Walthers Cornerstone
Empire Gas Works - Cornerstone Series(R) - Kit
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Coke Retort - Overall 17 x 22 x 14" 42.5 x 55 x 35cm
Walthers Part # 933-2910, p. 409 Walthers 2010 HO Scale Reference
HO scale, $89.98, currently in stock at Walthers
This product is on-sale today for $62.98
For over a century, the gas works was a fixture of American cities and
towns. Long before natural gas and electricity were common, these
facilities generated "coal gas" to power street lamps, home appliances and
industrial machinery.
The gas was actually a byproduct, made by baking coal to produce coke.
Running night and day, a variety of fascinating machinery and structures
were needed, along with plenty of rail service and now modeling these
facilities is easy, with a brand-new collection of HO Scale Cornerstone
Series kits from Walthers.
Typical of buildings found at gas works everywhere, each has been
engineered for easy assembly and to fit almost any layout. Decal signs and
complete instructions are included too.
To bake coal at the high temperatures required to produce gas, a special
structure known as a retort was used. This consisted of several huge
vertical ovens built side-by-side. While designs varied to meet the needs
of each operation, newer plants sometimes had a large metal storage
building above the ovens. This provided space for a machinery house to
power supply conveyors, as well as huge storage bins where coal could be
delivered to each oven by gravity as needed. Between these structures, a
series of pipes collected gas and other byproducts.
With its detailed brick and steel parts, this unique structure says "heavy
industry" in any scene. The kit includes ovens, overhead building, covered
conveyor and additional details.
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