Ladder company progress

My work on the ladder company is progressing slowly.  I created interior detail for the ladder assembly area which is somewhat visible with the roof on due to the very large front doors.  Those doors fold in the center.

There will be more exterior details but I wanted to get something posted.

In the view above you can see the shelves with paint cans and other things.  There are two saw machines, a table saw and a band saw.  Those are commercial plastic castings by Faller with paint and detail added.  You can also see some saw horses and ladders.

Above you can see a work bench on the right and some boards against the wall.  The door at the inside back leads into the ladder storage area which will be constructed next.

Above is a view from above.  There are no details in the office area as it is not visible with the roof on.

Now I will construct the ladder storage area and various exterior details.

Ladder company start

My next model is a wood ladder company.  The structure has a wide front door opening into the ladder assembly area.  The doors have been assembled but not installed.  To the right is the office area.  At the back of the structure will be a finished ladder storage area.  This company only makes wood ladders.

As you can see the roof has not yet been installed.  The floor inside was made using an old style card stock product called Flexoline which I believe is no longer available.  It has pre-scribed sections that look like scale boards.  It was used as I recall to provide separators for early computer files.  The assembly area will be detailed with wood processing machinery such as saws, lathes, etc.

There will also be exterior details such as wood racks, a sawdust pile, and a wood scrap pile.

Truck & trailer model

I have scratch built a truck with a trailer modeled after a prototype seen in one of the photos.  The truck was made using wood pieces and card stock.  The wheels were made from shirt buttons.  This was an interesting build complicated by life events that slowed down construction.

The fenders are card stock.  The front grill was made using metal scraps.

I have not yet added any load inside the trailer.

Above is an early photo during the construction,  The seat is a vintage wood passenger car model seat.

I am next going to build some kind of small structure which is easier for me.

Hand pump company complete

My hand pump company is now complete.  I have added the office and added details to the loading dock as well as some signs.

The office building has clapboard siding and a shingled roof.

The loading dock has a pallet with three hand pumps on it,  a trash can and a worker sitting next to the stairs.  I installed some paper with grass and dirt scenery under the dock as well as several clumps of grass in a few areas - that is easier to do now rather than later.

This has been an interesting model and may have additional details added later.

Now again I need to decide what to model next.

Hand pump company more progress

I have added the roof to the assembly building and added the storage building.  The remaining part to be done is the office building.

The storage building has a metal roof and a loading dock.

While there are details inside each of the buildings above the doors just look dark.

Now I will be constructing the office building which will be attached to the other end of the assembly building.

Hand pump company progress

The hand pump company has progressed.  I have added the assembly building which is the main structure.  It is not totally complete as the roof is not on it and some other details.

The assembly building is attached to the small foundry.  Still to be added are the storage building and the office.  I have added a number of details inside the assembly building since with the large door and the windows the inside will be visible to some extent.

Above is a view of the inside of the assembly building where you can see some of the interior details.   Those details are mostly rough examples of machinery, storage shelves and materials.  I may add more along with some weathering.

While searching for detail materials I came across some metal toothpaste tube sections I saved many years ago.  Toothpaste no longer is sold in metal tubes to the best of my knowledge.

The metal is very thin and flexible and I plan to use it for construction projects.

Hand pump company model start

My next model is a hand pump company.  Hand pumps were in extensive use in the early to mid 1900's.  When I was a young boy I used to spend summers at my grandmothers cottage on an island in northern New York which had no water at the cottages but instead relied on a water hand pump at one point on the island.

Above is an example of a hand pump.

My hand pump company will have multiple connected buildings.  The first one I have built is a small metal forge for creating the metal parts of the pumps.

Above is a view of the large open door where you can see some of the components inside.

And above is a view of the inside from above - the roof is yet to be added.  At the upper part is the metal melting cupola and on the right are shelves with small metal sheets for use in the cupola.

Above is the cupola before it was installed.  On the right is an air box to feed the furnace and half way up is the charging door.  On the left by the figure is the tap hole.  I have modeled the Whiting cupola.

And above is a example of the prototype Whiting cupola.

Next I will add the roof and then start on the next building.