Freelance 2011

[faraway]

Work continues with preparations for the industry in the south east corner. Various Cornerstone brick building kits will be used as a base for kit bashing. The next local shop (RD Hobby, about 100 miles away) will be visited on Tuesday.


A simple method is used to make incremental updates easy. The wooden base is covered with a layer of cork. A layer of thin blue foam is glued with simple white wood glue on larger areas like places, streets etc. (Tracks are mounted on the cork). That white glue does not really bond well with the blue foam. That makes it easy to remove large patches of scenery. You can see areas that have no foam coverage. I will have to remove the scenery at that spots with water and lots of hard work tomorrow... need a vacuum to get rid of the resulting slurry.


ps. I am very happy with the new created small yard. It is an excellent origin and destination of the local jobs.

[faraway]

First building is in process. It is based on a lightly modified front of the Cornerstone background building "Commissary/Freight transfer building".

[jonte]

First building is in process. It is based on a lightly modified front of the Cornerstone background building "Commissary/Freight transfer building".

Wow, that's classy Reinhard...........is it styrene? Muted colours too.....fantastic......eagerly awaiting further developments.

Best wishes,

Jonte

[faraway]

Another building in the south east corner. The front is based on two rear walls of the Cornerstone "American hardware supply" kit.

[jonte]

Ditto, Reinhard............

Although of low relief (flats?), your buildings still have some substance about them. Excellent judgement.

Jonte

[faraway]

Jonte, thank you. The Cornerstone kits are good base for kit bashing and I will end up with a lot of "spare" material to be used in scratch build structures. However some Cornerstone kits have very prominent features that make it impossible to use at least that parts on my layout. e.g. http://www.walthers.com/prodimage/0933/0...003097.gif I can use the main walls but the corners/towers are to specific to be used on my layout but I will harvest the windows . I did use the rear wall (not shown on the picture) for the todays model.

[dave_long]

Some interesting additions to the building, they look very good. Great to see someone changing what they have rather than ripping everything up and starting over.
100 miles to nearest hobbyshop, yikes, I struggle to find the time to get to my local store and that is a rather modest 8 miles. Is it not cheaper for delivery?

regards
Dave

[faraway]

... Is it not cheaper for delivery? ...

My wife and I do ones or twice a year the trip and combine it with shopping for my wife in a larger shopping center close to my model railroad shop. Shipping is by far more cost effective but I enjoy browsing the shop for an hour or so.

[faraway]

The old background images have been temporary added to check where the new layout is going to. I think I have to be carefully not to overdo the old buildings and end up with a 1930 layout running Genset... :o

update next morning:
The white windows and doors of the new building got a light gray paint replacing the fancy white. The white dust collectors and the beautiful metal silver sprayed loading dock roofs got a good old black wash. That makes the building more look like an industrial building.

[faraway]

I do a full stop at this point. The Cornerstone kits are great by them self and great for kit bashing but the resulting structures very far away from what I am looking for. The first building is acceptable but the second one with dust collector etc. looking like some kind of a mill does not fit at all. Two brick building so close together do not provide the right "Vernon feeling".

May be I should do a mix of three kind of structures to have a better match of the right feeling
a. One or two brick buildings (I will keep the first one built two days ago)
b. One modern slab building with a close to perfect front
c. Other structures will be a mix of low profile buildings based on concrete and bricks with some steel elements. Those are the less prominent structures in Vernon but there a lots of them in the not so popular spots.

[MasonJar]

The old background images have been temporary added to check where the new layout is going to. I think I have to be carefully not to overdo the old buildings and end up with a 1930 layout running Genset... :o

Hi Reinhard,

Looks good to me! But 1930s is my era...

I agree that mixing it up a bit would be more reflective of the current era and fit with the equipment you are running. Perhaps you would also consider changing some of the background buildings? Or possibly adding onto the brick buildings with metal or concrete annexes? You may also add modern details to old buildings, like new air handling units, AC, power supplies, fire escapes that meet modern safety codes, new doors, etc that all update the appearance of old buildings.


Andrew

[Ralph]

I really like that scene!!

Ralph

[faraway]

The period of realignment is over and the new master plan is already in the implementation phase

Starting on the left hand is the first brick building untouched. The second one will be replaced by a modern concrete slab building (You knew it, I "need" a white shoe box hock: ). The little triangle (reading classes) will become home of some small business. A new road will (white styrene strip) will separate that section.
Right to the road will simple industry following the prototype at E.12 St and Santa Fe be build. It is background and parking lot only. No railroad service in that area.


That area will continue on the right hand side up to the next new planned road (again white styrene strip). May be the next building will be reused. The long building build after a prototype at E.24.th St close to the 12 St. will stay. The often changed triangle (white coffee mug) might become home of a KFC restaurant.


That is the current "masterplan" I will try to implement. The E.12.St is in LA just north of Vernon. The Santa Fe Ave is a great source of interesting buildings in that area. There is another building at 1919 South Santa Fe Avenue I might model if space permits.
The background photos have been exchanged too. Those are the more modern buildings I have from that series. I will see how many and where they will be used.

The two buildings at E.12.St to be used in the central background


ps. The general restructure of the layout is very successful. The operation is greatly improved by the new yard as an anchor point for the jobs serving the industry.

[faraway]

First building has to be my loved shoe box (exact 87 meters long!)... Normal weathering toke place. We are not in wonderful Vernon anymore but LA E.12.Street...


ps. The painter contract got cut to one segment only when the controller learned that customers see the segment at the road but not more

[Gary S]

Following along with you on your layout adventures is always fun. Something that dawned on me... I can't ever remember seeing your layout room in total disarray. Things always look to be in order, the layout isn't piled high with buiding materials and tools. How do you manage to do that?? My layout room is a total wreck right now.