1:160 N Scale Water Tower Model

N Scale Water Tower

Modeled after the modern composite type Water Towers. This Tower is the scale equivalent of a 1 million gallon capacity tower. It's 10-¾" tall, which would scale to about 143 feet tall. 

Important note: 

The holding tank part has its own separate print profile preset in vase mode. This saves on filament, but the main purpose here is the elimination of a print seam. It's vital to have good bed adhesion for this part, as the contact area is small. I tested this with standard PLA on Bambu's textured PEI plate and had no problems. Make sure your build plate is clean and dry. Filament/plate combos with weak bed adhesion are not recommended for this part.

Assembly:

1. 

   The Yellow Bollards (poles) that you see in the lower base, are not printed, but pieces of filament cut and pressed in. This is a far stronger option and doesn't require an AMS. The holes are sized for standard 1.75mm filament, but your fitment may vary due to differences in printers and filaments. You may need to add adhesive, shave the filament down, or drill/expand the hole.

2. Slide in the smaller entry door, and larger a garage door into the pedestal from the bottom.
3. After sliding in the doors, seat the lower base onto the pedestal by aligning the two tabs on the lower base with the slots on the bottom of the pedestal, then twist it into place.
4. Install the holding tank lid onto the holding tank, and then install the holding tank onto the pedestal to finish assembly. I'd recommend using adhesive here (both sides of the holding tank). It should stand static without adhesive, but will fall apart easily when moved.

I do have a few other N scale models with plans to make more. Any support/follows is greatly appreciated! 

UPDATE 3/23/26: 

I decided to add railing for the top of the water tower. This part can be more challenging to print because the posts are so thin. If you have issues, make sure your filament is dry and calibrated well with your machine. Avoid using filaments that are more prone to stringing. Older, less precise machines may struggle with this. I hesitated posting this part due to the higher expected failure rate, but the cost is very low (less than 1 gram), so for anyone who wants to give it a shot, you won't be wasting much if it fails. I want this to be seen as optional, so it will have its own separate print profile.