HO Southern Pacific 65,000 Gallon Water Tower

HO Scale Southern Pacific Railroad Common Standard 65,000 gallon steel water tower and tank. This standard design water tower was used to hold water for steam locomotives along SPs rail lines throughout the west. Similar tanks were used by other railroads such as Union Pacific. Accurately modeled from prototype drawings and photos, this detailed model comes with a detached roof and the water level indicator is temporarily attached to the base with a sprue. Both can be fitted on the tank in a variety of ways to more closely match the prototype you are modeling. Typically, the roof hatch was located at the top of the ladder, but sometimes, it was offset, and a short wood roof walk and handrail connected the top of the stairs to the hatch.

 

The ladder is a bit thicker than would have been prototypical in order to be strong enough to print. More exacting modelers could replace it with a photo-etched brass ladder to achieve a thinner appearance.

 

I also offer this model in N scale here: https://www.shapeways.com/product/9BVW54TAG/n-scale-southern-pacific-65-000-gallon-water-tower