Modeling the O&W
A Water Tank for Mountain Spring
by Mal Houck
This is similar to an often published photo of No. 244, on the R&LHS excursion trip in March 1941 on the PJM&K Branch, taking water at Mountain Spring shows the unique style and structure that was this water tank. This tank was the only water on this end of the branch, above Main Street in Port Jervis, and with no tank at Valley Junction it was a brief respite on the stiff grade north of Oakland. The original, and more familiar photo, shows No. 244 with a smoke plume and without the two gents to the right of the pilot deck. JR Aucoin Photo- courtesy of Bob’s Photos
This preceding photo was the inspiration for the Carl Ohlson artwork on the cover of the PJM&K O&WRHS Observer Trip Guide. It was also the seed and inspiration for an interesting modeling project consuming only parts of a couple of evenings.
Having come to a realization, after many years of modeling, that we do not build “model railroads”, but rather “miniature railroads”, as was once stated by pioneer modeler, and 1950’s Model Railroader author, Bill Livingston, my version of that concept has now become to engage what I call “Modeling for effect.” Implicit in this view is that I look for those signature elements of the O&W, where I now concentrate all efforts, in an attempt to make models and their environs “look right,” and to impart the “feel” and “texture” of the O&W that once was.
As was the case with my recently reported effort to model the “Early O&W” octagonal tank from a single inspirational photograph taken at Constantia in 1896, this lead photo of 244 taking water at Mountain Spring, and the Ohlson Observer cover, provided a similar inspiration. Working with no plans or drawings, and only the artist’s eye to proportions, a model of this interesting small water tank was completed; -- to “look right.” With some digression covering the designs of more conventional O&W tanks, primarily to illustrate the differences that make the Mountain Spring tank so remarkably different from all of the other on the road, I’ll describe what I did to create this unique little miniature.
Most of the O&W water tanks in the steam era were of a “Standard’ design and construction. On both the Main Line and Branches they were 50,000 gallon capacity tanks in three principle variations. All of those “Standard” Tanks served the O&W tracks via water cranes manufactured either by the Sheffield Company or the Mansfield Wind Engine Company. None of the tanks in the “Modern Era” dispensed storage water by means of spouts located on the tank structure proper, as was a most common case on other railroads.
To constantly replenish the water stored in these tanks, some were served by reservoir ponds, as was the tank near Summit, at “Tank Pond,” about which prolific author John Taibi has written, as well as others on the upper reaches of the Scranton Division. Other tank locations had wells and pump houses, as has been published in a table in one of the “Archive Reprints” from the Society. Yet other tanks were filled from municipal supplies, as at Livingston Manor, Liberty and several locations on the more industrialized lower portions of the Scranton Division.
A study of diagrams and photographs reveal that O&W Standard Tanks had storage cisterns both with and without a taper to their construction. Where the elevation of the tank, above track level, due to a convenient lay of the land, did not require a tall support structure, those tanks were placed on circular and tapered foundations of either stone masonry or poured concrete. Water tanks of this configuration were found at Liberty, Cooks Falls, Cadosia and Merrickville, to name the more well known locations.
As a comparison, this photo shows the contrast and design differences between the Mountain Sprin tank and the larger 50,000 gallon tank erected on a poured concrete foundation. On the left is a model of the Cadosia “short” tank and on the right is the finished Mountain Spring tank. Notice also that the Cadosia tank is lacking the distinctive cupola, with that replaced only by a simple hatch for access to the tank interior. Evidently some of those tank top treatments containing cupolas were simplified in later years as a choice over repairing deteriorated cupolas.
The Merrirckville tank, just north of the Northfield Tunnel was the last tank on the O&W, and it survived until the 1980’s when it finally succumbed to the ravages of time, neglect and its abandonment. Two tanks of this style have been moved to the Tennanah Lake Country Club golf facility in Roscoe, and while reassembled on lesser foundations than what the O&W provided, they provided water storage or the needs of the golf course, at least until recently. A visit to these tanks last summer indicated that they were empty and disconnected from any feed water source and were evidently no longer being used. Now overgrown and apparently abandoned [again], I fear that they too will soon be dismantled forever. Those two tanks are reputed to have come from Cooks Falls and Liberty, as the two nearest locations where tanks of this style were situated.
Here is a photo of one of the “County Club” tanks up in Rosoce, taken in June 2004. Up close, and so low to the ground, these tanks are quite impressive for their size and details of construction. Both the roof covering and the roof center finial were simplified when this tank was re-assembled for its second life after it was discarded by the O&W.
The two other more conventional configurations of O&W water tanks found them constructed on heavy vertical timbers of a very conventional style of design. The most common of these is what has been labeled “two panel” or “two story” design. That design represents a division of the vertical underpinnings into, as suggested by the name, into two panels of diagonal cross bracing and horizontal ties consisting of heavy bolted rods.
Other tanks that needed for any of several reasons to be taller in order to provide a greater hydrostatic “head” and higher water pressure to the water crane(s), were “three story” tanks. Implicit in that description is that the vertical timbers were yet taller to justify division into the extra panel of cross bracing and bolted ties. These taller tanks were located, to name a few more well known venues, at Wisner Ave. in Middletown, Livingston Manor, Cadosia and Smyrna.
Early photographs of O&W Standard Water Tanks show them to have slate roofing shingles of the common and simple rectangular cuts. Slate was a delightful material of the roofing of railroad structures in the steam era, since it was nearly immune to damage from locomotive sparks and hot cinders. The very reason that some many abandoned O&W stations survived as long as they did was that the roofs, made of slate, stayed intact without any care or maintenance, both for decades prior to abandonment and then long after. Other tank roofing was of a sculpted Victorian style of asphalt single, that set off the unusual style of construction where the roof top access to the tank interior was through a cupola standing proud from the conical roof line. Later photographs show these conventional style of tanks covered with roll roofing material and with a simplified roof line sometimes without the cupolas, and only a hinged hatch for tank access.
What makes the Mountain Spring tank so singular and unique is its small size, the tank mounted spout and the one-of-a-kind taller than usual tapered stone base. It also appears to have a roof line of very shallow slope, and one that is segmented in six sections. Here, I was only working from the photo that appears above, and the reproduction picture that’s in the Observer Guide. While I had explored this end of the branch a couple of time in the distant past, I was never able to get my bearings well enough to search out and find any remnants of this tank.
Casting about for some suitable starting point I recalled that plastic model manufacturer, Revell (formerly of Venice, California), in its adventure into HO railroading had once offered several plastic structure kits, and then different sets of combinations of those models. One of kits made so many years ago was a small water tower, generally sold as a part of a “Trackside Structures” packaging, along with a section house, sand house, elevated crossing shanty and some other details. I recalled seeing the small water tank in a catalog being sold by Model Power, but better yet, I had one already!
The first, and prime candidate had been hastily assembled by youthful fingers, without much attention to detail or craftsmanship and it had been long ago cast aside, but somehow survived its long slumber relatively unharmed. This model had an oddly enclosed base, and an accessory Pogue, or Fairbanks Morse, water column. Unpainted and in a garish brilliant plastic, it was no beauty, but maybe the fodder for some building. The tank seemed about the right proportion and the roof appeared a “ringer” for Mountain Spring. I was even fortunate enough to have a second copy of this model, acquired long ago at a train show, and yet a third, unbuilt kit, the existence of which had escaped immediate recollection. Other than basic proportion, this small model had nothing to offer beyond a starting point. Nonetheless, it seemed that it could be made to “look right.”
I found a plastic disposable drinking cup that had a gentle taper suitable for the base, so I made an estimate of the base height, and marked it with a pen on the cup. I then filled the cup to the mark with plaster, and a clean heavy casting was the result. Due to the taper no overlay of paper or embossed siding material would seem to work well, so I scribed stone courses and joints in the plaster with a hooked scriber made for marking styrene. A bit of stain and dirty brush cleaner gave an overall gray color to the carved plaster base.
Left to right are the several modeling features describe in the text. First is the attempt to salvage the Revell tank body. I’ve wrapped it with scribed stock, but the effect and result was considerably less than desired. In the center is an early version of the plaster imitated stone base of the Mountain Spring tank. I had begun to scribe it a in a “Pennsylvania” style of dry mansonry, and was not pleased with the visual effect. On the far right is an unmodified Revell tank, as it was produced.
The Revell tank body was molded in two halves, but with joints for the cistern staves, tank bands and band clamps included. My usual method to “convert” plastic to wood is to paint first with Floquil Foundation, and then stain to suit. That only sort of worked here, and the joints of the two halves of the Revell model were more than just annoying. They were gross and distracting, to say the least. I tried then to laminate strip wood over the outside, but the tank molding itself was considerably less than round, so the minimal effort here was wasted.
Now this tank, albeit with very little time spent so far, was taking on the character of “Grandpa’s Axe.” That’s the one with two new heads and three new handles; -- but a good axe. Starting with the Revell model I was now down to having only the roof as usable fragment of the original, but then I’ve done this same sort of exercise before.
Moving on I found a scrap of 2” PVC pipe that was just a touch oversized. I turned it down on a lathe and then laminated some Micro-Mark sheathing around the outside. The remnant Revell roof cap fit this “new” tank, so the contribution from that historic kit was not completely lost.
This front view of the finished Mountain Spring tank shows the random masonry style is settled upon for a second effort at the stone base. The solitary photo I have, from the 1941 fan trip, has the base so covered with ice as to defy any real identification of its construction. The “effect”, in the model, gives the finished tank a small signature to distinguish it from other styles.
Tank bands are no more than Chart-Pak 1/16” tape. The band clamps are from JL Innovative designs, which are the same “flat” style as those used on all O&W tanks. Having used any number of old Campbell water Tank kits for both tanks and then support timbers on other models of the more Standard O&W tanks, I had an enjoyable surplus of tank spouts, and spout hardware, to use, and one of those found its way up the branch, so to speak, to Mountain Spring. The most rudimentary of pulley frame and tank hinges was fabricated from some Evergreen shapes and strips.
The Revell roof casting had its cast on and crude hatch detail shaved off, and then was covered with #800 wet or dry paper, to simulate the roll roofing applied in later years. A bit of dry brushing was needed to detail the tank with the “icicles” of calcium and water minerals that were left at leaks and joints in the tank, and some rust on the tank bands and clamps.
These last two shots of the finished model show the weathering I applied in the form of rust stains and mineral deposits. The lever and pull down handle at the very top of the tank was to actuate the internal valve to supply water to the spout. This detail is missing from the more conventional styles of O&W tank, since the water control valves were a part of the operating mechanisms for the water cranes located at trackside. The prototype photos show a ladder, for access to the roof top hatch, at the rear of this tank. Thus far omitted, that detail will be added when this model is finally placed in diorama for final staged model photographs.
So, having only used but the single part of the Revell kit, in the form of the roof top casting, what to do now with the others, since the Mountain Spring tank is a one of a kind? Ah, well, they’re just put back away for another day. The tank portions and roof tops are very similar to other free standing tanks that served some of the O&W up country creameries, at Cooks Falls and at Munnsville, for two that come to mind. A scratch built four legged base and walkway, and those creamery models can get water supply tanks too.
Mal Houck