Let’s Build a Paper Mill complex for a Friend

[TLOC]

I’ve been back at the bench. Some changes to dimensions of 1/4” on the 20.5 x 7.5” shipping department segment changed the post and beam supports and also moved the forklift traffic pattern. Added a bump out office and created 1 of 2 openings to the warehouse

Changed the floor coloring covering (sort of) the former traffic pattern of the fork lifts. Still in process but you get the idea. Tire tracks to be added and the traffic pattern edges feathered out

This is what it previously looked like

The east wall of shipping has changed from the rail dock opening being part of the wall to its not. It will be a lean to type looking shed on the side of the truck docks. Partly why it had to be separated from the east wall is the concrete floor of the truck dock is 1/2” higher than the ground level tracks

Mocked up

Added a bumped out office in styrene

More tomorrow as the west and east walls of this shipping department segment have been primed and glued together and I didn’t take a picture

 

[TLOC]

I bet you thought we were done with bridges! From the West we have the Swing Bridge that had its own thread. Here is a single track bridge line that leads into the Paper Mill from the east


1st couple of pictures show it with a new color, battle ship blue gray is what one of the styrene delivery guys called it this morning. Still it’s better than the heavy dark green it was given to me i

Al light mist of Tamiya Buff

Then getting ready to dry brush some aged white, silver and sand I find some loose bridge parts. The glue is drying

Then time to clean up the bench and organize the paint cart

 

[Rico]

Wow I missed a lot here, just catching up.
Nice!

 

[TLOC]

Wow I missed a lot here, just catching up.
Nice!

Thanks for checking in Rico! You know I appreciate it. This thread will be picking up speed as I am building the Warehouse/Shipping department at 10”deep x 30” long x multiple levels. I have the Final Inspection/Wrap building framed out at 14” long and 10” high. The digester/recovery boiler complex the most complicated build in this thread I have the 5” deep x 26” base cut out, sealed and primed. Between the D/RB complex and the FI/Wrap is another 54” of false front facades at different depth and heights. It’s been mostly a fun journey but it will be a journey, mostly scratched built, quick at times, slow most of the time and times of frustration where I will walk away.

Later today I have another truss bridge to show than sometime this week 2 girder bridges and that’s it for bridges. We need crossings of the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers in Washington. So I will show them here

 

[Bruette]

1st couple of pictures show it with a new color

I like the color!

 

[TLOC]

I like the color!

Thank you Louis. I did too but the friend wants a roughly 40 year old looking bridge in well maintained condition, meaning little rust. From what he tells me and I have found researching the Great Northern RR kept the track and bridges in fairly good shape. He wants a bridge starting to develope a chalky whiteness to it, basically just before GN would have sent crews in to repaint it. 1965 though I guess was the real start of decline of the GN. I know very little or do I care about PNW railroads.

He has a GN expert as a friend who is in his late 80’s or early 90’s. That former GN lifer has been reviewing the bridges. That was a HUGE color issue with the swing bridge. My friend told me how he wanted it colored and I pretty much did it even though my research, using Ai, GN historical group and my friend’s expert friend said different. My friend finally accepted the Swing bridge as the starting to rust bridge the color ended up.

I mentioned this in the Swing Bridge thread. Doing commission work is much easier than doing work for a friend. I design and submit sketches or drawings to a commission client. Once the design is approved and the design fee is 100% paid I build it. Rarely are there changes. If there are changes though it maybe $$$ costly! Not so with a friend. But now other than payment I am handling my friend as a client. But I want these gifts to him to be what he wants, so we tussle over colors…

 

[Bruette]

This is all truly fascinating. The level of detail in these projects is mind-boggling to me. They are, or will be, museum-quality models.

I have neither the talent nor the skill for this kind of work, but I enjoy watching the process. Only seeing the finished projects, I never truly understood or appreciated the work that goes into creating these models.

Thank you once again for sharing your work.

 

[TLOC]

This is all truly fascinating. The level of detail in these projects is mind-boggling to me. They are, or will be, museum-quality models.

I have neither the talent nor the skill for this kind of work, but I enjoy watching the process. Only seeing the finished projects, I never truly understood or appreciated the work that goes into creating these models.

Thank you once again for sharing your work.

You are being overly kind and I thank you.

Scratching building is not that complicated or scary In My Opinion

My way, may not be for anyone else but it works for me

1. Research what you want to build (finding images online is a great rabbit hole)

2. Inspect (measure) the area to build in

3. Sketch out the plan

4. draw a base (I use poster board) to see if it fits the given area

5. create a mock up (again I mostly use poster board, it’s $1.25 at the local Dollar Tree+)

6. choose your materials

7. define your measurements (I prefer on graph paper, I’m 73 it’s what I am still most comfortable with)

8. build your base

9. build the frame

10. create your walls and opening

11. dry fit

12. paint doors, windows, walls (inside with black, external with your color of choice)

13. add doors and windows to the openings

14. fit together and glue

15. add details

16. add to the scene

Now I’m not naive enough to say anyone can do it (because they can) and it will look great, because it usually doesn’t the 1st few times. It takes practice. But over all there are good things that happen when you are scratch building or kit bashing. It usually will be a unique build, it fits the space instead of making the space fit the kit. If you don’t count the time spent building it, it will be less expensive. It’s another part of model railroading.

I deviated from my own rules because this paper mill is a gift for a friend and it has cost me in time and materials. I’m now treating it like any commission I would build

Thanks again

 

[TLOC]

Bridges