Q: Suggest a wood or brick LONG engine house (8-9")

[mmagliaro]

I'm looking for a really nice single-stall engine house, preferably one of the better quality laser wood kit type.
I've hunted around and found some really nice ones (Branchline and RSLaser to name two),
but they are 5-1/2 to 6".  I'm looking for something that can hold a long steam loco, so I need something
more like 9" long.

Suggestions?  (It can be brick or stone, and can be plastic, as long as it doesn't look, um... "cheap")

I want to look at the options and expense before I decide to just scratchbuild something.

Thanks everyone.

[peteski]

Why not just buy two kits to extend the length?  You don't necessarily have to splice them at the end of the walls. You can cut the walls in some place which will make the resulting wall look as it it was naturally longer. Would that be called "kitbashing"?   

[mmagliaro]

Why not just buy two kits to extend the length?  You don't necessarily have to splice them at the end of the walls. You can cut the walls in some place which will make the resulting wall look as it it was naturally longer. Would that be called "kitbashing"? 

Great minds think alike.  I have been eyeing the kits and considing just what you propose.  Most engine houses are basic "barns" that could
be spliced pretty easily.  Good thought, man.   I may go that way.

I wonder why there don't seem to be more 8 to 10" engine houses.  Doesn't anybody need to put a steam engine in these things?

[SkipGear]

The Model Power looks best for the kitbash...

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/490-2564

You could always get a Walthers Roundhouse and modify it to a single straight stall.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3260

You could even use the Modulars to build it.

[peteski]

Great minds think alike.  I have been eyeing the kits and considing just what you propose.  Most engine houses are basic "barns" that could
be spliced pretty easily.  Good thought, man.   I may go that way.

I wonder why there don't seem to be more 8 to 10" engine houses.  Doesn't anybody need to put a steam engine in these things?

The Railwire
      A forum for great minds
 

But seriously,  I think that most single-stall engine houses were used for small (or even very small) locomotives. That is why I think there aren't any models any long single-stall engine houses.

[mmagliaro]

The Railwire
      A forum for great minds
 

But seriously,  I think that most single-stall engine houses were used for small (or even very small) locomotives. That is why I think there aren't any models any long single-stall engine houses.

Ha.  I was hoping you wouldn't say that.   So parking a big 4-8-4 in there would be a bit silly.   Well, it's my railroad, so just let them try and stop me!   

[mmagliaro]

The Model Power looks best for the kitbash...

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/490-2564

You could always get a Walthers Roundhouse and modify it to a single straight stall.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3260

You could even use the Modulars to build it.

Well, I'm not too keen on the looks of that Model Power kit.  But the roundhouse is a great idea.  I still have
the 6-stall from my previous layout (the old Heljan one that has gone through numerous manufacturers).
I don't have room for a big roundhouse in this plan.  But I DO have room to take 2... maybe even 3 stalls of that thing
and use that instead of the engine house idea.  Good suggestion... Thanks!

[GP38-2freak]

If you would kitbash look at this one http://www.vollmer-kit.de/de/artikel/art_7607.html  you'll need two or even three kits but for the question why there are not so many single stand kits I think the reason is that railroads, when they had long units they where served in bigger terminals than in a small village.
The Vollmer kits are really easy to build and the brick details are also really nice.
Tim

[Chris333]

2 AMB kits back to back?
http://www.laserkit.com/images/608.jpg
4.5" long.

Don't know how long this is:
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10003189

And Branchline makes a wooden one too.

Heljan makes a 2 stall brick house. 2 different kinds.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heljan-N-scale-2-stall-Brick-Engine-House-/280900756924?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item4166fd65bc
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HELJAN-CON-COR-650-2-STALL-ENGINE-HOUSE-NIB-N-SCALE-/290727729485?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item43b0b9194d

You could scratchbuild something like this, but longer:
http://www.raggstoriches.biz/OUEsidepage.html
http://www.crystalriverproducts.com/Products/Trackside/BranchlineEngineHouse.htm
http://www.thewhistlepost.com/forums/craftsmans-bench/11421-engine-house-nrlco-2.html

[TiVoPrince]

If 
this is a single preserved locomotive on your railroad it is likely to have a special 'house' built for it.  Buildings frm the glory days of steam would have been demolished or shutered as ghosts.  The original round house and facilities would likely have been seriously scaled back to support a single steamer.  Look to current operations that often use steel sheds rather than maintining classic structures. 

The Pikestuff single or double enginehouse certainly could be extended out to your desired size.  A second stall could be used for a phantom second locomotive or even used for other railroad ' historical projects'.  You might even consider the Atkinson Service Facility if your location is in a fair weather climate and want a nice chance to showcase and display your work at the same time...

[Bremner]

onother option would be instead to use a modern Pikestuff/Micro Engineering engine house if it is a single preserved locomotive. It would make more sence than a long, single stall engine house

[MichaelWinicki]

I wouldn't hesitate going the scratchbuilding route...

I wanted a corrugated metal-sided enginehouse, of which there wasn't one out there.

So I took the Walther's Enginehouse http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3204 and used that as a "base" for creating a corrugated sided enginehouse.

Here's what I came up with...



I messed up the windows and will be redoing it, but at the moment it's sitting on my layout.  But for my first scratchbuilt unit I was pretty happy with it.

It didn't take long to do.

[nkalanaga]

Or, start with your favorite kit, and assume that your railroad built that for an earlier locomotive.  Then, scratchbuild an extension, matching the size and shape, but not necessarily the materials, as a later modification.  It might not be any easier than combining two kits, but it would add some "history" to the railroad.

[SkipGear]

Not to put words in Max's mouth but I believe he is doing a steam era layout so the modernization themes won't work.

[mmagliaro]

Not to put words in Max's mouth but I believe he is doing a steam era layout so the modernization themes won't work.

Absolutely correct, Tony.  This is has to look like it is a current engine facility in the 1950s.

Actually, the roundhouse idea worked out.  I cut down my old 6-stall to a 4-stall, and it fits in the space I have.
Plus, I find I am able to slip 2 turnouts in there, giving me a 4-track fan-out into the roundhouse.
No, there is no turntable.  I don't have space for that.  And whether it is prototypical that they would use a fan-out
of turnouts to route engines into a roundhouse, I don't know.   I kind of doubt it because you couldn't turn engines.

 But I'm happy with the idea all the same.