Building supply co work shop

This is the building supply company work shop.  It will be located to the right of the lumber shed.  The reason it is tall its there is a traveling crane inside to move materials around the shop  (it is not actually modeled since it cannot be seen).

There will be an open shed extending out from this side with machinery and materials inside.

The figure inside the door is again a modified Plasticville figure.

In this view you can see the vent fan installed and below the side window is a compressed gas container located outside of the building for safety.  Below is a photo I took years ago that was the inspiration for this gas container model.  The model was made using a cheap commercial tank and scratch built details on the top.

Above is the prototype tank taken long ago at a forgotten location.

This is the end of the year and I would like to wish all of my viewers a very Happy New Year!  My wife and I will be celebrating at home with a bottle of sparkling wine.  Tomorrow we will be going out for our traditional new years day brunch with our kids and grand kids.  I expect 2017 to be a good year with lots more modeling.  😄

Disc wheel exhaust fan model

I have constructed a vintage style disc wheel exhaust fan for the side wall of the next structure I am building.  This took a lot more time than I thought it would.  This next structure is a combination storage and work shop structure for the building supply company.

I built this starting with a ring cut from a piece of plastic tubing about 4 scale feet in diameter.  I then added cross supports for the fan hub using small wire scraps.  Lastly I made some fan blades from paper.  I made several attempts at this.  The result is OK and should look decent in the building side on the layout.

Above is a prototype of this style fan.

Above is another version of this fan in a wood frame with a steam driven motor attached.  I will have a similar frame inside my building.

I am not aware of any commercial detail part for a vent fan of this type.

Electric platform truck model

I have built a battery operated  electric platform truck with a crane for my building supply company.  It is used to move supplies around the facility and to load and unload trucks.  Units of this type were common in the 1920's and 1930's for moving all sorts of goods.  Some trucks ere specially fitted to haul bulk items.

Above is a Crescent Crane truck which is what I based my model on.  It could carry a payload of up to 4000 lbs and lift up to 1500 lbs.  It could also tow a trailer.  The battery was located under the platform.

Above is a Elwell-Parker platform truck. This one had a smaller battery located on the platform ahead of the operator.

Below are several photos of my model.

This model is made from a hodgepodge of commercial parts and wood scraps.

The boom on the crane "supposedly" moves up and down and swivels slightly from side to side.

Next I will start on the last building which will be a somewhat smaller structure located to the right of the lumber shed and it will have an open shed attached.  After that I will place all of the components on the layout and add lots of building supply details.

Meanwhile, for all of you who celebrate it -

Have a Merry Christmas!

Building Supply Co main bldg complete

I have completed the main building of the building supply company.  This is primarily a warehouse but has a small office in the lower right corner of the building.  There is a hoist in the open doorway of the upper floor to move materials up and down.  Many of the supplies will be located in the open yard area.  The end you do not see is blank as it will fit against the room wall.

I have added several figures in the open doorways.  For these interior figures I usually use cheap Plasticville figures - I have a lot of them.  I don't have much use for female figures so I often just modify them to use as male figures.  The rear figure in the upper doorway was a female figure.

There is an external stairway at the left rear for access to the upper floor by personnel.

A few days ago I spent several hours sorting through several drawers of electrical and electronic parts - many acquired from various estates I dealt with.  Some I discarded and the rest were sorted into coherent groups.  I have LOTS of "gain of wheat" style bulbs and LOTS of electric wire connecting blocks.  I will likely use very little of this stuff but I am reluctant to throw them away.

Building supply co main bldg start

This is the main building in the building supply company - it is partially completed.  I have installed a floor on the bottom to allow installation of some details that will be visible through the open freight door.  The floor is card stock.  The building is made with commercial wood clapboard siding.  The windows and office door are by Tichy.

There will be a vestige of an upper floor as will be seen through the open top floor door, and which will have a hoist installed.  Both floors will have supplies stacked inside the doors.

I received a comment on my prior post which seems to question whether or not I read the comments to my blog.  Not only do I read them, they are moderated which means I must approve them before they are posted.  I welcome comments and will only reject spam or questionable comments.  In  addition to leaving comments, you can contact me using the Gmail address at the top of the blog page.    I will be more than happy to respond to Gmail questions.

Building supply lumber shed

The first structure I have built for the building supply company is the lumber shed.  This shed will be located between two larger structures so the shed ends are not detailed.  The shed was made using wood scraps and card stock.

The floor boards on both levels are 12 scale inch wide strips of manila card folders painted.  No need to waste strip wood where it cannot be seen.  The shingles are Campbell product card stock strip.  There are various sizes of wood boards in the various shed sections.  The lower left is simulated plywood sheets.  There is a ladder on the left side to climb to the upper platform.  Chain sections are hung between the posts so they can be removed to allow the the yard loader to remove or fill the stalls.

The above photo better shows the platform and chain.  The shed is 40 scale feet wide and 10 scale feet deep at the base.

Building supply company planning

My next industry model will be a building supply company.  My modeling philosophy is to build models prototypically as best I can though I usually do not model any specific prototype.  My models are usually much smaller than a typical prototype.  One of the biggest problems I usually have is to decide what to build - that takes time.  I have a lot of different industries on my layout already so it is challenging to select something different that fits with the area where it will be located.  This building supply company will be located to the right of the soap factory and will be the last industry on this layout section before the end of layout hill.  As usual, I did a quick concept design shown below.

The size was designed to fit the available area.  I sketched the model with some brief dimensions.  This is as much of a plan as I usually make.  I have already decided to eliminate the pictured crane and will instead build a battery powered traveling lift device.  The building supplies will be designed to supply industrial buildings rather than residential buildings.  Maybe they will supply the replacement for the building under destruction.

Above is a building supply yard image, but not exactly what I will be constructing.

Since I have reached the end of the current L shaped layout extension, I am already planning an addition that will create a C shaped layout extension.

I frequently look at the blog statistics to see what viewers are interested in and how many views I get on my postings and what countries they are from.  Over the last few days I have had hundreds of "views" from Russia - I guess I have fans there.  

Building being demolished complete

The building under demolition is now complete - unless I decide to make further changes.  This has been an enjoyable project and has turned out well in my opinion.  Since I never draw any plans I never know exactly how things will turn out.  The right half of the building has been torn down and there are three workers busy working on the project.

As I frequently do, I have shingled the roof with Campbell shingles.  They provide a rough, used appearance.  I added a paper ground base around the front and right side so I could add scenery before it is placed on the layout.

The inside is mostly empty.  I may add more board scraps inside.  There is a section of stove pipe through the back wall though the stove has been removed.

There are fragments of glass (plastic) and mullions remaining in the lower window opening.  This structure will be placed on the layout in front of the soap factory, not far from the prior run down factory.  I guess it is a deteriorating area of the town.

The abandoned shack I built over a year ago has been published as an article in the December issue of the NMRA magazine that has just been shipped.  That is the second article I submitted to the NMRA magazine.  The first was my gas station.  They have one more article I wrote on a scratch built N scale business.  I guess that will be published next year some time.  They were asking for articles so I sent them some.

After I install this building on the layout I need to decide what to build next - always a challenge to come up with an idea that will fit into the layout both in size and type.

Demolition structure progress

The building under destruction is progressing and I am pleased with how it is going.  There is still much to be done but I thought I would post my progress before the Thanksgiving Holiday.  I doubt I will get much modeling done tomorrow as we have family coming over to celebrate Thanksgiving and several birthdays.

There will only be three walls as the demolition is progressing from the right end.  That also allows the interior to be seen.  There will be a lot of fallen boards and other detritus.

From the end view above you can see the stairs to the second floor and a closet door under the stairs.

Above you can see the rear of the building and more of the inside.  All walls except the far wall are built board by board for a deteriorated look.  The far wall is plain so it is commercial scribed wood.  All wood has been coated with my india ink and alcohol solution, and the outside walls are also painted with white acrylic paint using a semi dry brush method so it appears worn.  The painted wood was then again soaked in the ink/alcohol solution.

There will be a partial roof covering the same general area where the walls are still standing.

Demolition structure start

I have started on the structure under demolition.  My idea for this came from a structure I passed while riding on the bus in Maine touring the WW&F route.  Unfortunately the bus did not stop so I only have memories.  The base was made using hydrocal stone material produced by C C Crow.  I cut it into 4 foot high strips.   I installed a card stock base inside the wall to hold the detritus that fell when the structure began to be dismantled.

The wall framing is 3x6 boards.  The floor is mostly 10 inch scribed board material.  I installed some stairs against the left wall for access to the second floor.

Here is another view.  I have installed some rafters to hold the second floor of this two story building.

The high level view above shows some of the material that has fallen.  There will be a lot more!   This is the front view and there will be a deteriorated loading dock on the side.  There will be a small ground level structure on the right side.  At least half of the second floor will be broken and hanging down.

I enjoy building weathered and deteriorated buildings.  To me they have more character then new and unweathered structures.

Building under destruction

My next model will be a building that is in the process of being torn down.   I enjoy making structures that are weathered and deteriorated.  This structure will be that to the extreme.  The interesting thing about a deteriorated structure is that you see the details of the interior framework.  Various modelers have built structures of this nature.  One memorable building demolition model was built by the notable late modeler Earl Smallshaw,  but there have been many of various sizes and types by many modelers.

I have built a few damaged structures but this is intended to be more detailed and extensively damaged.

Above is a simple fire damaged structure I built years ago.

Above is a grain elevator destroyed by a storm in the early 1900's.

Above is a photo of a large building being torn down.

The structure I am working on now will be a two story building with a footprint of about 20 by 30 feet with a small single story addition.  About half of the structure will be torn down with the interior framework visible.  The structure will be located somewhat in front of the soap factory.

Soap factory completed on layout

The soap factory is now completed and installed on the layout. The scenery is mostly complete (is anything ever totally complete?).  I think I will add some more figures to the scene.  I am fairly pleased with how it turned out.

I added a scrap lumber pile under the soap sign and some scenery.

There are several pieces of soap making machinery on and near the platform and behind the coal bucket hoist - all scratch built from photos in an old soap making book.

Above is a soap frame.  The liquid soap is poured into the frame and allowed to cool and solidify.  It is then fed to the soap slobber - chipper.  There were a lot of chemicals used in soap making such as acids (steric, oleic, linoliec, etc) sodium,  potassium, alkaline solutions,  and oils and fats.  Soap factories were not all that nice to work in but in the early 1900s that is the kind of work often done.

Above is my model of the soap frame.  It is about 5 1/2 scale feet long and made mostly of wood with   wheels made from a slice of plastic sprue.  It is placed near the loading platform on the layout.

I am now starting planning on my new project.  More on that later.

Soap factory complete

I have completed the last of the structures for the soap factory.  All that remains is to finish installing it on the layout, adding scenery and final details.  This last structure is the old section of the factory and is more weathered.

The left side of this building attaches to the rest of the factory with the connection behind the tall bush.  The left large ground doorway has the industrial track entering it.  This structure is a combination of some leftover kit parts as well as scratch built parts.

It turns out that you can barely see into the top floor open door,  I added some rough details that look like boxes in case you could see in.  The photo below shows the incomplete rear of the building and shows the view block details inside.

The inside of my structures are usually not very fancy but structurally sound.

Above is an old part of a factory that I photographed years ago.  It helped me as inspiration.

Soap factory details

I have constructed an old soap factory piece of equipment to place along side of the factory as discarded equipment.  It was known as a "slab chipper".  It had knives arranged horizontally for the chipping of long soap bars, which were placed in the  cylindrical hopper at the top.  Below is the diagram of the prototype device.

And below is my model.

The model is weathered as it has been sitting outside the factory for some time.

Below are some more photos of industrial track starting with a diagram of typical arrangements.

And next is another example of how these industrial rail tracks were used.

This was a 1902 storehouse of the Reading Railway at Packerton, PA.  It had a half mile of track and 17 turn-tables.  

Above are examples of some of the types of cars used on these industrial rail tracks.  

I have been building model railroad models for over 60 years so I have a lot of experience - made lots of mistakes and learned by those mistakes.  Below is one of the first scratch built rail cars I constructed.  

I keep this car as a reminder of how far I have progressed.  It was built following an article in the 1952 issue of HO Model trains.  The couplers were removed long ago but were probably the old MDC couplers.  

Soap factory industrial railroad

I have added an industrial railroad to move products and materials from one building to another.  I also built a small push car using an Alexander Scale Models timber car on which I replaced the kit top with a platform.

You can see the push car on the track between the buildings.

Above you can see the track curving around the coal dump pit with the bucket hoist extending into the pit.  There is a railing around the pit for safety.

Above you can see the loading dock and ramp with some details on the platform.   The tank at the left  holds liquid component for the soap.

Above is a prototype example of an industrial railroad.

And here is another example with a more complicated track setup.

And here is a prototype example of a push car.

I am working on the last building in this complex as well as scenery and more details.