Positioning the Ice House

Richard Gude

New Member
I have built the Walthers ice house and platform. My trackage is such that I have to place it on the layout with the icehouse sitting in front of the platform. One can see it better when you walk around to the end of the layout but I was concerned about first impressions.

I was thinking about positioning the ice house all the way to one end of the platform allowing about 6" of the platform to be visible beyond the end of the opposite end of the ice house.

Am I likely to be arrested by the prototypical police by doing this? Was the ice house always in the middle of the platform?

Thanks, Richard
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
I think the ice house was generally in the middle because the icing platform would be used to ice complete cuts of cars. I think typical ice houses and platforms on S.P./U.P. PFE and Santa Fe SFRD would probably ice 25-30 cars at a time. A 100 car train would probably be iced in three-four sections. The reason for the ice house to be centered was to make delivery of ice all along the platform as close to the ice hatches as possible. That said, it your railroad. Don't worry about "prototype police," they aren't allowed here anyway. Another thing you could do is install a mirror next to the ice house and platform track. Then hide the sides and back of the mirror with scenery details of some sort. Now your Ice house and platform look twice as long, and so do the trains you ice there.
 
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