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This blog presents my thoughts, information and activities in my model railroading world.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Dredge company building one

Building # one of the dredge company is progressing but not complete.  By photographing this structure without the roof the interior details are somewhat visible.   I have also been busy with projects around the house including cutting down a large branch that broke off from one of my trees.  At my age that sort of work is challenging although necessary.


This structure will sit at the edge of the dock and the hoist projecting out of the front will hang over the water to lift or lower equipment to and from the dredge boats.  At the left interior front  of the building there is a work bench near the figure.


In the photo above you can see a dredge hoist leaning against the wall and a hoist mechanism in the center of the floor.


Above is a view of the structure from above showing the interior.  I plan to add more "stuff" inside to create the appearance of lots of clutter.  There will be a loading dock at the back  of the structure.


The above photo shows a similar hoist being used to load and unload rail cars.

In response to the comment/question -  The tools in the structure are a mix.  The workbench and hand tools on it are a commercial casting with a few pieces of misc parts like wire.  The center floor hoist mech was a kit leftover.  The hoist against the wall is scratch.  the dolley against the right wall is scratch.  Some of the barrels in the back are pencil erasers.  Hope that helps. 


Thursday, April 20, 2017

Dredge company model planning

My next model on the dock will be a dredge company.  It will be located at the far left of the dock with other models to be inserted between the dredge company and the fish market.  I had been thinking about doing a cannery here but decided the dredge company would be more interesting.  The dredge company does not conduct dredging,  but instead outfits and repairs dredges and dredge equipment.


I added a square stone abutment at the left end of the "water" shelf and the very early start on the main dredge company building can be seen above that stone abutment.  Below are some examples of early dredges.


The photo above shows a dredge on what looks like a barge.


The dredge above is more of a boat.


The dredge above was used on the New York State barge canal.

I will now build the dredge company buildings which will be in a "U" shape similar to the boat  outfitters.



Friday, April 14, 2017

Fish Market complete

The fish market is now complete.  I will place it on the layout when I am sure where it will go.  I named the market after my wife who insisted I needed a fish market on the dock.


I added a small ice storage shed on the right rear of the market.  They do not make ice, but merely buy, store and sell it.  The door on the ice shed is a reefer door casting.


The side view shows a worker moving an ice block from the storage shed using a dolly.  There is a vent on the top of the ice shed.


This view of the rear of the building shows some trash cans with a dog helping himself to the fish trash.  I placed a small section of plain paper under the rear area so I could add some detail in the back before it is placed on the layout.

Once I place the market on the layout I will add some customers standing on the dock at the front windows.  There may be some more details added.  Is any model ever really done??



Thursday, April 6, 2017

Fish Market model start

At the request of my wife, my next model will be a fish market on the dock.   I have constructed the basic building and installed interior details.  The details will be somewhat visible through the front open windows and the fact the structure will be located at the edge of the layout.  This market will sell   fish, fish bait and ice.


Above you see the front area facing the dock and the right side.  There will be a small building at the back of the right side which will be the ice storage.


Above is a high level view showing part of the interior.  The table in the center is used for cutting and preparing the fish and has several plies of fish on it.  I made the fish piles from white putty which I textured and painted.  There are four figures working inside of the market.


Above is a railcar shipment of a very large fish.  It is a humous postcard from the early 1900's.

When I was a young boy my family (my mother, brother and I as my father was mostly deployed in the Navy) would spend several weeks each summer at my grandmothers cottage located on a sort of island on Lake Ontario, with a tenuous connection to the main land creating a river on the inside of the island.  The only way to the island was by boat and our cottage only had an icebox- no refrigerator.  Thus we had to get ice every few days.  We would row to the nearby dock area where they rented boats, sold fish and ice.  Sadly I have no photos of that, only memories.  Thus my fish market sells ice along with the fish.

Next I need to add a roof, signs and the ice shed at the rear.