinking straw that would guide the fishing line down to the motion mechanism.
My next step was to cut a 5/32" washer in half, and glue one half to the side of the hole nearest the side, as shown below:
!(http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab135/tbdanny/Model Railroader Forum Photos/Water Tower Writeup/Photo1.jpg)
This was to provide a smooth surface for the fishing line to run over, and also to protect the MDF board. This washer has an inner diameter of slightly less than 5mm, and so provided a slight ‘lip’ over the hole. After this, I obtained a drinking straw and trimmed it to 7cm in length, before gluing it into the hole I had drilled earlier. At this point, I should probably mention that the support structure of the water tower had been lowered to be more suitable for a narrow-gauge prototype. 12cm may be a more appropriate measurement for an unmodified water tower.
Leaving the tank to the side, I turned my attention to the water spout. The spout provided in the kit