I am trying to detail my layout diesel fueling station and I would like to view some photos of diesel fuel pumps that show the hose, nozzle, and the entire refueling stand. Can anybody help? Thanks
In this one, it's the orange one with the big white arm: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=208280&nseq=28 Sometimes a truck pulls up when you need gas out on the road: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=196815&nseq=51 Another view of the orange fuel pipe stand, in a much more complicated fueling station: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=190782&nseq=66 On this one, there is a hose attached to the blue tank on the right, suitable for small fuel depots: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=175953&nseq=109 In this one, the fuel hoses are suspended from a rail along the top, much like the ones at a car filling station (but bigger scale!) http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=174155&nseq=114 Sometimes, it'd be faster to pull up at the local ARCO! http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=165613&nseq=149 AAA to the rescue! http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=164044&nseq=156
20+ years ago that truck driver was me. We used to deliver fuel to the local Conrail yard when engines needed refueling. Dan
AAA also jumps batteries. Back in 1988, I called them to jump-start a Bradley fighting vehicle at a trade show. AAA sent two trucks, as Bradleys have a 24-volt system.
Did they just ran out of gas in the middle somewhere or they didn't have a fueling facility near by? You should frame that in your house!
Great pics, Tony. I've always wanted to see these pumps better. I'm curious, though: when did these new kinds of fuel pumps appear? I'm modeling 1960 and having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to make the pumping apparatuses of that era. It was kind of before the Internet... :tb-wink:
You are in luck! Stewart makes the correct fuel pumps: At the time, F Unit ABBA sets were normal, so you'd have a pad with four of these pumps spaced so that the fuel caps were lined up. Notice the lamp on top of the pole, which looks very 50's modern. At Portola on the WP, a freight train would pull up and stop. A switcher would them move in and tow the F units to the fueling pad, where fuel was pumped in. Sand would be added on another track, usually stub end unless there was a full roundhouse at the site, but each unit would need sand front and rear (the Ogle sanding tower is not available, I wish it was!). The engines would then be towed back and attached to the train for the new crew. This was before the days of the run-thru gas stations, and is modeled on steam service. The Ogle sanding tower was a half-way between the steam era sand drying building and the later air driven devices (which Stewart and now Walthers makes). The main change was that sand was then brought in by two bay covered hoppers, already dried, and then dumped into a conveyor under the tracks. In this pic, you can see an engine returning from being sanded: http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=129172&nseq=86 Everyone had one of these towers at the time, as they spanned the steam-diesel transition period. GEE, did I forget to say I wished SOMEONE made these towers? Perhaps a budding brass manufacturer, ripe from his success at bridges? :tb-tongue:
Here's more detail for your service yard! At the time, passenger equipment was also washed (!) at every crew change station. GASP! Clean locos??? Anyway, here is a picture of the washing station at Portola, still in use on the last day of the Zephyr: http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=179041&nseq=0 This picture also has great details on the lamps almost universally used across the country anywhere night time operations warranted. The Zephyr was not fueled at Portola by then, so the whole train was run through the washing machine. If you model the SP of the era, their engines would be washed too, but oil would be used in the washing racks instead of soapy water to keep up the corporate image.
Great photos as always, Tony, and valuable information. Now about the fuel columns by Stewart's Products: is this something one would see on a lil' ol' back-country branch line?
Let me rephrase that. 20+ years ago I did the same as the guy in the picture. spent a lot of time watching fuel go from one big tank into another big tank. Was not too bad in the summer, but a real cold experience in the dead of winter. you can't go sit in the truck while the pump is running. too many thing to go wrong real fast. The yard was a small branch line yard. Conrail used to keep 6 GP38, 40's stationed there for pusher help. The only time they got to a fuel facility was when they pulled cars out of the yard to another yard (don't know where). As they did not have a fuel facility there, they used to call us to fill the tanks
I think so, but probably only one of them. Back country areas are the third son for money, but at the time they were building diesel service from scratch. The Stewart pump looks cheap enough that it could have gotten past accounting. Concrete is also cheap, they used lots of it back in the 50s. Lights for the area would be strung on the wires so that they light up the areas between the tracks (no fancy light poles for the woods). They had lots of people, so the area would be scrupulously clean. Antique watering tower, probably needing a coat of paint. The diesel fuel tank, now that would be BRIGHT colors, new stuff!
CSX truck fuels locomotives all the time, in any location. In Toledo, Stanley Yard has a fueling facility, but not all power goes through there. A mile away in Walbridge, everything is truck fueled, either in the yard or right on the main line. A lot of it has to do with the price of fuel at the various locations CSX is in. Willard has an engine facility, but only power that is from a terminating or originating train goes to the engine facility. Any run-through power or trains are fueled by truck, usually right on the main lines.
