I’m building a desert Shortline that interchanges with a class 1 RR.
Besides “Cement Plants”, (too big), what other industries would be found isolated in the desert, with a very small town nearby, (i.e. “VERY SMALL”)? This is not the thriving desert community with a big operation. I’m talking more wide open desert spaces type scenario.
Anyone know?
Thanks
BBF
How about a glass factory?
The amount of minerals that can be mined in the desert is long. You could have a choice of various mines from small to very large. Green house industries is another one. Bottled water from deep underground springs. The list is long.
If you want it to be plausible, then you are somewhat limited to natural resource-based operations such as mineral extraction or an isolated government operation such as a missile test site.
The Southern Pacific’s narrow-gauge Keeler Branch is a good example of the former (loading soapstone, sodium carbonate, and talc at Keeler until the end), while the Santa Fe’s Boron Rocket Spur is an example of the latter.
Note that one can represent a large industry in a small space simply by placing a flat against the backdrop or having a track or two disappear behind a low hill (perhaps through a gate to a government facility).
More information from you on the era, size, and arrangement of your layout might help others help you with more specific suggestions.
The mid-sized HOn3 layout below is based on the Keeler Branch and has a number of mineral-processing shippers – but of course it wouldn’t have to be narrow-gauge.
“The desert” is a very broad set of places. Large expanses of the western US fit that description, but the scenery varies greatly, as do the local industries. Even with only small communities nearby, many industries are HUGE, with workers commuting in from miles away.
Pick an area that interests you and look for what the local economy might support. Don’t overlook agricultural customers, as farming and ranching are common anywhere irrigation water is available. Modelers unfamilar with the desert often don’t consider more than a stereotypical idea of what might be here. Note that any area may have “typical” customers like food distributors, fuel dealers and so on.
Some industries I can think of from the Colorado Plateau include:
From the deserts of southern Wyoming:
Great Basin
I haven’t covered them all, but there are a lot of options. With many of these you can apply selective compression and model only small part
We have one near here, the Apache Nitrogen Products in St. David, Arizona. They were previously known as Apache Powder, and made gunpowder and dynamite, but today process nitrogen fertilizer products.
Copper mines were also big here in Arizona, ranging from small underground mines to huge open pit operations.
You could skip the railroad and Model this. Maybe in your town, you could have a rail loading spur. But it would have to be in the 1800’s early 19’s [:D]
Have Fun!
Frank
Frank, note that the 20-mule teams carried the borax to a rail spur.
Since I grew up in the Southern California desert, I know that there can be a variety of different rail-served businesses, as Rob said. But note that the Original Poster specifically stated
If this is the case, it seems to rule out things like warehousing, retail distribution, and plastic plants. Companies don’t typically set up their operations so that they must transport raw materials or bulk goods into an isolated location and then also ship the finished goods out – especially in earlier eras. That’s why I suggested focusing on natural resources or some sort of government installation (in later eras)
But without knowing more about the OP’s actual era, setting, space available, and track arrangement, we’re all just guessing.
Examples:
Elevator, Winnemucca, NV.
Coal loader, Hiawatha, UT.
Feed elevator, Milford, UT.
For relatively recent eras (say 1960s and later, after the advent of interstate highways), these kinds of things can be found in the middle of nowhere. Tax breaks for business, and ready access to a road network, mean all sorts of seemingly incongruous industries can be in otherwise very small towns. They may see bulk materials arrive by rail, and finished product distributed by truck. Warehousing and retail distribution also specifically fit this bill.
One specific example of this is Nucor steel’s electric arc furnace mill, on the UP’s Malad branch, not within modelable distance of an actual town. Scrap arrives by rail, steel plate/coils/whatever leaves by rail.
Also check this site for the “Northeastern Nevada Regional Railport” near Elko. It’s an industrial strip surrounded by nothing, but with bulk transloading, warehousing, manufacturing and so on http://www.eceda.com/Regional-Railport.aspx . It may be too new for the OP but in driving by it I could see some cool layout ideas.
Maybe it boils down to what the OP means by “isolated” and when. Is it someplace far from everything, or just a ways from a major town but still with multi-modal transportation access. Get too far away and the likelihood of a rail line existing to serve the area drops to about nil after the Great Depression unless there’s a big mine or something.
Frank I still have the 20 mule team model unbuilt and in the box that Grandpa sent away to Borax for in around 1960.
Talk about falling behind on my kits.[(-D]
Rob, an excellent modern industry. But since it’s only a ten-minute drive from a city of 20,000, not really “isolated” in my book.
Agree – and how plausible he wishes it to be.
Brent,
Memories: Got mine as a Christmas gift from the owner of the company my Dad worked for, sometime back in the 50’s, when ‘‘Death Valley’’ was on TV. I built the ore wagons and tank water wagon, but only God knows what happened to it and the mules. I recall it being close, if not S-scale.
Believe it or not, that kit or one similar to it, is still being made. I have the info somewhere in my files. On the FSM site, that was discussed a couple months ago.
Take Care!
Byron, I did mention rail spur. A lot of possibilities, for desert Ind.
Frank
BTW: If anyone is interested, history of the 20 mule team and what Borax was used for, you will find here:
I remember my dad building the kit when I was a kid. If it’s true that it’s still available, I’d sure like info on how to get one.
All great ideas…thanks to all.
I should have said, “Generic Western USA”, approx era, 1990s to now. Small surrounding communities work at the desert industries, within maybe 30-50 miles maybe? The only industry (or industries) for the local working folk there.
Desert lifestyle etc.
I thought I would get rich, rich, rich beyond the dreams of avarice selling my still in the box copy. One look on E-Bay and I decided to put it back in the closet.[:S]
Available here:
Bad Day At Black Rock Eh?
Try to think of busines’s that typically need only one requirement- low cost land, low cost power, or limited manpower/high value products. For example, very few aluminum smelters are located close to sources of ore(bauxite), but they do need acreage and power at low cost to be profitable. Fertilizers, sand/gravel operations, stockyards, etc. do not need lots of people-just plenty of room. If you want to go with high tech industries, how about a rocket motor plant or a carbon fiber plant? Desert areas in the Pacific NW have potatoe and sugar beet processors located on rail lines, but not necessarily in or close to small towns.
Just some ideas to churn on-
Don H.
Indeed you did, my mistake.
I have a military base out in the desert on my layout. There is a ramp for circus style loading/unloading tanks and other vehicles.
