Moving day...

[doctorwayne]

...at Elfrida. For some time I've been experimenting with structure placement and the layout of a couple of small towns along the line. I wanted to keep a grain elevator in Elfrida, but felt that it looked out of place in its original location:


After pulling the fence posts from the perimeter of the vacant lot in the foreground, I gave the plaster-on-screen terrain a bit of a workout with a hammer, then applied some freshly-mixed Durabond and pressed the elevator's "concrete" base into the wet plaster. I also squished a short length of flextrack into the plaster, extending the siding by a couple of car lengths. I didn't bother to add rail joiners, as no locomotives will need to run to the siding's end. After the plaster had set, I painted it with the same latex house paint (I think it's called "Layout Dirt" ) used on the rest of the layout and added some ground cover. With the elevator in place, it didn't look too bad, but not particularly interesting, especially for a foreground structure. I decided to add a farm supply store, and, since it would be so close to the scale house, incorporated a new scale house into its design. The scalehouse is attached to the new structure, but utilises the foundation of the original Walthers structure. This required digging into the new plaster in order to accomodate the addition.
"Design" consisted of measuring the available space and determining that I had enough Evergreen Novelty Siding to complete the project. The porch was an afterthought, the end door a later afterthought, and the trackside platform an even later modification. After the structure was assembled, I decided to leave the end door partially open, so added some interior walls and a ceiling. With the ceiling in place, an upstairs storage space seemed logical, so a window was added in the gable end. The roof and ceiling are removeable, just in case I want to add more interior detail (as if I'd ever change my mind ). After painting the walls and roof, it dawned on me that such a structure would be heated during the winter months, since not all farming stops when the snow flies. I used a razor saw to cut into the ridge of the roof, then cleaned up with the area with a knife and files. The chimney is from Grandt Line.
Here's an overview of the re-located structure and its new addition:


Here's a view from the west bank of Chippawa Creek, showing its proximity to the relocated business:


Here's a couple of closer looks. I also added a door into the elevator itself, as the only one on the original model is on the track side:




Doors and windows are from Tichy and Grandt Line (except the freight doors, which are simply scraps of Evergreen car siding). The front porch and rear loading dock are individual styrene "planks", distressed with a razor saw. The roofs are plain .060" sheet styrene, painted to resemble roll roofing, although it doesn't show too well in the photos.


Wayne

[nachoman]

I like the new location much better. I think it looks better because it is a taller structure towards the front of the layout shelf, and the trains now have something to "go behind" . Also, I wonder if you placed a camera on the bridge looking across the river, you could see the co-op peeking above the trees.. ? That could make for a cool photo.

[Steamtrains]

That's a superb complex of buildings.....

Are those feed sacks I see in the storage building..??

[e-paw]

I like the new location much better.

[Charlie B]

I like the new location much better.

Me Too, and I bet the feed sacks have ho scale feed in them too.
Charlie

[steinjr]

Are you sure you are not wearing a long pointy hat and flowing robes when you lock yourself into the basement and create these absolutely magic scenes? :-)

That looks great! And very realistic too.

Smile,
Stein

[doctorwayne]

Thanks for your kind words, guys.

Are those feed sacks I see in the storage building..??

Yeah, Gus, those are my all-purpose boxcar load/interior detail pile o' sacks - pretty tough for the LPBs to handle:

....I wonder if you placed a camera on the bridge looking across the river, you could see the co-op peeking above the trees.. ?

I tried several shots from both the bridge and from the fields on either side of Indian Line, but just the top of the roof was visible in only a couple of the views. I did get this one from someone in a boat on Chippawa Creek (it appears he's almost to the brink and probably dropped into the aisle shortly after snapping this photo):



Moving the camera along the bridge, it was almost to the outskirts of Elfrida (east end of the bridge) before the building appeared from behind the trees:





There was more of the elevator to be seen as our train rolled into town, but no more scenic shots of it peeking through the trees and the sky was beginning to take on a threatening appearance:







Wayne

[cn nutbar]

Hello Everyone---the scene looks even better in person I was able to photo this scene during a recent visit

[Gary S]

Looking good DocWayne. I agree that the height of the building in front of the tracks is a good thing. Also, thanks for the tip on pressing the building base into the plaster... but can the building be removed fairly easily if need be?

[Ralph]

Nice relocation job that really enhances the area! I think I'll try asking for "Layout Dirt" by name at my local Home Depot paint counter.
Great photos Wayne!

Ralph

[FiatFan]

Very nice work. How did you do the gravel on the driveways? I like the variety of colors. It looks quite realistic.

Tom

[faraway]

...I tried several shots ...

I like the model very much but this time is it the technique of making the photos that is most impressive. The read structure behind the green trees against the background is very impressive.

[doctorwayne]

Thanks once again for the kind comments. :oops:

Gary, the grain elevator wasn't cemented to its base, and I simply pressed the foundation, which isn't very deep, into the wet plaster, which was deep is some areas and almost non-existent in others, as its main purpose was to level the "building lot". When I placed the elevator on the base, however, it was apparent that the "levelling" wasn't all that successful, as the structure had a pronounced list. I grasped the base and it lifted fairly cleanly out of the hardened plaster, so I simply applied some of the driveway gravel around the perimeter of the building's footprint to further level the site. The elevator was then cemented to its base, and the assembly was placed in its former position, then squeeged-around in the loose gravel until it sat level. I added some ground foam around the base to cover any gaps, sprayed it with "wet" water and applied some dilute white glue. When the glue had set, it was held in place but should be readily removeable.
The store structure isn't cemented to the elevator (don't tell anyone, but that's because the two buildings are not square to one another ). For it, I had to dig out a fair amount of the hardened new plaster alongside the road in order to accommodate its fairly-deep foundation. I then backfilled with more gravel mixture, and added a little more, along with some weeds, to the track side, where the foundation was sitting atop the existing "ground". I also mounded gravel beneath the loading door on the store's end, in order to bring truck beds up to the floor level of the building. I haven't tried to remove either structure, but the store may be fairly permanently attached.

Tom, the driveway was done with a mixture of two or three colours of ballast, along with some finely-ground foam ("Turf", "Burnt Grass", and "Yellow Grass", I think) and some very fine (powder-like) real dirt. I like to keep layering-on additional material until it looks suitable, then applying water and glue to affix everything at once. If anything needs a touch-up (or a total make-over) it's easy to apply more material after the initial glue application has set.

Wayne

[Herc Driver]

Overall, I like the "new addition" very much. The ground cover is very convincing. The added touch of the sacks inside the building is great.