I’ve decided that I want the factory in my layout’s industrial area to be a glass factory. They use a large amount of raw materials that would be delivered by rail. They are also relatively clean and pollute much less than power plants, steel mills or chemical plants. So I can have my factory and stay environmentally conscious at the same time. [:)]
The problem is I don’t know how they typically look, or any special considerations I would need to take into account. I’m assuming that your “generic” factory building with a few smokestacks would not be too far off the mark, but I’m just not sure. Has anyone modeled a glass factory, or know where I could find more information about it? Doing internet searches on “glass factory” have not yielded much information on how they look.
One of the Great Model Railroads or Model Railroad Planning issues had glass factory info sometime between 2000 - 2004. Try a search at the Index of Magazines, at the top of this page.
It is closed now, but near Butler yard in Milwaukee (C&NW/UP) was a glass recycling plant that got bottles in hoppers. The tracks leading to the plant were littered with tiny tiny bits of broken glass. On a sunny day the entire track just sparkled. You could model this using the stuff they put on sparkly christmas cards.
If you want to see some interesting glass factories by the way, go to Streator Illinois. There is also some good railfanning there.
Dave Nelson
I have 5 glass factories on my FM&P division of the B&O. Several of the prototype glasss factories are still standing in Morgantown WV. Most glass factories were relatively simple brick structures with a good sized chimney and dock areas for incoming shipments of sand, etc. and outgoing shipments of the final product. Some were corregated steel structures. They generally used natural gas for power as coal had too many impurities that would contaminate the glass. When the energy crisis of the 70’s hit, most of the glass factories went under. Several Walthers kits are ripe for kitbashing into glass factories.
Eric Hansmann had an article in the 2000 MRP about the glass factories of Morgantown with a number of good photos. His track plan and mine are relatively similar despite the fact we had not met when they were designed. If you have any other questions let me know. - Nevin
Andrew and Nevin,
Err-r, hey guys, Mr. Hansmann’s “Serving West Virginia’s glass industry” starts on page 48 of the 2001Model Railroad Planning issue, just in case someone’s budget is limited. Sorry.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543
Roadtrp,
Don’t know if you want to take a roadtrip, but you might want to visit Corning, NY, home of Corning and Steuben glass along the Susquehanna River, near the Finger Lakes region. Perhaps you could locate an historical society for Corning or for Steuben County on the Web. After visiting Corning you could take a wine tasting tour of the Finger Lakes for something to put in the glasses. Cheers !
Bob
NMRA Life 0543
What kind of a glass factory? Bottles, window glass, automotive glass? Basically you have a cupola furnace that remelts ths scrap and sand and additives and produces a molten stream of glass that is then either floated on liquid tin to make sheet glass or blow molded into bottles and other shapes. Most of a glass plant is taken up with piles of broken glass for raw material and a warehouse for outgoing product. All industry is environmentally rriendly today by the way.
I would like to make art glass. I found a website for Bullseye Glass which seems to be what I have in mind:
“Bullseye Glass is a manufacturer of colored glass used in the production of glass art. They offer sheet glass to be used for slumping, cane for lampworking and bead making, frit which can be used in traditional glassblowing, and a variety of other types of application materials.”
I know all industries are environmentally conscious these days, but some just clean up more easily than others. I checked a site showing measurements of various types of emissions for several types of factories, and glass was the lowest.
By the way… I would like to thank everyone for all the helpful responses I’ve received. I wondered if I would get any responses on something as “strange” as a glass factory. Looks like modeling a glass factory isn’t so strange after all!
I should imagine any factory type kit would do, for example, I took a Volmer single engine shed and installed it at my harbor named Williamson Ship Repairers. I think the authenticity comes from what is lying around outside the building.
