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I bought the Walthers Blue Star Ready Mix plant to use on my modern day short line and since I am backdating to the 75-85 era (probably 80+) I was wondering if the structure too modern for that time period? <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3086">http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3086</a><!-- m --> It would be a key structure and I would hate to have it look out of place.
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It fits that time frame. I remember seeing similar ready mix structures during my High Shool years from 1979 (yes, I'm that old).
Mike Kieran
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" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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Thanks Mike. I was 7 so things are a bit foggy
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Remember a small plant in my area that looks like that and was built in the 70s. I think the color will play a huge role in setting the time frame. Many of those structures were painted in blue or green or beige: the usual industrial colors of the time. By 1985, they would have probably started to fade.
Matt
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I think it was gray but I may be basing that off of it being gray now. All I can find for a pic of it back in the day is b&w. Off to google...
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Gray was a common color, especially because of the color of ready mix.
Mike Kieran
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" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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Mike Kieran Wrote:Gray was a common color, especially because of the color of ready mix.
I guess because it wouldn't look dirty if dirty! ;-)
Matt
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Railnet Wrote:I bought the Walthers Blue Star Ready Mix plant to use on my modern day short line and since I am backdating to the 75-85 era (probably 80+) I was wondering if the structure too modern for that time period? <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3086">http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3086</a><!-- m --> It would be a key structure and I would hate to have it look out of place.
That ready mix plant is a modern type---- modern meaning mid 60s -2015..
The plant would also have a cote of gravel dust
Larry
Engineman
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true dat!!!
Mike Kieran
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" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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You might try Bing:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ready+mix+concrete+plants&qs=n&form=QBILPG&pq=ready+mix+concrete+plants&sc=8-24&sp=-1&sk=">http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=rea ... &sp=-1&sk=</a><!-- m -->
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Bing brought a lot more search results over Google. Thanks!
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I visited a concrete batching plant back in '85 during my apprenticeship and took some photos. Cant say if I still have them.
The plant at one time had been rail served but by then everything was arriving and departing by various types of trucks.
The plant back then was run by Pioneer so everything was either green or white including all the trucks, and I do remember that the stairs up to the top of the cement silo were covered in caked on cement powder. The plant is still operating today, but under a different ownership, it is on a fairly compact site between the rail lines and a major Melbourne roadway, so let me know if you would like some photos.
Also of interest in another part of Melbourne is a rail to truck cement transfer operation which I have always thought would make for an interesting modelling oportunity.
Mark
Fake It till you Make It, then Fake It some More
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Hello Mark,
Definitely interested in te photos if you can find them. I am going off of the one photo I have of the plant I am modeling being rail served and the present day look from the road so any angles you have would be a huge help to my efforts. I did dig out the kit from my stockpile this afternoon to get an idea of what is in the box and check out the footprint on the ISL.
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Hi Steve, I drove past the plant on the way to and from work today and it does look very much like the Walthers kit.
The plant doesnt appear to have been altered much if at all since I visited back in the '80's so I might try taking some phone photos tomorrow, weather dependant given Melbourne's winter weather.
Mark
Fake It till you Make It, then Fake It some More
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Hi again Steve,
The address of the plant is as follows; Hanson Concrete, 288 Hoddle St, Abbotsford VIC 3067.
Punch that into Google maps and you can see street, plan and aerial views of the plant and its rather tight location.
I made a mistake, the plant does not appear to have been rail served but with tracks right by the back fence it doesnt take much imagination to fix that problem.
Hope this will be of help.
Mark
Fake It till you Make It, then Fake It some More
