The shape of the tank is almost a perfect match for the real water tower. Last night I fitted it together and placed it on the mockup of that module to see how it fit and looked and it seems way too small. The model is only 69 scale feet tall and in the real water tower looks to be about 90 to 100 feet tall in the photos. That would be easy to fix. The other problem is the tank itself appears much smaller then the real one. If no one makes a bigger one, I guess a scratchbuilding project is in order. If anyone has any ideas on building the tank I would appreciate it.
Unfortunately the tank on the Walthers model looks nothing like the prototype I’m modeling. The tank on the Korber model is almost perfect but just too small.
it can be built with either of two different bottoms and the tank itself is made-up of built-up courses, so you use only the ones needed to match your prototype. You can buy extra leg material for a taller structure, or use structural supports from Central Valley or Micro Engineering.
You’d need to build your own walkway, which shouldn’t be too difficult.
Nice idea for a project. My municipality had a similar 1930s era water tower which they just replaced a few year ago. I’ve long wanted to model it…i think it would be a recognizable and distinctive scene. If you go the scratchbuilding route, maybe you could make the tank out of PVC pipe end caps. I’ve seen some PVC caps that have a similar curvature to the top half of the Korber model. And it looks like the bottom of the tank has a much less prominent curvature, that you maybe could find a different style of cap for. Cut each one to the appropriate length and glue / fuse them together. They should come in a range of diameters so maybe you can get close to the diameter you’re looking for. The railing would be a challenge for me, though. I’m guessing some would scratchbuild it out of brass but i’ve never done something like that.
Thanks Wayne, for some reason I never thought of that tank as a municipal water system tank. You’re right it wouldn’t be a bad kitbash. According to the research I did last evening the standard height of a tank like that is 120 feet. That gives the optimum pressure for the part of the municipal water system the tank is part of.
This is the watertower I’m looking to model. Photo is not my era and the tank is no longer there.
While I’m familiar enough with municipal water tanks, the ones which spring to mind for me when the subject arises are these, formerly located in my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario:
I’d guess them to be a little more challenging to build, and they’d require a bit more room, too.
For your tower, scratchbuilding might be an option, too: a section of plastic pipe of suitable diameter and a couple of shallow plastic bowls might form a good starting point. Matching the diameters might be a bit tricky, though.
I thought about having someone turn a piece of balsa wood to the right shape on a lathe. The Tichy tank you suggested has possibilities. It’s too bad the Korber tank is so small, it’s just about the right shape.
I didn’t really realize just how small it was until I pieced it together and placed it on the mockup of the module I’m building. It really stood out as too small when mixed in with the other buildings there. It just looked out of scale and toylike. I’ll probaly still use it, perhaps at the Hollywood Candy factory, it’s about the right size for a factory or other private industry.
Do you have access to a wood lathe or know anybody who does? The tank could be turned pretty easily. You could kitbash Micro Engineering bridge towers into the support structure.
The walkway railing would be the trickiest part but I think it could be done without too much difficulty using .020" styrene rod. The rod would be a tiny bit oversize but it would be much easier than trying to solder brass wire together.
You beat me to it regarding turning the tank out of wood. If you use balsa you will need to do a lot of filling and sanding to get the surface smooth enough that the grain won’t show but at least it won’t weigh much so you don’t have to worry about the girders supporting it over time.
Maybe you could use PVC pipe end caps for the tank…I’ve seen ones that have curvatures similar to the top of the Korbel tank. And they come in a range of diameters…
