Vinegar company complete

The vinegar company is now complete.  The final details were the most time consuming.  The front view shows the steps and the porch.  The figure at the top of the steps was strange so I made modifications including a hat brim made from paper.  The bench on the porch is an SS ltd kit which as usual was painful to build as small as it is.

I placed a number of signs around the base of the building to add color.  On the roof to the right is a bird - not sure what kind.

Above is the truck loading dock side with various details and a bulletin board.  The smoke stack at the right was made from a plastic kit sprue.  I have a box of sprues which come in handy for various details.

Above is a view of the back of the structure showing the small raised platform and the indent in the roof above the platform with a pipe to fill the tank and a motor to operate it.

Above is a side view showing the vinegar tanks.

Once more I need to come up with an idea for the next model.

Vinegar company progress

The vinegar company model is progressing well, but there is still more work to be done.  Obviously I need to install the rest of the roof and the roof needs shingles.

Above is the front view - there will be details on the porch.

And above is the rear view.

There will be a platform under the door on the left side for truck traffic.

Still lots of details to be added.  I am finding this to be an interesting model.

Vinegar company start

My next model will be a small vinegar company.  The vinegar is made in what its called a vinegar generator which is an oak wood tank which has perforated internal sections.  My version may not be an exact duplicate of the original but it works for me.

My model is in the early stages.  Above is a front view and is incomplete.  There are currently only two walls.

The side view above shows the generator tank and the barrels that receive the resulting vinegar which then must be further processed.  There will be a roof over the barrels and more details.

Below is a diagram of a typical vinegar generator.

It has been a while since I posted but I have had a number of issues taking my time including surgery and working on cutting down a partially fallen tree in my back yard.

Cable pulling truck

I have modeled a cable pulling truck for my electric power service company.  This truck pulls cables for under ground installation.  It took me longer than expect to build this as it has lots of small parts mostly built form scraps and wood.

I modeled this from a prototype photo shown below.  The cable pulling device is located behind the seat. Behind that are sets of storage cabinets for tools and supplies.

The photo above shows the rear of the truck loaded with supplies and tools including a small cable drum.

Above is the prototype I modeled.  The large cable drums are blocking the view of the front of the truck so I just guessed what it might have looked like.  The cable pulling device is above an open man hole so I guess it was going to pull a cable through that though I have no idea how that would have worked.

Above you can see a flat car pulling a cable to be installed in the ground next to the track, similar to what the truck would do by a road.

That does it for my electric power service company, now I need to figure out what to model next.

Electric power company trouble car

The prototype of the electric power company I am modeling had what they called a trouble car which was used to respond to trouble issues to determine what needed to be done, and if simple - to do the repair.  Apparently they used Ford vehicles.  They also used trucks for more complex repair issues.

These photos have been replaced - better than before.

The basis of my car was a long out of production Snap-a-roo kit by a company called Aurora.

Above is a photo of the kit and instructions.  I made made many modifications and additions.

And here is a side view of the prototype.  The rear of the car had various compartments for tools and basic parts.

Above is a rear view of the prototype.  Since the model car is so small I found it difficult to detail the rear compartment area.  Building this took way more time than I expected.

Power pole erecting derrick

I built this model of a power pole erecting derrick to accompany my commercial electric company.  The prototype was an early device pulled by horses but my model is pulled by a truck and probably not long to remain in use.

The model is mostly wood with commercial wheels and thin wire for cables.

My model is not exact but I think captures the idea.

Above you can see the derrick lifting a pole.

Above you see the derrick next to the structure which gives an idea of size.

Next I will build a unique truck model.

Industrial electric contractor co complete

My industrial electric contractor company is now complete (except for a few additional details - hey - when is any model totally complete?).  I added a paper base that extends around the model on all sides to allow for adding details and scenery - more scenery to come.

The porch on the right is the office.  The thing that took the most time since the last posting was the shingles - always a tedious and non-fun part of any structure.  The shingles are by BEST.

The view above shows the platform with a pile of cable drums and some electric components that go on the poles.  You can also see the upper floor hoist on the right.

I added four figures, three seen here and one sitting on the porch.

Above at the right you can see a power transformer sitting on a pallet ready to be used at a customer site, and a rack of wood poles to be used for installation to hold wires.

I will be adding some more scenery and details around the base on the paper ground cover, and then i will be building a portable pole erecting derrick and some interesting specialized trucks. I am having fun with this model.