Icing platform for those billboard reefers

[gmhtrains]

Bachmann has sold an awful lot of billboard reefers, but has anyone used the Atlas O ice house and icing platform to service these cars? If you have, did you (1) elevate the tracks to get the rooftop ice hatches closer to the icing platform, (2) shorten the numerous platform legs to reduce the platform's height, or (3) simply leave a significant distance for the blocks of ice to fall before reaching the tops of the cars?

Since option 3 is not visually pleasing nor realistic, and option 2 requires a lot of pre-assembly planing, cutting and gluing, option 1 may be the easiest to model. The subroadbed can be built up an inch or more to raise the level of the reefer rooftops close to the icing platform level. Then a brick, concrete or wooden retaining wall would be added next to the elevated trackage on the side facing the icing dock.

Gil Hulin

[railtwister]

Hi Gil,

Seems to me that an O standard gauge icing platform would be too large in all directions for an On30 layout, since the On30 cars are about the same size as S scale standard gauge reefers, or 3/4 the size of "O". Does (or did) anyone make an S scale icing platform kit that could be used instead? My original thought was to scratch-build a platform along the lines of the famous John Allen model that Fine Scale offered a kit of in HO many years ago. It always looked to me like it would be a very believable narrow gauge structure, perhaps more so than standard gauge.  It's basically a pretty simple structure that could be built from photos found in books, magazines and on the web.

Regards,
Bill

[BillD53A]

You might use dual gauge track so standard or narrow gauge cars can be iced, or standard gauge track on one side and narrow gauge on the other, and use planks to slide the ice down to the narrow gauge cars

[ebtbob]

Well to each his own....I have the Atlas O scale icing platform on my On30 reefers and really do not care that it is higher than the top of the On30 reefers.   In my goofy mind,  when time to load the ice they just put chutes down to the hatches.

[the Bach-man]

Dear All,
Today at York I met Phil Kehr of Lehigh Valley Models.  He makes several O and S Scale buildings which will be great for On30, including an ice house and platform.  I now have a great water tower which will be perfect on my layout, and tomorrow I'll pick up a gantry crane. He has coal dealers, freight houses, an engine house, and loads of detail parts that are destined for my layout as well. His O Scale coal mine and breaker are most impressive!
You may email him at
kpbrick@aol.com
You will all be glad you did!
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[mabloodhound]

Dear All,
Today at York I met Phil Kehr of Lehigh Valley Models.  He makes several O and S Scale buildings which will be great for On30, including an ice house and platform.  I now have a great water tower which will be perfect on my layout, and tomorrow I'll pick up a gantry crane. He has coal dealers, freight houses, an engine house, and loads of detail parts that are destined for my layout as well. His O Scale coal mine and breaker are most impressive!
You may email him at
kpbrick@aol.com
You will all be glad you did!
Have fun!
the Bach-man

Hi B'man

I just checked out the LVM offerings on the website http://www.trainweb.org/s-trains/lvm/lvm.html but he doesn't specify scale.   I did notice one kit was 'S' scale.   Do you know if these are also in 'O' scale?

Prices are really good.

[the Bach-man]

Dear Dave,
He has kits in both O and S Scales, but many of the S Scale kits are perfect for on30. Give him a call at (717)747-0493.
Have fun!
the Bach-man