Icing platform question

[Lemosteam]

I can only imagine that an icing platform might be a 24h operation, but none of the facility images I have seen have lights? If it were a lighted operation, what do you suppose the lighting used down the platform would be? 

String lights on poles?

Streetlight type poles?

If I light this thing I am hoping to do so in the simplest way.

Looking for ideas. What do you think I should do?

I would use 0201 strung on poles in this version:



In this version I ripped off a pic of WS Just Plug wooden pole lights, which I would make myself as the WS are 3/$26 I could get away with three poles maybe? (I'm such a cheap basterd). Also note that these things are HUGE at over 5.5" tall! My images are scaled about 13 feet tall in N (about 1")

[thomasjmdavis]

In photos I've seen, the ice house lighting, if lit at all, was one of 3 things-
Tall stanchions in the yard, lighting the yard generally with floodlights- similar to a large parking lot in the modern day.
The ATSF facility at Winslow had a row of utility poles that was parallel to the ice house platform, with extended arms that had lights hanging on the ends, and additional lights hanging from the wires that connected each pole to the next.
The third was that many ice platforms had a shed roof over, which would have light fixtures attached .

Here's a photo that shows lights both on the shed roof and a tall stanchion with yard lights-
https://www.trains.com/ctr/photos-videos/photo-of-the-day/icing-the-reefers-at-roseville/

[JMaurer1]

I've usually seen them attached to the overhead roofs like the Roseville photo shows (in fact, that is the ice dock I have seen most often even though it is now long gone...since I live just up the road). If lights were attached as shown in your examples, the light would be blocked by the men loading the ice so it wouldn't do much good in helping them see. Lights need to be in front or above the people doing the work.

[Lemosteam]

In photos I've seen, the ice house lighting, if lit at all, was one of 3 things-
Tall stanchions in the yard, lighting the yard generally with floodlights- similar to a large parking lot in the modern day.
The ATSF facility at Winslow had a row of utility poles that was parallel to the ice house platform, with extended arms that had lights hanging on the ends, and additional lights hanging from the wires that connected each pole to the next.
The third was that many ice platforms had a shed roof over, which would have light fixtures attached .

Here's a photo that shows lights both on the shed roof and a tall stanchion with yard lights-
https://www.trains.com/ctr/photos-videos/photo-of-the-day/icing-the-reefers-at-roseville/

Aye, I should have included this from Huntingdon PA, which is the impetus for this model.  I am just kinda geeked about lighting it somehow.  Note there is no shed, nary a light on the building, even.  The extension module is purposely designed for night photos as the elevated line is electrified, think sparking GGI models and dimly lit P70's with lightning in the background.  Having this lit in front of that would add nice depth to the images.

[JMaurer1]

I'm confused...what is the 'upper' platform for (in the proto photo)? You wouldn't be dropping the ice into the reefers from it, icing is done at the same height as the reefers so you are just dragging the ice into the reefer. Lights could be attached to the top platform, but I would just run the lights in your second example but at the front of the platform instead of the back.

[wazzou]

I agree your model seems to lack the intermediate platform at the reefer's roof height, as seen in that photo.

[Lemosteam]

Huntingdon (image supplied) was a HUGE PRR icing facility, two track, one on each side (east/west maybe?).  If you look on the top deck (distribution level?) there are chutes that fold down to the lower platform and, I assume, dropped into the cars by workers moving chutes to each car.

Mine is a MUCH smaller operation, single track side, platform just above the car roof for a chute from the main level and a worker on the roofwalk to load ice (my own incarnation, not necessarily prototype) with less than half the ice storage on the main platform so in my world it becomes distribution and delivery facility (chutes are not designed yet).

As to the question, I am simply asking what lights would look better on the platform, poles or strings?  There will be a two-track dirt road delivery between the platform and the berm wall that may welcome some light too.

[Lemosteam]

I agree your model seems to lack the intermediate platform at the reefer's roof height, as seen in that photo.

@wazzou :

[Lemosteam]

Lights could be attached to the top platform, but I would just run the lights in your second example but at the front of the platform instead of the back.

Fair point! Workers have to be able to see, but then my chutes would hit the poles as they traverse down the platform.

Hmm. maybe the tall poles on the other side of the track hanging over the icing track center (WS poles are 5.5" tall) ?  Even more foreground interest!

[thbguy]

I'm confused...what is the 'upper' platform for (in the proto photo)? You wouldn't be dropping the ice into the reefers from it, icing is done at the same height as the reefers so you are just dragging the ice into the reefer. Lights could be attached to the top platform, but I would just run the lights in your second example but at the front of the platform instead of the back.

The upper platform was for brine (salt and ice solutions) and crushed ice that were delivered through chutes, versus the large ice that was dragged on the lower level. More important for meat  and frozen goods that had to get really cold.

Kind regards,
Michael Livingston

[Lemosteam]

The upper platform was for brine (salt and ice solutions) and crushed ice that were delivered through chutes, versus the large ice that was dragged on the lower level. More important for meat  and frozen goods that had to get really cold.

Kind regards,
Michael Livingston

I understand what you are saying, but WRT to the Huntingdon facility, I see no way (at least in the image) to get the Ice blocks down to the lower platform without them coming out of the building on the upper platform.

[NtheBasement]

Might be some clues about the brine delivery in this color shot of the other side? of the Huntingdon facility: https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/images/HU_Huntingdon/Huntingdon_Ice.jpg

[Lemosteam]

Thanks for that! Interesting, but zi won’t be redoing mine anytime soon! Lol.

[Chris333]

It looks like the upper level is some sort of carts on tracks, but I see no way for them to pass each other.

OK no tracks:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/fsa.8d12056/
https://www.loc.gov/item/2017842524/
https://www.loc.gov/item/2017842528/
https://picryl.com/media/icing-a-car-at-the-icing-platform-of-the-indiana-harbor-belt-railroad-b6ca8c

Lighting ideas:
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/icing-station-platform

Bulbs under the upper level:
https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/20160722.jpg

[Lemosteam]

It looks like the upper level is some sort of carts on tracks, but I see no way for them to pass each other.

OK no tracks:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/fsa.8d12056/
https://www.loc.gov/item/2017842524/
https://www.loc.gov/item/2017842528/
https://picryl.com/media/icing-a-car-at-the-icing-platform-of-the-indiana-harbor-belt-railroad-b6ca8c

Lighting ideas:
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/icing-station-platform

Bulbs under the upper level:
https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/20160722.jpg

Ok, the fourth image shows that the chute follows a rail, and that the carts were brought to the chute for dumping. Interesting. In truth, I was wondering how the huge chunks of ice got into the cars, but this makes sense now!