When picturing a small North American town, there are several iconic structures which will almost universally come to mind. A white, steepled church, a railroad depot, perhaps a bandstand, and almost always, a water tower.

Constructed at a height tall enough to distribute pressurized, potable tap water, water towers are a common fixture of both rural and urban settings. Sometimes built to serve just one industry, they are most often constructed to serve entire neighborhoods or towns, and are fixtures that can easily find a place on most layouts in any era.

With a strong line of realistic structures behind them, Woodland Scenics has once again created a stunning piece of iconic American infrastructure with their new “Rustic Water Tower”. Based on a classic, cylindrical design, similar to towers seen anywhere from Maryland to Oregon or Wisconsin to Texas, the model comes ready to add to your layout fully built, without requiring any user assembly.

Details include an intricate cross braced design, with sturdy, proportionally correct girders, a ladder with two access points, maintenance platforms with appropriately scaled railings, and replica concrete bases on each of the legs. A nice addition is the included pump house; an equally rustic looking replica wood frame shack which comes unattached, allowing for custom placement by the user.

One of the neatest features of this structure is the functioning LED aircraft warning light. Connected by concealed wiring through the main water pipe, the flashing light will work natively with Woodland Scenics’ popular “Just Plug” lighting system, adding a nice hint of animation to the otherwise static scene.

Just as with all structures from Woodland Scenics’ Built and Ready range, the tower comes fully painted with appropriate weathering and wear, giving the appearance of a structure that’s been in existence for many years. Some light graffiti has also been added, completing a gritty, realistic appearance.

As mentioned above, this structure will look right at home on almost any layout, although the graffiti might lend itself best to scenes from the 1950s onwards. The piece will look great in either rural or urban locations, and is sure to provide a nice detail aspect and slice of Americana to wherever it’s placed.

This structure is ​available now in O, HO, and N scales.