If your steam-era layout is missing that authentic working depot feel, a coaling tower is one of those details that really earns its place. The Ratio 547 gives you exactly that — a well-considered model of the kind of coaling structure you'd have found serving small steam engine depots up and down the country. The Prototype The design is based on a practical workhorse of the steam age. Coal would be loaded into the elevated steel bunker and then gravity-fed down into the tender or bunker of whichever locomotive was waiting below. Simple, effective, and entirely period-correct for any steam depot scene. The structure itself combines a steel bunker mounted on a steel baseframe, which gives it a satisfyingly industrial character — functional rather than decorative, just as the real thing would have been. A Proper Lineside Presence As part of the Ratio lineside kits range — distributed by PECO — this is a kit built with the serious layout builder in mind. It's the sort of structure that doesn't demand attention but makes everything around it look more convincing. Designed to represent a steam engine depot coaling tower An imposing steel bunker on steel base construction, faithful to the prototype Gravity-feed operational design reflected in the model's form Suitable for OO and HO gauge layouts (1:76 / 1:87 scale) Part of the Ratio lineside kits range, distributed by PECO Worth pairing with other depot structures if you're building out a working engine shed scene — the coaling tower is rarely found in isolation on a well-modelled layout. Specification Detail Brand Ratio (distributed by PECO) Product Code 547 Scale OO / HO Gauge (1:76 / 1:87) Category Lineside Kits Subject Coaling Tower — small steam engine depot type Structure Type Wooden bunker on steel base
