Abandoned building completed.

I have completed the abandoned building and installed it on my layout.  It is against the wall to the right of the  transfer company.  This is a very small structure but I like it.  I added a small spacer section on the left so there is room between the transfer company and the abandoned building fence.

Above is a straight on view.  I have added some scenery and some junk.

Above is a view slightly from the left side.

And above is a view slightly from the right side.  Each photo shows slightly different details.

I am now in the process of constructing a small complex of buildings that will be installed to the right of the abandoned building.  They represent a very run down but operational set of buildings - kind of fitting for what seems to be a seedy section of town.  This set of structures is being based on an old photo in a book that I have.

Abandoned building start

This is the start of an abandoned building which will adjoin a very old wood factory building which is still in use.  This structure is mostly complete but there are still details to be added.  The left section front with the covered windows is a remnant from an old resin building kit.  The rest of the brick structure is SS ltd paper brick sheeting.  The smaller beige structure is made from wood and card stock, and has a commercial card stock copper style roof.

The fence on the left is from wood strips and the detritus pile is made from part of a junk casting with bricks and vegetation added.

I added a weathered paper sign on the upper left wall.

Above is a better view of the right side.  As I said, there is still work to be done on this.  I will post the finished version of this structure before I get to the larger wood structure.

With the warmer weather I am forced to spend time working in the yard, but I prefer warm weather to cold weather.

Outside metal framed boxcar 1932

This photo shows an outside metal framed boxcar without the wood panels.  The metal frame on this boxcar was being coated with rust protection.  I am guessing this car was being rebuilt or repaired and the inside wood framing has yet to be installed.  There are various parts laying on the ground around the car.

It might be interesting to have a car in this condition sitting on the layout under repair.

Next Project

My next structure project (other than the N scale structure I am building) will be a combination of a deteriorating building awaiting demolition with piles of ruble around it, and another adjoining building that is an old, deteriorated structure that is a still operating industry.  I am in the process of sketching out some ideas on what this should look like.  These buildings will be against the wall next to the transfer company.

Hardware & Machinery parts store complete

I have completed the hardware & machinery parts store and named it for my friend Jim Musser.  The structure will be added to the front street along the edge of the layout extension.  I have decided to place it between the rooming house and the diner.  That fills up the row.

The roof is covered with corrugated metal and I have added a bunch of details on the porch/loading dock.  The roof sections were spray painted gray then weathered with washes of india ink and alcohol bended with washes of my orange acrylic paint in alcohol (my rust mixture).  After the sections were glued to the roof I added touches of chalk weathering.

Some of the details on the dock include a scale, a box, a barrel, a vertical pump, an oxygen cylinder, a wheel barrow, some sacks and two figures.  There is a dog sitting on the left edge.

Above is a low angle view.  You can see the sign on the right side wall of the dock.

Now I need to decide what to build next.  Meanwhile I am building an N scale structure for an article I will send to the NMRA magazine.  My brain sees models in HO scale so it is a little bit of a challenge to build in N scale, not to mention my degraded vision.  Some years ago I had some On2 modules and built a few models for that, but it is difficult to deal with multiple scales at the same time so I sold all of the On2 stuff.

Hardware & Machinery Parts store progress

I have made significant progress on the hardware and machinery parts store.  It is similar to the prototype photo but not exactly the same.  I still have to finish the roof and there are a lot of details to be added.  I made some rudimentary details inside the structure that can be seen though the open door.   I included a Plasticville figure.  It was a woman figure which I modified to look more like a guy with a work apron on it.

I eliminated the stuff to the left of the structure in the photo.  The windows are by Tichy.

The roof is made from one inch scale thick boards and I am covering it with corrugated metal sections.  This structure will be finished by next week.

Hardware & Machine Parts Store start

My next structure will be a hardware and machine parts store, and it is based on a photo I took in 1984 in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  I have no idea what the structure was though in the photo it looks to be abandoned.  I took the photo using black & white film.  The structure has a corrugated metal roof and that is what I will model.  I am not sure what the siding of the building is but I am making it with vertical wood siding.  My structure will not be an exact replica but close.

I have started construction and the building sides are done.  The front deck/loading dock will have lots of stuff on it.

The weather this week is quite warm around here and being an optimist I have put away my snow blower for the season and set up our umbrellas on the deck in preparation for eating meals out there.

Weathered truck trailer

I have two cheap plastic truck trailers.  I heavily weathered one to use on the layout.  The trailer top snaps off of the base.  I used fine sandpaper to distress all sides and the roof of the trailer top, effectively removing all but bare traces of the lettering.  I cut a rectangle of paper, painted it silver and touched it up with brown rust paint, then glued it the the front of the top section.

I then used brown oxide acrylic craft paint to create rust spots and for rust on the fittings and edges.  I also did a little wash in some areas with paint diluted with water.  After the paint dried I selectively dabbed it with my rusty paint in alcohol solution.  When all was dry, I dusted the model with both reddish brown chalk and orange chalk.

I removed the rear wheels from the base, separated them, painted them, then glued the single set of wheels back on to the base.  The exposed parts of the base were painted rusty.

Later I will likely weather the other truck trailer, but in a different manner.  There were no cabs for these trailers, but that is not a problem when the trailers are parked adjacent to a loading dock.