Modelling rural grain elevators in the midwestern US

[rogergperkins]

My layout is set in south central Illinois and is influenced by my home village of Beecher City, IL and my father's home village of Cowden, IL both of which were on the B&O branchline from Beardstown to Flora, IL and continuation to Shawneetown, IL.
These rural elevators were certainly the sentinels of many farm communities.  The one I remember from Beecher City is no longer standing.  However the proximity of the elevator to my family's general store places it firmly in my childhood memories.  I remember the beginning of the building process on a vacant site on the rail siding.

[Puddington]

Like you Roger; I think of grain elevators as an intergral part of railroading. Even here in Eastern Ontario the grain elevator was a common sight. There was one just a few km's from here in Omemee that was only taken down a just a few years ago. I had to include two on my pike as well.

[asarge]

Down here in north and middle Georgia, it's the feed mills that process the grain that dominates portions of the rural landscape. I always found the agbiz interesting especially how the grain moves.

Nice job Roger!!

[Ian MacMillan]

I hoped that others might post photos of their modeling of rural elevators in the US.
So many of those elevators are no longer around and other no longer served by rail connections.

This is disconcerting to me. 

No need to be... It's just that our core group models more modern where the rural elevator is not part of their plan.

Have some photos somewhere of the Blue Seal elevator that still stands in my current town of Ossipee, NH. But I don't have any of the one in my hometown of Epping, NH. The later was a Merrimack Farmers Exchange elevator.

[Puddington]

Whilst not in middle America, these are similar to those found in the bread basket of America....these are modeled after those found in the Canadian prairies and parts of British Columbia...

[lock4244]

Like you Roger; I think of grain elevators as an intergral part of railroading. Even here in Eastern Ontario the grain elevator was a common sight. There was one just a few km's from here in Omemee that was only taken down a just a few years ago. I had to include two on my pike as well.

Nice one just down the (CP) road from you Pud. Heck, JV Models has a laser kit of it the elevator in question.

[Bob Bufkin]

Those grain elevators were also found all over PA.  Don't have a photo of the old CV Co-OP but here's the new one served by NS on the old PRR Cumberland Valley branch near my hometown.

http://agmap.psu.edu/businesses/346

[C855B]

American Model Builders has five grain elevator kits in the "typical Midwest" style. Two of the prototypes were within a couple of hours' drive from STL:

http://www.laserkit.com/bldgn2.htm

[SAH]

Roger's post got me thinking about a model I rarely look at anymore, even though it's in plain view everytime I walk into the room.



Sorry for the poor lighting.  I just slapped it onto the layout to get enough light for a photo on it.  Bowling Green, Ohio on the Toledo & Ohio Central (NYC) line.  Back in my proto-freelance days I had a plan for it.  When my interests shifted I finished off a scene around the building, made a wood base frame and had a plastic cover made to keep the dust off.

Here's the prototype.  1978 IIRC.

[Philip H]

SAH,
I'd say that you nailed it!  I award 10  's to you for excellence in modeling; we deduct 2  "s for photowork, even though a disclaimer was added. The tree and the road will add back one  .

P.S.  My brother's initials are SAH, but so far as I know he's not a model train person.

[SAH]

Thanks Philip.  The last time I checked the exchange rates, 10  's and $25 or so will get you a state-of-the-art N scale freight car, so I guess I'm even. 

Steve

P.S. My brother's name is Philip but he certainly is not a model train person.