Bolt and nut company start

I have started on my bolt and nut company model.  This is another model built against the wall and will be adjacent to my metal bilge barrel company, which has a triangular footprint to accommodate the diagonal track through the wall.  For that reason the left side of the bolt and nut company has a triangular footprint to blend with the bilge barrel model.  The right side of the bolt and nut company will be parallel to the wall.  Below is the partially finished 2nd & 3rd stories of the left side of the structure.

The walls were made from parts of a Walthers modular brick wall kit.  Unfortunately when I bought this kit years ago I did not buy the additional columns kit (no longer available) to blend the walls together so I had to make my own additional columns.  The added columns are a light yellow brown as opposed to the walls and attached columns which are tan.  I also added a cap at the top using styrene strip.  The ground floor is being built using styrene block sheet.  The rest of this wall section will extend to the right at a 135 degree angle using the same wall material.

The bolt and nut industry in the United States began in the early 1800s with the bolt and nuts initially being made manually.  Initially most bolt and nut manufacturers were essentially blacksmiths.  Machines were later designed to mass produce the bolts and nuts.   Below is an example of a 1935 vintage die-threading machine for making bolts.

The right side of this industry will be an office wing using a different construction style, which I have yet to design.

Old office technology

Just as a matter of general interest, here are a few items of early 1900s office equipment.  When I was in college (a long time ago) we were prohibited from using calculators in the class room as most students could not afford one.  The one below would be a chore to carry around.

Another old piece of office equipment is this universal folding machine equipped with an electric motor.  Very clunky compared with todays electronic equipment.

Below is a vintage pneumatic tube order carrying system.  These were common in early factories.  My bank actually uses a modern version of this at their drive in teller stations.  

These are unlikely to be modeled for our model railroads but I thought they were interesting.

Bar on the other side of the tracks installed

My bar on the other side of the tracks is now installed (on the other side of the tracks from the city). It is on a small patch of land over a short tunnel that goes from the main line to an industrial area.

There is a group of drunk customers exiting the bar arm in arm, and another customer sitting on the ground behind them leaning against the building.  In the background you can see one of the streets of the city.  In the foreground is the narrow road I installed to allow customers to drive up to the bar instead of crossing the yard tracks behind the bar.

Above shows most of the road up the hill.  I built it on a rock wall face that was previously there.  You can see some of the city buildings at the top.

Here you can see the top edge of the tunnel portal and the city station (an old SS Ltd kit).

Another view of the bar.

I am in the design process for my next structure.  Not doing anything outside due to the snow and very cold weather.  I hate snow!!

HO auto to truck conversion

I had two old time cast metal autos - do not recall the manufacturer but I acquired them quite some time ago and they have been sitting in a box.  I did not build them but acquired them from an estate.  the autos are kind of funky.   I converted one of them to a vintage pickup truck using card stock and wood.

I plan to place the truck outside of the bar I just built.

Next Project
My next project is to build an old Nut & Bolt Works.  It will be a brick structure probably kit bashed using some commercial brick structure walls.  I am still working on a design.

Bar on the other side of the tracks

I have built a small (2" x 4") bar inspired by a photo that I had copied some time ago from a source I no longer recall but I believe it was a book.  The inspiration photo appears behind the model in the photo below.  The model is built from cardstock reinforced with wood strips and covered with corrugated metal siding.

I did not try to exactly duplicate the structure in the photo but rather capture the spirit.  I was able to find similar signs in my extensive collection of sign material that I acquired over many years.  The biggest chore with these is sorting through them to find what I want.  One sign I found included the Owl Bar sign I placed to the right of the door - no idea what that referred to but seemed to fit my model.

I tried a new (to me) approached to painting and weathering the corrugated metal sections.  First I sprayed both sides of the metal strip from the Campbell Products package a gray color.  When it dried I cut them into 4 x 12 sections and touched up the edges with gray Floquil paint (from my dwindling supply).  When that was dry, I set my bottle of india ink & alcohol (I & A) open on the workbench along with the small bottles of orange and of brown oxide acrylic paint in a solution of alcohol (I prepared these long ago and use them frequently in my modeling).  Using a 1/4 inch modeling paintbrush, I first coated the metal section with a puddle of the I & A, then immediately applied some of one or both of the paint solutions into the I & A.  This allowed the coloring to blend with the I & A for a varied coloring.  After it dried, if I thought more color was needed, I repeated the process.  I really like this process better than painting the corrugated metal.

This bar will be located by my upper yard with a rustic road I am building going down a cliff face to the lower level.  That road is almost complete.

Even some of these simple projects can be involved.

Weirton steel mill

For a change of pace, here are some Weirton Steel Mill photos.  Weirton is in West Virginia and closed in 2003.  I think another company took over the remaining parts.  This first photo of a slag processing plant is a vintage photo from the 1940s.

There is a nice steam switching engine on the right.

Below is a photo I took of the Weirton plant in the 1990s.

This was taken on a side trip during one of my Railroad Industry SIG meets. 

Next Project

I am working on my next project - it is a bar from the other side of the tracks.  Since it will be located across the yard tracks from my city, access to it is difficult so I am adding a small road along the cliffs at the edge of the layout.

Retread shop completed

I have completed the retread shop.  The side shed addition gives it a better look.  It is used to pull vehicles up to remove their tires for work.  The shed is made from wood with a metal sheathed roof.  The shed platform is styrene.

I added the shop doors on the front.  They are made from styrene like the rest of the building.

This view shows the shed area a little better.  I need to improve my lighting for these photos.  The details on the shed platform include a tire, a trash can, a jack, and a set of shelving at the back which I scratch built from cardstock and paper.  You can see the wires for my interior light sticking out at the back of the building.

Above is a close-up of the shelving before it was installed.  I put some drawers in the top shelf and left one hanging open with a wrench sticking out.  The stuff on the lower shelves is painted plastic sprue sections.  The blow torch on top is a cast metal commercial detail part as is the wrench on top.  The shaving is 1/2 inch high and 3/4 inch wide.  There was some cursing as I fat fingered this together.

Now on to my next project - whatever that will be.  Sometimes figuring out what to build can be difficult.

Retread shop structure complete

I have completed the retread shop building but there are exterior additions to be done such as a covered work slab on the right side.  I have named this structure Willie's Retread Shop as it seemed like a good name.  I added a few signs.

And below is the rear view.

The roof is a styrene base covered with metal capped roofing by a company called Williams - not sure if they are still in business as I bought it years ago.   The rear of the building is very plain as it will be hard to see.

Retread shop interior

Here is the interior of the retread shop I am building.  It is patterned after the Shorpy photo for which I previously provided a link.  I am still working on this, but this is essentially it.

The left half and the right half are not yet connected and the right half will be adjacent to to the floor on the left.  The tire machinery is scratch built and were each somewhat labor intensive.  The were made from cardstock, wood and plastic parts.  The tires are rubber plumbing O-rings that come in various convenient sizes.  My intent is this will be visible through the open double doors and I intend to put a ceiling light inside to help viewing.  The structure will be located close to the edge of the layout.