"...typically there are 2 or 3 storage tanks in a cluster (serving several pump jacks). the oil is collected .......... and taken to a pipeline hub or a refinery. most of them are out in the middle of the pasture..." This is exactly what I'm having as one of my major 'industries' on my layout. It's totally freelance, so I'm not too concerned about following prototype operation. We are in the middle of an oil producing area, and I can easily justify that back in the 40's and 50's (my modeling era) the road system was not developed enough to service all the oil production, hence the need to pick up and deliver crude by rail. Heck the road system down here is none too good today. I plan on having two tanks, a couple of small pumps for loading, and the necessary piping. I'm assuming bottom load tank cars, so I won't need a loading rack, just some coiled hose on the ground. Down here in that era no one was worried about polution either, so I'm not even sure I need to include a berm around the tanks. I'm going to include a couple of horse head pumps in the area also. By the way, down here they're called "bimbas". Regards Ed
I wrote an Article in Canadian Railroad modeler about building an Oil battery with a heater treater, Salt water tanks, stabilized oil tanks and flare stack. Facilites like this used to have rail spurs for hauling stabiliized crude oil to refineries. Gas compressors and railroads don't have any history together. Compressors are great for moving gas down a pipeline, but not much opportunity to load any rail cars!!!!! I have an operating Lufkin jack on my layout. This was scratchbuilt before Walthers came out with their's. The Walthers unit is a very good model and faithful to prototype pump jacks. I had plans to build a service rig, but never got around to doing it.. I figured it would be a great looking flatcar load.
The feild my dad worked had both gas and oil wells thus the interest in compressors. Heres an interesting idea for someones industry. The company my dad worked for had an office with an attached shop and a yard where spare equipment (pump jacks, compressors, seperators,etc.) were stored. You know, I just decided to add this myself. Hey, equipment can always be delivered by flatcar =)
Very true. Compressor buildings can be very large, and it isn;' stretching it to think that they could be moved by a flat car.
