N Scale Details For Modeling The Citrus Industry

[TheCitrusBelt]

I had a talk today with Joe Warren, owner of Showcase Miniatures. 

Showcase has some new details in N scale for modeling the citrus industry, the driving force for all of your N scale produce reefers heading east from California

Showcase now sells a set of ten smudge pots and one flood irrigation valve bunker as Item #512.  Here is a link:
http://www.showcaseminiatures.net/century-foundry1.html

Item #512 is towards the bottom of the page.

Showcase also will consider producing the shallow relief citrus packing house they now produce in HO scale.  Here is a link:
http://www.showcaseminiatures.net/ho-scale-packing-shed-description.html

This model is based on an actual packing house which is shown on the bottom of the link.  More information on this packing house appears on Jim Lancaster’s packing house website:
http://scph001.home.netcom.com/scph_la_san_fernando.html

Several of my friends (including Jim Lancaster) who model the citrus industry in HO scale have built these and are quite satisfied with the results.  I am about to build one for my layout.

Bob Chaparro
Moderator
Citrus Industry Modeling Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/citrusmodeling/

[Dave Schneider]

 How compressed is that packing house in HO?  It seems in the small side to generate that much traffic. Maybe a longer N scale version if prototypical?  Just a thought. Glad to see manufacturers respond positively.

Best wishes, Dave

[sirenwerks]

How exactly are smudge pots used?  I've heard them mentioned in reference to potato shipping.  Are they usually part of a shippers/receivers loading dock detail?  Are they serviced enroute, say at an ice house?

[Philip H]

Citrus industry smudge pots are primarily for keeping citrus warm in winter months, so the plants don't freeze.  I could see a rail served grove receiving new ones annually, and sending out old one periodically for repairs/scrapping.

[JoeD]

Bruce Petty has one of those on his layout and it can handle one car I think.  He has it grouped in with a few other flats and it looks convincing.  I like the finished product and have one ready to cut in N scale for my layout at home...but expanded it once I found an old fly by shot of the bend on Brand Ave in the 30's called the Chatsworth Spur.  I am also working on the stucco packing house on the other side of the double spur track.  Now I just need to figure out how to model that Plymouth Switcher.

[160pennsy]

I had a talk today with Joe Warren, owner of Showcase Miniatures. 

Showcase has some new details in N scale for modeling the citrus industry, the driving force for all of your N scale produce reefers heading east from California

Showcase now sells a set of ten smudge pots and one flood irrigation valve bunker as Item #512.  Here is a link:
http://www.showcaseminiatures.net/century-foundry1.html

Item #512 is towards the bottom of the page.

Showcase also will consider producing the shallow relief citrus packing house they now produce in HO scale.  Here is a link:
http://www.showcaseminiatures.net/ho-scale-packing-shed-description.html

This model is based on an actual packing house which is shown on the bottom of the link.  More information on this packing house appears on Jim Lancaster’s packing house website:
http://scph001.home.netcom.com/scph_la_san_fernando.html

Several of my friends (including Jim Lancaster) who model the citrus industry in HO scale have built these and are quite satisfied with the results.  I am about to build one for my layout.

Bob Chaparro
Moderator
Citrus Industry Modeling Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/citrusmodeling/

You can put me down for one of the Showcase packing houses if they come out in N.
I recently tried to find one of these n-scale Yesteryear Models citrus packing houses but their website seems to have vanished.



Did any forum members squirrel one away for resale later down the road? This citrus packing house complex from Sidetrack Laser is HO scale and they offer only the left side structure in N scale. Sent them an email request to duplicate the entire complex in N but they say the prospective sales do not warrant the work involved.

[bc6]

Thanks for posting your thread TCB now I know how I can use those Trainworx Sunkist trailers & a repurposed Pikestuff building that I have.

[mionerr]

Smudge pots are far from unique to the citrus industry. They were used extensively in the Napa and San Joaquin valleys when I was a young whippersnapper for grape vineyards anf fruit orchards.
I picked up a packing house kit in N scale at the convention in Sacramento a couple of years ago called CalPak by Sidetrack Laser. Guess they quit making it.
I've got an aerial photo of Lodi showing 11 packing houses and sheds in the 30's. I need plenty more. Most of the citrus packing houses seem to have a spanish flair to their architecture.

[Atlas Paul]

Smudge pots are far from unique to the citrus industry. They were used extensively in the Napa and San Joaquin valleys when I was a young whippersnapper for grape vineyards anf fruit orchards.
I picked up a packing house kit in N scale at the convention in Sacramento a couple of years ago called CalPak by Sidetrack Laser. Guess they quit making it.
I've got an aerial photo of Lodi showing 11 packing houses and sheds in the 30's. I need plenty more. Most of the citrus packing houses seem to have a spanish flair to their architecture.

Still shows on their site

http://www.sidetracklaser.com/CalPak.htm