This Literally Almost Killed Me: The Tale of the Silos 

This is why every model railroader is a hoarder

Joe, I am so thankful you survived your pvc cutting adventure. I am writing back as you asked me to send an update on my first new layout in years. I am working on an Inglenook switching exercise layout. It is 22" x 8'. I wanted a way to make it easier to work on when needed so I build a frame work of 1 x 3's braced by 1 x 2's. To make it easy to work on I built a cradle for it that is 19" tall. The first attempt didn't look straight so went back to the lumber outlet and bought tose finished , painted 1 x 3's. Rebuilt the frame work. I wanted quiet trains so I could hear their DCC sounds so I bought a sheet of Homasote. I double layered it for extra strength and glued those together. Some parts of the homasote warped upwards so I got the orbital sander out and sanded them down and dusted the entire room. And , yes, I wore a dust filtration setup, eye protection and hearing protection. Thank goodness for vinyl floor planking ! I hand drew my plan from a youtube vid and transferred the lines to the homasote material . Homasote comes with lots of fuzzy surface which resists just about any marking pen or pencil. Fantastically I discovered that sanding removes the fuzz and leaves a surface smooth enough to accept pencil lead or marking pen. Two days ago I laid the cork roadbed for two 8' straight tracks. The outer one will be an imaginary mainline supposedly going off in the distance. If I can move some storage shelf units maybe I can extend the trackage into loop so the train can leave town. I am running into troubles with my design as I bought No. 6 and No. 8 turnouts. My one and only Model Train hobby shop owner here in Kingman volunteered to come by and help me think through my short sightedness. I am blessed by both you and my good friend Ben. Thanks for the push/nudge .

NEVER throw anything away. It can always be a goodie. Nice job

Very good job, Joe. I also have a box full of stuff I've found and thought "What would this be if it was 87 times larger".

I really like how you used a photo to create the weathered look of the silos. Also clever use of scraps for the roof detail.

The mystery of the two missing silos 😊 Got any dead electronics laying around? You could rip those open and scavenge them for cool bits and bobs. The safest way to cut pvc pipe is with a hacksaw.

Jesus, glad you're okay dude!

I’m glad that you weren’t hurt. It looked like those pieces would have been traveling very quickly. Note to self, don’t use the chop saw to cut thick pvc. The end result was very convincing and will look wonderful on the layout.

To cut PVC with an electrical hacksaw, or any other handheld electrical saw is indeed very hazardous. The only electrical saw which could be recommended is a band saw. However, to do that properly it is sensible to mount the pipe in a v-grooved jig to clamp the pipe. Downside is that the PVC will possibly dull the band saw blade. Hence cutting PVC is best done with either a simple hand operated hacksaw or a designated generic wood saw, that is dedicated for plastic only. Another great way to cut PVC or any other plastic pipe is the old pipe cutter. Although, 4” requires a rather large tool. Cutting wheels for plastic are readily available for all brands of pipe cutters. Main difference between cutting wheels for metal and plastic is the larger diameter of the latter and a thinner wheel at the end. Also the concave of the cutting wheels from the cutting tip to the axle is much thinner. Cheerio

For the answer to “What those pipes and such are”, take a look at Salina Vortex (valves), Baghouse (filter units), and Columbia (solos and tanks). Silos can be filled from rail or truck by a pressure pneumatic system, the product is conveyed into the building & processing equipment by a vacuum system (a glorified central vacuum like a house would have).

The cylindrical shapes on the roof over the centers of the silos are elevators of some kind while the larger piping is for material distribution similar to the roof of a grain elevator. The other piping is air, electrical conduit, and possibly water.

Great video! Excellent kit bash / scratch build. 10/10

For curved railings like you need for the silo roof I would use steel mesh from the hardware store. Here in Australia they make what is called “chicken wire” that comes in a 5mm x 5mm grid. For HO/OO scale two “runs” makes a railing about the right height with a top and middle rail. Easy to curve, keeps its shape and can be fixed in place using CA.

Great looking silos!👍👍 I also like your idea of a parts bin! Over the years, I save anything that looks like it could somehow work in a scene I'm modeling. Needless to say, my parts bin is pretty large! But, imagination goes a long way! It's quite fun to use these various bits and create something cool that will work! Your roof details came out amazing!👍👍

Crown, Cork and Seal brings memories of an old friend whose father used to threaten her and brother when they misbehaved that he would crown cork and seal them if they didn’t stop whatever they were doing. Yeah they lived in Dundalk.

That's some fancy bashing!

Your final work , very convincing !

Very inspiring! Since a long time, I have been collecting all sort of pieces , just like you! even the piece of plastic cover of some electrical plug ! I am in the process of making silos, so this is just the ideas I need ! Thank you

Plastruct makes styrene railings that bend nicely - I think the item number is HRS-4. 6" of railing in each package...

Joe, this was a very creative and effective little project. Thanks for sharing.

Great idea of using Google Earth to snag photos to use on structures!

Junk drawer finds of “ stuff saved” into our other saved containers for items that one day will be used.. roof top safety barrier might use thin round styrene rods painted red/yellow with flat styrene piece for safety fencing same coloring scheme..if you burn incense sticks I have saved that wood stick for ladder rings, fencing, gate swing, etc painted various color for project at hand; wood,metal, etc

Very nicely done. The photo veneer looks fantastic. What you did was essentially scratch building by Trashbashing. Using old parts as well as unique bits from other products is a great technique. I am doing the same for building sci-fi terrain for my wargaming figures

Great build Joe. My problem with keeping all the scraps and leftovers is space and being able to find what I need when I need it. Will have to think on how I might deal with that issue.

I vut ALL PVC the same way I cut vinyl siding. I put an old blade in my saw backwards. It always works for me. However, I like the oatmeal boxes.

I have sucessfully cut pvc with my chop saw. You need to add gentle pressure to the downward motion of the saw and take your time. Not plunge it down all at once.

Well done, Joe Parker! I can scratch build structures but when it comes to the details like this I get lost.

I have seen guys use the veil material to make fencing and guardrails if your going for cheap.

Gold Metal models makes railings

Thats some good old fashioned imagineering!! Very cool results. I'm also leery about cutting PVC tube with a table saw. The sprue's you used looked to be from Walthers propane tank kit for some of the piping. Very impressive build!!

Why you get ahold of some wire mesh with large enough spacing? or just make posts all the way around both drill a small hole through the top and run a wire through all the away around dab and wipe CA glue on either option to stiffen

Beautiful work. Did you print the veneer on photo paper?

Hi, I tried so hard to get a concrete picture like the one you did by working with a printing shop... it has never been done at the end. I'm looking for concrete to cover paper mill pulp storage tank. You got yours easily at the end.

Its not "plans" they speak about, its schemes. "The best laid schemes ..." Nice silos though!

And oh… PS- I have only used a hand saw to cut PVC pipe. When you said you used a reciprocating saw I cringed

You should have turned the blade backwards. It will cut it and not try to eat you. If nothing else you should have used a disc cut off blade.

Those of us who kitbash are hated by our wives for becoming collectors in garbage lol

Do you still live in Ma If so wherem I am in Plymouth Ma

One of two things didn't have the right blade or you forced to bleed into the PVC faster than it can cut next time use a boy that has 50 teeth or better and next time let the blade do the cutting sorry for your unfortunate mishap it's good to see that you still have your eyes...