I’ve got two of the Cornerstone diesel fueling facility kits I plan to install on my 1950s era layout. The kit allows for a “modern” or an “early” version, and being I’m doing the '50s, I want the early version.
Well the instructions don’t make sense to me…
For the “early” version, it calls for using just rails with walkways between and on either side of them. And for the “modern” version, it says to just lay track between them and do not install the walkways.
It sounds like the instructions are backwards, and of course I’m posting the question here as I’m concerned about what is right for my time period.
I used to have one of these and I also planned oto do the ‘early’ version. I think the difference is that built the ‘modern’ way it looks to have ways to catch spills and overflow and not let it run right ont he ground, wheras in the 50’s they didn’t care too much about that
To more accurately represent the era, I believe I’ll cut the base into sections and throw away the pieces under the tracks. This would leave the “concrete” pads on either side of the tracks, with the tracks sitting on ballast. I’ll also add walkways between the rails so as to give the worker bees easier crossing.
I started out in the edible oil business in the '60s, working for Durkee Famous Foods at their Chicago and Louisville refineries. I can attest that whatever “environmental” precautions that were in place at the loading/unloading racks back then would be serious violations in today’s world.
I too am working on assembling that kit. i also cut off the two sides where the rails go, and plan to put the concrete pad between the two tracks. However, I hadn’t thought about placing the cut off pieces next to the tracks, or the walkways between the rails. Good point, I will remember that now. Thanks.
The Walthers kit comes with two sanding towers, the ‘simpler’ one for steam, and the more complex one for ‘transitional’ or diesel. If you’re running both, then both towers would work. Since I’m only running steam, I went for the earlier tower. But I’ve got the other tower boxed away in case I decide to go for 1st generation late 1940’s or early 1950’s diesels (fat chance, LOL!).
It’s a neat kit, and it’s an attention-grabber on the layout.