Prototype

The town that this business resides in was served by a Class 1 railroad. Sometime around 1998 the class 1 sold to a small short line operator which served this industry and a few others along the line. The main revenue industry, at the end of the line, closed around 2009 and shortly after the operator of the railroad went out of business.

I took this picture in 2013 as we drove though this town. It appears as a simple enough industry from the back and for a while thought this would make a great flat using the photo to enhance a simple structure. 

The track serving the business was approximately a 1200 ft long runaround track which still can bee seen in the photo below.

After posting to another thread and seeing others comments on that topic, I decided, this would make an interesting foreground building on a module that can be removed from the layout for easy access to distant track.

The front of the business is visually interesting, especially compared to the simple back where the freight cars were unloaded.

Eugene

Step 1: Develop a plan

Using Sketchup, I developed the following structure from my photos and Google Earth images.

The plan:

The structure wil rest on a sheet of two by three foot half inch plywood with a layer of rigid foam insulation adhered to the top of it.

The main building will be mostly made of basswood. I don't like the metal siding on the prototype so I will use clapboard siding.

All other components will be built using styrene shapes and sheet. I will be cutting the sheet (or scribing depending on the thickness of the styrene) using a Cricut cutter.

For myself, this will be a great learning experience.

Next up: developing a supply list and the individual component projects to build this model. If past experience with the SD35 battery conversion project holds, there will be a month between order time and local delivery. However, I hope to source some of the styrene shapes and sheet locally.

I should mention this will be for my O scale OSE railroad. I am hoping that larger will be easier for a beginner. However, the building and component development could be easily used in any scale.

Eugene

Large sheets of stryene

Thanks Craig

Hope I can pull this off.

There is a local sign manufacturer that does sell styrene in 4 X 8 sheets. I am not sure of the thicknesses available locally.

I am not the best circle cutter and sometimes my straight cuts aren't that great so I will try to utilize a Cricut to cut or scribe the parts.

After reviving the old wooden Atlas O kit, I kinda like the thought of using basswood.

Eugene

Looks like a nice project. It

Looks like a nice project. It has an interesting look to it. I especially like the Christmas lights strung from the top of the tower and the star on top.

Good luck and I'll be watching your progress also.

Mike S

Florida

Cutting straight lines

what you could do is if you use styrene use double side tape fix your sheet down to a board with a very straight edge at one end. Then get a t-square ruler. This way you get pretty good cuts. 

Or you could draw it on the pc and get the pieces laser cut many of these shops around.

Rail served?

Is the industry really rail served or just next to the tracks (rail adjacent).  There are no loading doors, no unloading dock, no unloading pit and all the hardware is designed for trucks.

Its a neat looking building.  What makes it rail served?

Styrene Cutting and rail served

@Mikehill_nz: Good suggestions. I have seen a trick where a razor saw is used to score the sheet. The idea is that the longer edge on the razor saw will keep the saw pressed against the ruler and not allow drift that might happen with a blade.

@Dave1905

The equipment:

Can be placed under freight cars and trucks . The auger feeds the lift and the "pan" on wheels feeds the auger.

In 2013, the railway was gone for some time, but I didn't stop to see if there was some remnants of a between the tracks unloading area and buried auger to the lift. 

But mostly, there were several newspaper articles at the time (I can't find), However, I quickly found these posts and the age of the posts corresponds with the end of the rail operator.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,1924098

http://forums.castanet.net/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=21020

Thanks

Eugene

OK, I am happy now

I went to the hardware store yesterday and bought the rigid foam insulation and a "convenience" size 2' X 4' X 1/2" piece of plywood. (Yep I paid more per square foot... But it fit in the vehicle I had) 

I cut the length to 24" X 34", I will use the 24" X 14" piece for another project in the near future. (Where there is empty space a model railroad will find a away to expand into it).

I then copied the plan to the surface. With a grin on my face, the reality of the size of the 1/48th structure is coming into focus.

Ready to pour the slab.

Eugene

To easy to change scales

1:1

1:48

Next up: Working on the components while I am on the road. 

Eugene

I Like It

This is very similar to an industry I'm currently planning, so I'm interested in seeing how you get this one to turn out.

Fertilizer Distributer

I like what you are doing, however I am confused.  It does not look like Washington, D. C.

cutting straight lines in styrene

Glue a piece of fine sandpaper to the bottom of your straightedge to keep it from moving when cutting. Also use a SERB holder (http://www.nscale.net/forums/showthread.php?24957-S-E-R-B-holder-mod-1)

Measure Once - Model Twice

Great week in Bellevue, WA. Not many railroad photos on this trip. However on the return to the airport I did take this picture.

Since the model will be prevalent on the layout, I decided to do framing and created this CAD drawing while I was away this week.

It helped point out some issues with the original CAD drawing. In addition, the framing when modeled will add to the interior and provide support of to the siding.

From this drawing I have created a list of scale lumber I will order.

Thanks for all the comments. 

Eugene