Mockups Have Arrived!

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Fri, 2010-05-28 07:16 — rfbranch

It’s been a long time since I posted anything on my layout (since early March in fact!) so it was definitely time for an update. This post started out as a ginormous update on everything I’m doing on my layout but for the sake of your sanity and mine I’ve decided to cut it up into a few separate posts. I could feel my eyes glazing over just typing it, let alone reading it!

As I mentioned in a post on the forums recently, I’m finally at a point where slow, tentative steps into scenery can be made. A friend and experienced modeler advised that I should start from the corners and work out from there.

With that in mind I’ve started work on my first structure. I’m building an aluminum can factory which anchors the lower peninsula on my layout and is a major source of traffic on my layout. As with most of my layout’s industries only the rail loading/unloading portion of the building will be modeled as the rest of the manufacturing facility will be off layout. So let’s get started with the photos!

This is an overview of the area that the factory will occupy. The usable area is roughly 35" wide x 20" deep and will only represent the loading/unloading portion of the manufacturing facility.

The building butts up against the backdrop and one of the challenges I will face with the finished structure is how to convey the fact that this building continues beyond the backdrop in some way.

I'm open to any suggestions as this seems like a fairly common problem that modelers face and would be interested in solutions others have come up with.

The turnout on the left leads to two unloading tracks that will be inside the building. Steel and aluminum coil will be unloaded with a heavy overhead crane from within the building. The tank car sits on a chemical track with the unloading racks and tanks where my stand in chemical tank is visible.

I'm still trying to understand what chemicals are used in the rolling and stamping process so any light that could be shed on that would be appreciated.

The three boxcars are sitting on the siding closest to the building are on the can loading track. Palletized cans will be loaded into boxcars from either a covered loading dock or doors cut flush into the building.

The track on the left will be a lay up/storage track for the factory. I plan on having cars delivered to customers in larger bunches than can be readily handled by my industries so this track will be used to store cars between sessions as other cars are unloaded.

These tracks will be fairly rundown and overgrown as the business is shifting to shipping more and more of their finished products to trucks (an area that will not be represented on layout) so the tracks will be weed choked and overgrown.

My construction methods were simple. I used 3/16" foam board and was able to construct the entire mockup with a single 3' x 4' piece which cost about $3.25. I butted the ends and glued them together is regular white glue.

The board is not all that strong so I added gussets in the corners for added strength and for the inside corner I joined the two pieces as a "T" as connecting both pieces at their ends would not have provided the necessary strength.

More than anything else, I'd love to learn some techniques for bonding and strengthening inside corners on models like this. I plan on building the actual structure with modular parts and didn't see anything on the instructions on how to handle that.

All in all I was happy with my first foray structure mockups. It took one afternoon to construct, the materials are readily available and is inexpensive. The only real problem I had is with the strength of the foamboard itself. For longer pieces (anything over 24" or so) there needs to be some kind of bracing to keep the board from bending in or out. If I were using this more permanently a solution for that would be necessary but for my purposes the walls do not need to be perfectly square.

More importantly on a psychological level the addition of structures to my layout is a major milestone and definitely gave me a big lift. I still have some odds and end trackwork to sort out but I feel like I'm entering the really fun part of putting my layout together and I didn't get bogged down in the plywood prairie stage that many never get past. The blood is definitely pumping to keep moving forward!

That's all for now, for those in The States (and the UK I think - it's a bank holiday right?) enjoy the long weekend!

~rb

rfbranch's blog
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rb try this

Fri, 2010-05-28 07:46 — ratled

For your chemical in the process cars try this link http://www.opsig.org/reso/inddb/

It's from OP SIG group and is free to all. It is a data base of rail customers. It lists what they ship and receive. Not sure if there is one just like yours but you should be able to get close.

Looking good! I didn't get as detailed as you in my mock ups- but I should. The one thing I did is label everything. Just a simple sign on the computer really improves the feel of the mock up - even if you are a lone wolf. http://s90.photobucket.com/albums/k256/ratled/Klamath%20Line/?action=view&current=DSC01148.jpg. I used an Elmers glue stick to tack it on.

Keep us updated

Steve

http://klamathline.blogspot.com/

Congratulations

Fri, 2010-05-28 07:48 — tomebe

rb,

Nothing more fun then getting past the benchwork and into the structures and scenery. Its my favorite part as well. These are my suggestions for getting a building to look like its goes beyond the backdrop.

1. Don't use right angles where the building meets the backdrop. Use 45 degs. or less or more, but not 90. Run either a road at the same angle as the building and using perspective disappear the road into the backdrop.

2. Use flats behind the building. Lift them away from the backdrop with spacers. Better yet use a strip of plastic the length of the building and about 1 inch wide. Paint it black or the same room color as the factory. Use roof detail (in N scale maybe) and place it between the building roof line and the backdrop.

There are plenty of ways to gain the perspective your looking for and that is what you are looking perspective. You want to drive the building into the backdrop or you want the building to look as if its extends beyond it. Have fun and keep us informed.

Tom

Auburn, Ca.

Working with foam board

Mon, 2010-05-31 01:29 — Scarpia

A couple of tips that have worked for me in the past Once you cut the walls, and have applied glue to the joint, use masking tape on the inside of the joint as a permenant clamp. For even stronger joins, use a scrap piece of foam core, cut straight, along the length of the joint. You can use smaller pieces to "interlock" as well, like a traditional box join in carpentry. Stiffening will be better with a roof and or a floor on the structure, I have found that necessary for rigidity. Longer walls may need additional stiffening, you may want to even consider doubling up those wall sections (x2 thick) in a laminate form. Remember, foam is cheap, don't be afraid to add more in places that won't be visible.

www.garbo.org/MRR

Foam, OPSIG, Backdrops et al

Mon, 2010-05-31 16:39 — rfbranch

Hi guys-

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I've been gone for most of the long weekend and didn't think I would get much pickup on this post to be honest (it's a tad vanilla) but thanks for the insights.. Let me address your points as best I can:

One of my research tools in developing the traffic flows for my industries has been Shenware's IndMan program which basically creates a searchable database of the OPSIG files. Unfortunately my luck with the database is mixed as the there isn't a standard convention on commodity names and the level of detail on the industries varies based on what the contributor added at the time. In a few places the entry is a vague as "canning plant" which doesn't provide a lot of detail on what is going in or out of the plant. There were close to 500 entries when I searched for the commodity 'can' so i will double check tonight however I think I'm going to come up short there.
Unfortunately one of the rookie mistakes I made in this layout design was laying so much of the track tangential to the edge of the benchwork. It looks very pretty in a layout design program but in the flesh is not nearly as natural. one option I was toying with was realigning the two sidings on the front of the building but given the fact that I have two interior sidings in close proximity I think it may make that impossible. I have John Pryke's City scenery book that I may need to re-read before I try and tackle creating the proper depth of scene.
I left the roof off of this building on purpose which would give me significantly improved stability to the structure. One of the lessons learned from building mockups is that it points out obvious things that you missed. In this case I realized after building to my proposed footprint that the portion of the building that juts out hiding the chemical track area will make operations for the crew switching the plant very frustrating as the turnout would be hidden inside the building making it hard for the switch crew to have any idea if they've cleared the turnout.

Thanks for the feedback guys! It's nice to know someone out there is reading!

Best,

~rb

~Rich

The Greenpoint Dock and Transfer Company Comes to Connecticut

Double industry size...

Wed, 2011-06-08 19:47 — pipopak

with a mirror sandwiched between the building and the backdrop (left side).

_______________________

Long life to Linux The Great!

Steel and aluminum

Thu, 2011-06-09 16:01 — stogie

RB,

I can help some on the steel and aluminum coils. Typically, coils that require a finish beyond bare metal is conducted in the steel mill. This would include iridite, nickel plating, zinc plating, galvanizing, etc. For cans that will have printing on the outside, like a Coke can, I believe the coated aluminum would be formed and printed at the factory or by a vendor and shipped to the factory.

Chemicals needed at a can plant would include inks/paint for printing, adhesives for paper labels, and cleaning chemicals. Cleaning chemicals are typically degreasers, which are used prior to any printing. Adhesives would likely be used at the food processor, to keep the label clean. More thorough cleaning will take place at the end user's facility.

If the facility is using un-coated coil, plating may take place here to protect the future contents and act as a primer for printing. Some plating techniques that may be used include those mentioned above as well as anodizing. You will need ventilation for this process, as most chemicals are some type of acid to etch and/or clean the metal.

An idea for the structure, if the roof is dropping as it goes back, a few storage tanks in front of the building may help cover the abrupt joint.

Stogie

Can factory

Fri, 2011-06-10 03:02 — TTX101

RB: Nice job on the mock-up! This will be an imposing structure that looks like it will loom over the rail traffic - appropriate for a major source of loads in and out. I agree with you that the storage tanks should be relocated in some way so they are easier to switch - and also so they can be seen and appreciated. Regarding extending the plant onto the backdrop, I agree with using taller building flats, set out from the backdrop slightly. You could add piping and electrical conduits, conveyor bridges, etc. connecting the plant to the background buildings to give the impression that the plant extends for a ways back. Regarding truck traffic areas, you could add a gate, maybe between the plant and the background buildings, with a guard shack and signs such as "Truck Shipping/Receiving Enter Here," or something similar, to give the impression that major truck traffic is happening in some unseen part of the facility.

Nice work! Keep the photos coming as you make progress - I can't wait to see the finished version!

-Roger

Rog.38

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