Building the Dolores water tank

Started a couple of days ago to finally build the water tank at Dolores. This is a plastic kit by PBL. Actually a DRGW design, but close enough to the RGS drawings for me. A few details will not be exactly right, but way close enough. I also bought an add-on kit from PBL that will lower and raise the water spout as well as make all the right sounds of taking on water. Neat stuff.

My task now is to put on the support bands around the tank body. I am using a photo from the real Dolores tank from 1950 to gauge the bands and brackets. 13 in all. I am off to make a template to locate the bands that will come close, I hope, to the real thing. Well close considering 72 year old eyes.

So far the kit parts are extremely well done, as are the illustrated directions. They do need a little tweaking due to material and casting, but a sharp exacts knife works well.