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Water Tower The Water Tower for my layout is based on the Idaho Springs Water Tower documented in Harry W. Brunk’s "Up the Cripple Creek on the Narrow Gauge". While I did have a plastic water tower model that I could have used as a base, I wanted to work more from a set of prototype photos and drawings to see what my experience with them would be. Water Tank For a 30,000 gallon water tank the container dimensions were 16’x20’. Converting this to HO scale is nominally 49 mm x 70 mm. Fortunately, it turns out that my ½ pint cans of polyurethane stain are pretty much 70 mm in a diameter (even more amazing, for N scale modelers, a standard toilet paper tube is 35 mm in diameter, and so you could use it either as a form or just glue wood on it). The container is built from 2"x6" edge glued with white glue and held in place to the stain can with rubber bands: 
The tank is built in three sections, with the final vertical boards by dry fitting around the form. After final fitting, the three curved sections were free glued together: 
The container base was built from 4"x12" edge glued (with white glue) to a nominal size of 20' square. The container was then glued on to this base: 
Container Supports For container hoops, I used 0.014" diameter black craft wire attached with CA. Spacing of the support bands increases as bands progress up the container - giving more support at the bottom of the tank where the water pressure will be higher. For hoop bands, I used supports from Grandt (catalog #5038) and attached those to the bands with CA, progressively spacing the bands a few vertical boards apart on each hoop. 
Base Supports | The Idaho Springs water tower is unique in that while it's central column support was wooden, the eight post supports are of iron. The central column was built of 6"x6" face glued into an L shape to hold pnales of 1"x4" edge glued into a sheet. |  | The container sits on 12"x12" footers that in turn are supported by the central column and iron posts. However, before applying the iron posts, I used a razor saw to cut down the base and then used a dremel tool to sand down the base to the circular shape of the tower and the any overhang of the 12"x12" footers. 
Adding the Posts The next step is to build the “iron” posts. These began life as doll house stair spindles, cut to length and then carved to match the profiles of the original. After the posts are glued to the footers, brass wire and Precision Scale turnbuckles (catalog #48234) were used to brace the posts.  The Roof and Ladder The circular roof is built by cutting aircraft plywood into 72 6 degree wedges. These wedges were overlapped to form the circular roof with white glue and CA. The roof cap is cut from copper sheathing, formed to the roof and attached with CA. The roof walk brace is constructed from 3”x3” stock and assembled with CA.  |  | | The ladder braces are 6”x6” stock cut and glued to the tank base. The ladder (catalog #8492) is then glued to these braces with CA. | | The Water Pipe Assembly  The last part for construction is to add the water part assembly. The first part is to build the water pipe itself. This pipe consists of 3/16” and 3/32” plastic tubing cut to length and assembled with plastic cement. The bend at the end consists of two angled cuts, rotating the pipe to form the bend and reassembling with plastic cement. The funnels are stiff paper truncated paper cones and pulled into shape and joined to the plastic with CA. |
 Next, build the pulleys. Starting with the large pulley wheels from Alexander Scale Models (catalog #424), drill out the axle hole and clean the pulley channel with a micro file. The pulley guide is formed by cutting copper sheeting and bending it into shape, drilling out holes for the axle to match the ones in the pulley. The last step is to cut brass wire for the axle and join to the copper sheating with CA. The pulley wheel is left loose so that it can rotate. |
 The pipe support rods are brass wire cut to length and brass rods cut to slugs and a hole for the brass wire drilled out with a rotary tool and a lot of time. The pipe support subassembly starts with various pieces of wood stock cut to size and assembled with white glue. The pipe support rods and pulleys are glued to the to the pipe support sub assembly with CA. The pipe hinge is formed from copper sheeting, axle holes drilled and attached to the water pipe with CA. Brass wire is again used for the water pipe axle and joined to the pipe support subassembly with more CA. Finally, cut chain from A-line (catalog #29219) to length, string through the pulleys and join to the weights and pipe with CA. Grandt line NBWs (catalog # 5098) are used to detail the pipe support subassembly joints. The whole subassembly is then joined to the tank with white glue. Finishing As can be seen from the next picture, there are several steps in finishing the water tank. Exposed metal pieces are tarnished by paining with Floquil’s weathered black and exposed wood has been weathered. Floquil’s Dust has been used to model the mineral salts left behind by water seeping through the tank cracks and evaporating. 
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