Warehouse delivering hoist

Due to the board by board building method I am using for this model, which includes cutting the strips, painting them unevenly to look weathered, then cutting to length and gluing to the structure - one at a time.  After the boards are installed I use a single edge razor blade to scratch in wood grain.  That is all still in progress.  Meanwhile I have installed 2nd and 3rd floor delivery doors with a hoist at the top.

Below are several vintage photos of structures with delivery hoists.

I have tried to capture the look of these hoists.  The hoists employ an I beam extending from the top of the top doorway.  Inside is an electric motor to raise and lower the hook.

Warehouse model start

This model is taking a lot of time, both due to the design process and the tedious build process.  Below is the preliminary sketch and the card stock mock-up.  This model replicates an old warehouse originally served by horse and wagon.   This will not be rail-served.

I have made some changes from these early preliminary design products.   This model is primarily being built using card stock products with wood bracing.

Below is the initial frame.

And the next photo shows the model as it is tonight.  I decided to do this post since this model is progressing so slowly.  The siding is clapboard made board by board using quality 65lb weight card stock paper bought at a craft store.  I chose brown paper so there will be no white edges when cut.  I sprayed one side of the paper with gray paint, then cut the paper into board width strips.  I then painted over the gray with white acrylic paint leaving gaps to simulate peeling paint and weathered boards.  I still need to engrave some texture into the boards to simulate wood grain and then more weathering.  Preparing all of these individual boards has been very time consuming.

As you can see there will be a loading platform on the lower right.  On the upper mid-left is an extension for a set of stairs between the second and third floor.  At the top of the extreme left will be a loading door with a hoist.  On the right second floor is an open walkway (I have not yet installed the back of that walkway).

The is of course another relief structure that will be installed against the wall to the right of my tree.

Modeling a tree against the wall

Rather than placing a continuous row of structures against the wall on the layout, I decided to have a 3-D tree separating the structures.  This tree is between the varnish factory and the warehouse I am now constructing.   Instead of painting a tree on the wall I constructed a 3-D tree.  My first step was to paint the tree background on a section of card stock.

I glued a half tree trunk and a few branches to the painted background on this section of card stock.  The painted area is just a bunch of varied green blotches using acrylic craft paints.  The tree trunk and branches are from sticks from the garden.  Even though the layout section is only two feet deep it is easier to do the initial work off the layout.

The structure to the left is the end of the varnish company warehouse.  The left base of the tree card stock was slipped behind the fence.  The warehouse I am building will cover the right edge of the tree card.  The foliage is Silflor summer Beech tree material cut into small pieces and glued to the tree background.  After the initial foliage was added I added more branches projecting outward and the added more foliage to achieve a layered effect.  It looks good to me.  I placed an outhouse near the base of the tree.

I really like the Silflor products as well as other European company scenery products.  I can recall the early days of my modeling when my scenery products consisted mostly of Lichen and dyed sawdust. I also use a lot of natural scenery items such as dirt and small twigs.  The dirt needs to be finely sifted and the color can be varied by adding appropriate amounts of colored chalk dust.  When gathering scenery elements outside it is important to ensure there are no bugs in them.

More Marion shovel photos

A friend questioned me about the authenticity of Marion shovels with the sides open.  I guess we are familiar with the pristine commercial models and the Colorado narrow gauge versions.  I dug though my "stuff" (I have a lot of stuff) and found two photos of shovels in use with open sides.

This shovel seems to be deep in it's work.  The track appears to be temporary which was not uncommon for dig sites.

This photo is a little grainy but adequate to show the open sides of a shovel in use.

Next project

My next project is going to be a wood style warehouse to be located along the wall next to the varnish company but unrelated.  I am in the process of building a card stock mockup to get the size as well as the look and feel I want.  It is inspired by a photo of an old warehouse.

Marion shovel completed

I have completed the Marion steam shovel kit, with modifications.  It was interesting to build.  I will now have to find a siding to place it on.  The left side has only partial siding so the machinery is visible.  I added a walkway board at the base of the left side to allow the crew to walk between the cab area and the back where the coal is located for feeding the boiler.  I saw this in a prototype shovel photo. I used a ladder on the side instead of the grab irons specified in the kit.

I added a whistle on the steam dome (not included in the kit) which protrudes from the roof behind the stack.   I also added two figures.  The figure in the rear is shoveling coal.

This model is fairly heavy due to all of the castings and is also fragile.

Marion steam shovel more progress

I have added a wood body framework to the shovel model.  I am not using the scribed wood siding provided with the kit as I do not like the look.  Instead I am adding a partial board by board siding using 1 x 6 stripwood, which I stain with my india ink & alcohol solution before installing the strips.

By leaving the shovel partially open the details can be more easily seen.  

Below is a drawing of a Marion shovel from a 1920 engineering book.

On a separate subject, I was talking last week with a modeling friend and he noted that he was in the process of cleaning out the congealed glue from the cap of a bottle of white glue.  I used to have this issue, but since I generally only want a small amount of glue when working on a model, I now remove the cap from the bottle and use a toothpick to get a small amount of glue that I place on a small glass slide.  I then use the toothpick to apply small amounts of glue to the model. The result is no clogging of the bottle cap and I use only the amount of glue I need.