Ice machinery elevated conveyor

I have been working on the next structure in the ice machinery company, as well as an elevated conveyor to move supplies into the upper floor of the building.  The conveyor has been labor intensive.  The structure is not complete as it has no roof and the lower loading dock has not been built.  The right side connects to the main building and the left side connects to an as yet unbuilt structure.

The lower section of the conveyor is on a platform to prevent the conveyor from being too steep or protruding too far from the structure.  The structure to be built to the left of the conveyor will have a platform to allow convenient loading of the conveyor.

At he base of the conveyor on the left side is a control box for operating the conveyor.  The conveyor is made from wood and styrene with styrene NBWs along it's side to "hold" the roller inside the frame in place. The structure is primarily pre-scribed wood.  The partly finished structure shows the crude interior, which will not be apparent when finished.

Below are some samples of 1920s/1930s style conveyors similar to what I am building.

This photo shows a conveyor with section plates such as I am modeling.

This photo shows an elevated conveyor being used to move hay bales.

This photo shows an elevated conveyor lifting boxes.  Because it is so steep it uses small "fingers" attached to the section plates to hold the boxes in place.  I considered adding fingers to my model and may yet do that.

There is still much work to be done in this industry so we move into 2015.

Happy New Year!!!!

Ice machinery co roof details

I have added some details to the roof of the main building.  These details include a water tower, a smoke stack, a roof access door, and some other small details.

The stack is located to try and disguise the wall corner.

I may add additional details to this roof but I do not want it to look too busy.

My next project is the last building in the complex on the left of the main building.  It will be a wood structure.  This will likely be slowed by the holidays.

Ice machinery company building two

This section of the ice machinery company extends off the right side of the previously posted main building, also against the wall.  It is smaller and has less depth.  This structure is scratch built using two different brick material sections - one embossed cardstock and one plastic.

As you can see the "tunnel" at the left of the structure has a mirror at the back so when it is installed against the wall it will appear that it goes through.  The stone block base is formed from molded styrene by the N scale architect.

There will be additional details added to this structure including signs.  For me, nothing is ever really finished.  I frequently make modifications and improvements.

I have used many mirrors on my layout, mostly small mirrors such as the one in this structure.   My largest mirror is at the entrance to the main layout room by the harbor.

Ice machinery company start

This is the central structure of the ice machinery company and the largest structure in what will be a J shaped business against a wall corner.  The black card stock sections are where other parts of the structure will be attached.  I also plan to detail the roof with components such as a small water tower.

This structure was built using two walls of an old Magnuson kit.  The back walls are plain wood pieces since they will not be visible.  I added a covered entrance on the "front" of the building and put metal security grills on the lower windows.  The grills were made using pieces of etched brass decorative fence.   Two sets of corner windows have been bricked in.  There is a hoist above the vertical string of loading doors.  On the right end I installed a vertical vent extending up from one of the bricked-in windows.   The vertical vent was made from sections of square wood strip with sections of paper between them to simulated seams.  

Here is a front view.

And here is an end view.

The structure that will extend off the right end will be a mostly plain brick structure with minimal details to fill out to the end of the short wall section.  There is a covered column in this corner of the room so the layout is installed around that - makes for annoying scenic issues.  The structure extending off the left side will be a wood structure with a loading dock and likely an elevated conveyor.

As usual, the most time consuming part of scratch building without copying any prototype (or even worse copying some manufacturers kit) is the time it takes to design something that I like and looks right to me.

There will be more details to this section I have already built as the complex progresses.

Re-icing reefer cars

Here are two photos showing equipment for re-icing refrigerator cars.   The first photo shows a truck mounted machine for crushing cake ice into snow ice, which is then forced into the refrigerator car through a hose.

The below photo shows re-icing a refrigerator car using a hose from the ground.  I don't know if the hose in this case is being powered by the machine on the truck but it is likely.  You can see the word "ventilated" on the side of the reefer.

I am almost finished constructing the main building for my ice machinery factory and will post a photo soon.

Ice making machinery

My next model will be an ice making machinery company.  Ice was an important product in the 1800's and early 1900's.  I remember as a small boy in the early 1940's seeing a horse drawn ice wagon on the street where I lived.  My friends and I would flock around the wagon in the summer to get a chip of ice to suck on.  There were still people then who had ice boxes instead of refrigerators.  My grandmothers cottage on Lake Ontario had an ice box and I would row our rented rowboat to the nearby ice house to get ice for the icebox.

Above is a side feed incline ice elevator.  The ice was drawn from a lake or pond and conveyed up the incline to be stored in the ice warehouse.  My model company will be making the machinery for this type of industry.

Above shows a portable electric ice elevator for raising and lowering manufactured ice blocks in the storage room.

Above shows a crushed ice elevator and a truck for transporting the crushed ice to customers.

The photo above shows the loading end of a refrigerated car loader.

 

Above are a crushed ice cart and a gasoline powered field ice saw.

These are photos of typical ice handling machinery made my my model company.  Because they make a wide variety of machinery the structure is a little larger than most of what I have been building.  It is also located against a wall in a corner.

Machinery repair company completed

I have completed the machinery repair company.  Next I will install it on the layout.  This company is named for a friend as I usually do.  I added a lot of details to the company yard.

I added a gas pump near the office and an oil tank by the near gate, both cast metal commercial products.  On the right side is a scratch built wood maintenance ramp with a truck on it.

There is an old tractor next to the raised oil tank and a carry tailer next to the maintenance ramp.  There are four figures in the yard - one seated on the office platform with a clipboard, one at the entrance to the shed watching the repair progress, one at the hoist, and one by the maintenance ramp carrying a pipe.

This model end will be facing the edge of the layout end.  It will be located across the track from the warehouse.

I did not bother detailing the module on the left of the above photo as it will not be visible.  This was an enjoyable project, especially since i could add lots of details.

Now I will spend some time deciding what to build next and doing some design work.  I already have some ideas.

Truck for machinery repair shed

As I am populating the machinery repair company lot, I decided I needed to put a small truck inside the repair shed for maintenance.  I looked through my built and kit trucks and did not find any that I wanted to use - especially since it will be very hard to see from the edge of the layout.  I then decided to scratch build a small truck using wood and card stock.  It was not necessary to be a great model since it is hard to see.  The result is a truck with no tires mounted on wood supports.

Yes,  I know it is crude but given the hard to see location it works for me.   When I finish the module (soon) I will include a photo showing what can be seen of the truck inside the shed.

My wife is giving me a new camera for Christmas ( I know because I picked it out - when you get to our age surprises are usually not required).  I expect that will help with my close up photos.

Machinery repair company hoist

The hoist is completed and installed.  It was more work than it might appear.  The hoist is supported on one end by the office roof and on the other end by ground supports.  A small dolly runs along the top of the hoist and the hoist hook hangs from that.

Just below the hoist in the above photo is a vehicle maintenance ramp.   Below is a close-up view of the hoist.

In response to a request, here are some more details on how I made the hoist.  It is mostly wood strips.  The "rails" on top of the hoist for the dolly are pieces of wire.  I used fine thread for the "cables" on the dolly and fine wire for the cables supporting the hook.  I usually use wire for that type of thing as thread never seems to hang properly since the hook is very light.  The hook is a metal casting  (do not recall the manufacturer).  The wheels on the dolly are small cardstock discs made using a punch with a variable size wheel.  There is no specific prototype but it is typical of hoists of that era.  I did a clinic at a recent MER convention on hoisting machinery so I have done research in this area.  The pulleys are a mix of cardstock disks and cast metal parts - whatever works.  Hope that helps.

There is at this point no detail or weathering on the yard ground.  That will be added after the major details are in place.   Since this model is built mostly of scale wood and cardstock it weighs very little.  It has also cost me nothing (new) since all materials and details are from my stock of supplies.  Over many years I accumulated a LOT of parts and building materials which now comes in handy for my scratch building.  I also have more than 100 unused figures even though there are easily 100 figures on the layout.  With all of these supplies, my main task for each project is deciding what to build.  I also have accumulated an extensive inventory of modeling tools though I mostly use a small group of preferred tools.  Every now and then I have an unusual need for an odd tool such as my crocodile action ear polypus.  Micro mark is a good source for unique tools.

Machinery repair company fenced yard

I have installed the machinery repair company structures on a cardstock base and installed a fence around the yard.  The cardstock base was spray painted on both sides to prevent warping.  The main reason for the base was to enable me to construct the entire industry on my workbench rather than trying to do it on the layout.

The fence was built using a Builders-in-Scale chain link fence kit I purchased many years ago.  Builders-in-Scale is now owned and operated by CC Crow.  The fence components include cast metal posts, wire horizontal rail, and fine netting for the chain link.

I have not yet added the details such as a hoist, machinery, etc in the yard.  This little "module" is about 5 1/2 by 11 inches.  My challenge now is to not make the yard area too crowded.

Machinery repair company storage shed

I decided to add a storage shed at the back of the machinery repair company lot for storage of parts and supplies.  This will add a structure at three corners of the lot.

This is a fairly small shed - 23 feet long, but I need to leave room for the machinery.  It is made from strip wood with a fairly strong interior framing.

I put one sign on the end which will be facing the side edge of the layout.

The roof is made from corrugated metal.

Now on to the other details.

Machinery repair company office

The machinery repair company office is basically complete.  There will be details added under the sloped roof and along the sides after it is installed on the layout.

The previously completed shed will be to the right of the office and the passageway between the two will be the entrance to the facility.  There will be a fence around the facility with a lot of machinery, parts and tools.  I expect it to be messy.  I also plan to make a small hoist probably between the shed and the office.

The fence will run from the corner of the office where the coke machine is sitting.

As with the shed, the shingles on the roof are Campbell shingles and the sloped roof is covered by corrugated metal.

Now I need to work on the machinery and details for the facility yard.

Commercial truck company electric truck

In the early 1900's various companies experimented with electric vehicles, mostly with minimal success.  This 5-ton electric truck provided service delivering freight between freight stations of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the Philadelphia area.

Trucks of this type were used by a variety of businesses.  The design of this truck seems similar to a wagon but with the horses inside.  Interesting that we still measure the power of vehicles today in horse power.

Machinery repair company shed

I have built the machinery repair company shed and partially decorated the interior.  I have more in mind for the interior but cannot complete it at this time.  The workbench was a metal commercial casting with some stupid barrels holding it up - I removed the barrels and added legs and a short back plus some more details on the top of the workbench.  I also built some shelving from cardstock and installed "stuff" on the shelves, then installed it at the inside back of the shed.  The shed was built with individual boards and the roof shingles were made using Campbells shingles (I have a good stock of that material). Those shingles are a pain to install but give a rough, rustic look.  I painted the shingles with Hickory stain then black and gray chalk dust.

This shed will be at one corner of the machinery repair lot with an office structure opposite it.  The office structure will be built next.

I am preparing a bunch of old vehicles and machinery for the lot.

I was sad to hear that one of the Car Talk brothers died.  I really enjoy that show.

Chair company installed

I have installed the chair company model with an elevated passageway on the left adjoining the warehouse.  The chair company has an arrangement with the warehouse for storage of products.  Underneath the elevated passageway is a mirror to give the impression the road underneath goes on behind the structures.

I added some scenery in front of the structures along the wall.  There is a truck with a load of wood at the chair company loading door.  At the lower left of this photo I installed a trackside loading dock for rail shipments as neither the chair company nor the warehouse have rail side loading docks.

I have decided my next project will be a machinery repair shop with an outside yard containing machinery (tractors, trucks, etc) awaiting repair or in progress of being repaired. The yard area will be fenced in and there will be a structure with probably a covered, open work area.  I have not yet done a design but I am in the process of constructing some machinery for the yard.  Doing the machinery will be a slow process but the  amount of detail should make this interesting.

Chair company model

For this model I started with a DPM Laube's Linen Mill kit and used two and a half walls of the kit.  These kits are cheap and simple, and I have several of their kits on the shelf I never used.  I named the business Benenati's for a friend.

I added a wood addition in the front.  This model will be against the wall between the warehouse and the bilge barrel company.  There will be an elevated walkway between the chair company and the warehouse after installation.  That walkway enables the chair company to store chair products in the warehouse.

The details on the roof include a chimney, a roof-top stairway to the lower level, a vent, a chair and a small pile of lumber.

The chair company has been having business difficulties due to competition from more modern chair and furniture companies, but the trucking activity is still busy - wonder what may be going on?

Once I install the structure on the layout I will post a photo with the scenery details.

Over the last few weeks I was creating a clinic for the MER convention held this last weekend, so that slowed my progress on the model.

Warehouse completed

I have completed the warehouse model, finally.  I was going to post this yesterday but had some computer problems.  I placed some boxes and stuff on the loading dock, along with two figures.  There is also a figure on the second floor walkway.

The left side has a billboard - appropriately advertising a rat destroying product.

The right side has a gap in the siding where I will be attaching a walkway to the next structure.

There is a small ladder at the end of the platform.  Formal access to the building is on the other side (not modeled since this goes against the wall).

I am now contemplating what my next model will be.

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.