How about..........

Rich, what about using your current mock ups (of course making sure they are relatively square and cut neatly) and then covering them in some of the many currently available photo-realistic papers out there?

Here are some of my favorites -

http://www.cgtextures.com/

http://www.kingmill.com/shop/index.php

I'm sure there are others out there. Just a suggestion, I mean, you've seen what Dave Ramos has done....The skys the limit!

RAH

I'm leaning towards Structure models at this point

Hey Ralph-

Thanks for the thoughts and the links (those are both new for me)!  However I think at this point I'm leaning towards a 3-D model versus a flat.  The buidling will be up in the forground only a few inches from the edge of the benchwork and I'm not convinced I have the skills yet to give the building relief. 

I've seen guys like Lance Mindheim (and Dave for that matter...but they are both superior modelers to me) pull off convincing buildings using printed flats but I think I would be more comfortbale with a traditional strcuture with 4 walls at this point.

Plus, my mockup is far from sturdy enough to be the base for a finished structure.  That building would need to be rebuilt correcting for out of square corners, a few jagged cuts etc.  That mockup is not ready for primetime!

I'm not discounting your suggestions at this point but I'm still leaning towards something more traditional.

~rb

Pikestuff

Rich, what about the Pikestuff kits? If the look was right for you, they have a two stall modern enginehouse, and a distribution center that shouldn't be that bad to bash into shape.

Pikestuff

Thanks for the tip on that Scarp.  I'm going to be putting those to good use however on a different part of my layout.  also, I'm looking to make this a longer established industry so I'm leaning towards either a brick, steel sash or reinforced concrete. 

If I could make it work I'd love to use a few of the City Classic Smallman warehouse kits but I'd have to cut my own opening for track access (not too hard) but cleaning it up enough so it does look like I just arbitrarily chopped a hole in the side of the building would be a bit harder.

~rb

Design Preservation

I saw a neat building where the guy used styrene strip to replace the brick pillasters of the modular building components. Gave it an entirely new look.

Design Preservation (Seconded)

DPM modular might be the way to go. Would this piece here

Brick w/Large Open Archway
Walthers Part # 243-30107, p. 520 Walthers 2010 HO Scale Reference

fit the bill? Their modular construction seems advantages for what you want.

Thanks for both of the tips

Thanks for both of the tips guys.  "Going Modular" was my first instinct but I'd love ot try and use the stack of Walter's ones stacked up in my basement.  The problem there is they don't make a vehicle door large enough to fit my building as currently envisioned since the entryway straddles a turnout.  I was thinking I would simply enlarge an existing opening on a modular piece but I'm simply not good eough with my Xacto yet ot produce clean, even lines.

At this point I think I'm swaying back to the printed paper with 3-D effects as per Ralph's suggestion.  either way I need to take Rick's advice and stick to a project!  I'm in the middle of finishing another structure and should put that to bed first!

thanks for all of the advice guys.  I'll keep you all posted on how I proced.

~rb

Additions

A long established industry may well have been added onto more than once.  You could have a big old industrial building that has an extension made of the Pikestuff engine house--then cut away the plastic inside, so your rolling stock has a free run.  I've seen plenty of brick buildings with sheet metal extensions added on.

Building

The constraint is that you have a switch in the door, which is fairly unusual, most buildings are set up for a single track.  That makes a large area to bridge, which pretty much eliminates a straight brick building.

I would suggest using City Classics Warehouse kits, they are almost modular anyway and you can buy additional wall sections.  They are a concrete post and beam structure with brick infill.

Here is a large building I made with City Classics kits:

The other option is, as suggested earlier, a brick warehouse with a modern metal addition for the enclosed tracks.

Someone went digging into old

Someone went digging into old posts!!

I'm still mulling over what to do with this building as it's still a block of foam board.  I've now used the steel warehouse extension on two other buildings on my layout ( here and here albeit the 2nd one is an outbuilding on the main structure) so I will be approaching this in a different way...I just haven't figured it out yet!

My thinking now is with a concrete block extension but my attention is on my 3 other projects on the layout at the moment...I have a very bad habit of wandering from project to project!

Thanks for the thoughts guys and a great looking building Dave!  I may well give the City Classics building a 2nd look.

~rb