Keep It Rusty – Scale Models » TOWER SIX AT CARTER’S CROSSING

Tower Six at Carter’s Crossing is a kit designed for any layout. Whether you model a British or American railroad, Tower Six has a home.

Colloquially known as a signal tower (or box) or switch towers, these particular buildings were formally known as “Interlocking Towers” (not to be confused with Yard Towers). Although aesthetically different from one to the next (each tower was built around the interlocking machine, which would be installed at the site first) all interlocking towers featured the same function, the purpose of the machine itself – to centralize a group of signals along a very busy stretch of main line. As a result, these small structures would often be found near a crossing or intersecting lines.

Interlocking machines themselves were ingenious inventions, originating from England. Through a series of levers an operator would align switches and signals, carried through a series of trackside pipes (a detail that is included in this kit, more below). The machines were typically large enough that the towers needed to be built as a two-story structure – with the machine on the first floor and the operator and levers on the second, surrounded by a dozen windows for the best view of the lines and routes.

For the this kit then, the brick bottom half is a single, 3D-printed piece (windows and doors included). The top half is clapboard construction topped with a bonnet roof. Prototypical laser-cut sash windows and Venetian blinds seal the deal.

All details parts pictured are included, including the coal bin, barrels, utility pole, power lines, pigeons and more. The stairs, which would often be a complex build from stripwood is a single 3D-printed piece. Our instructions detail how to paint them so they look like wood. Also included are the trackside interlocking pipes. 7-inches (50 scale feet) are included in the kit, but additional lengths of 7-inches can be purchased as required to fit your track work (see below).

Additional Pipeline Addon:
Choose the length required by calculating quantity in multiples of 7-inches (need an extra 21-inches, purchase 3 lots of pipeline). Each addon will include wire, laser cut stand-offs, and a specific 3D-printed daisy-chain junction hub (allowing for pipeline extension – two end hubs are included in the kit as standard)

Our detailed, easy-to-follow instructions guide you through every step of recreating the diorama. Although we know most of you won’t build the exact diorama, we still provide all the tips and tricks on how we modeled everything you see so you can use these methods for your own projects and/or layouts.