East Terminal & Newburgh

[Tyson Rayles]

[tompm]

Looking good. Very nice looking layout. Nice solution to your sticky lake problem.

[Schraddel]

Hello,

I had really good luck as this here was no molasses and remained not sticky.



The area of the former PVAC lake as it looks today.





Look to the cut out corner of the ramp.

The reason therefore is this:



As i told my l modular layout is moving through the different eras. For acting in modern eras i added some modern cars to my roster. Amongst others are these 86' Big Blue box cars for automobile parts. To get them hazardless without bouncing the corner switched into this track, the corner was cut out.





My still growing roster of modern cars. Some were borrowed from a friend of mine, and some were my own property.
Modern cars are longer than the until then accustomed standard 40' cars of earlier eras. But the track lenghts were just the same.
This caused me some headaches.
As Flats was built, i defined the lenght of the sidings for the most industries  in multiples of 40' cars with the exemption of Anderson Steel which is designed to take 53' gondolas. Modern boxcars are 50' or even 60' long. You have to reduce the number of cars for not to exceed the track lenghts.





Flats compacted and ready for loading into the car. Only on module #5 the buildings are fixed. The reason is the overhead crane which was impossible to build removeable. The structure is simply to filigrane to survive if lifted off.





Flats on the annual meeting of the Southwest Division 2018. First time in a modern era upset.







Fun arranged all Canadian to take pictures.


Lutz

[Tyson Rayles]

Man I wish I had that much space!

[doctorwayne]

Your compact modules look like they would be a good fit in almost any vehicle, Lutz.  Very nicely-done!  

Wayne

[Schraddel]

Back home there were more lessons learned. I took the modules separate into my workshop and began to remodel them.


Module #1
NN Furniture Inc. was reinforced before, but lacked clear visible nameplate. Some try and error with MS Office spawned a representable result. It was printed on paper, then glued onto a piece of cardboard, cereal card bord of course. It was cut out an fixed onto the front of the building. So everyone knows where the car has to be switched when the waybill reads NN Furniture Inc. at Flats.

The same was done with Flats Cold Storage. But here the building was battered due transport damage. The front was made out foamed styrene with brick pattern. This is sensitive at the upper corner were some major damage. This damaged area was covered and reinforced with a piece of suitable strip of wood. A upper railing made out of another strip of wood. Both then were painted somewhat concrete grey.

At least the arrangement of the legs for the modules were altered. Before the built up has to be started with module #2 which has 2 pair of legs. This led often to some confusion with helpers as the order was:  #2 - #1 - #3 - #4 - #5.

Now module #1 has 2 pair of legs and the built up can be done beginning with #1 and continuing straightforward till #5.





Some more vegetation in the style of uncontrolled growth was added. In my eyes this is still imperfect, because i have here in case of landscaping 10 left thumbs.


Then a decision was made in question of Flats Cold Storage.
In the times of steam era this now ancient brick built refrigerated warehouse was certainly state of the art. And for the 1920's till the 1960's this warehouse will be used on the layout as is. But in later eras there were modern sucessors of refrigerated warehouses. This will result at least in an exhibit of changed buildings according to the set up era.



My scrutiny felt onto Walthers modern warehouse. Here as background model and there is still some brick.
Playing around with the parts contained in the kit, nothing is glued here. All was still open in any directions when i took the picture.


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

as a consequence to put Flats into modern eras, there has some track reworking to be done.


When Flats is put into steam era, the industrial spur serving Flats Cold Storage disappears into the building. There was no necessity to ballast the track nor for a car stop. The track is simply not visible and the left rear wall acts as car stop.

But in modern eras the new building will consisting only out of a flat facefront pinned onto the backside of the module. There is simply no deeper space available. So the track will be fully visible.






So the track has to be ballasted and a car stop to be added.











The wooden square rod is for fixing the old refrigerated warehouse. The backside of the front wall will fit here.
The area was partially taped to narrow the ballast.



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At least the ground was painted somewhat concrete.




It is intended to have the choice which of the two warehouses can be placed here depending of the particular era.



Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

meanwhile the new modern warehouse was done:


This is the final set i made out of the parts in the kit. Some brick here too.





So it will be look alike.





Testing with two of my newly aquired 65' modern reefers. The loading doors of the dock has to be vis-à-vis with the plug doors of the reefers. This is the most unfavorable case, when the chillers of the two reefers are face to face. Then the car doors are at the most away distance. 




Some improvements.





That is how it will be attached to the module. The extended rear side will reach down to the back side of the module. The black styrene stripe will define how deep.







This enables me to screw on this background building.





The very best, this is the manner how Flats Cold Storage will be transported. The whole building fits into one of the drawers of the cabinet.




Lutz

[Tyson Rayles]

Good to see someone making progress, goodness knows I'm not!

[Schraddel]

Mike,

for me it is a slow progress. Mainly driven by the deadlines of different Southwest Division meetings and conventions.


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

next module which went into the shop was module #2.


So it looks as hitherto. The tree is temporary lose put.





Spreath & Cie. Zinc Smelter was reworked. This group of buildings is removeable, so all fixings has to be made onto the biuldings.
At first the handrails of the stairs were made out of brass wire. Brass because the former handrails out of plastic were prone to break off and did this very often; too often in my opinion.
Then some brush was added and fixed onto the buildings wall.
A little awning was made and detachable mounted. This can only be used in the steam and tansition eras. Modern cars are too high und too big to pass here.
A good visible company signboard was made and pemanently fixed.





First signs of messiness was spotted on the truck loading dock.





A new (left) and a repaired switch stand. The left one was beyond repair and was replaced by an new switch stand.
The right one was repaired by a somewhat corset made out of 0.3mm bronze wire to stabilize the weak pewter frame.





And overall some more shrub green was added.


[OT]
The crane in the background is a good model to attract attention. So in conclusion with a sign with clear readable:

Plywood District

Industrial Area

Development Site

Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

Module #3:


Got more green in form of wild grass, bushes and shrubs.

















Lutz

[Tyson Rayles]

Nice progress!

[doctorwayne]

Nice progress!

I'll say!!

I'm working on some hoppers, but my progress is so slow that it can't even be measured....in fact, it may not even qualify as progress.

Wayne

[Schraddel]

Hello,

module #4 has passed the most dramatic changes and is in fact the most versatile one.




The primal planning was to place a sintering plant as background building. Hence this short stub end track.








The Anderson Steel Ltd. on module #4 came into existence. For the private siding rack one more switch has to be placed onto module #3.





Meanwhile it was used as piggyback fcility. This was inspired by the fact, that Santa Fe had a small rural piggyback terminals even on some branches. Therefore these small terminals were not huge, the whole infrastructure consisted out of a head ramp and a tractor. And there were often a single or few piggyback flatcars for this destination. In conclusion it is a model railroader friendly size with it's short ramp and relative small 30' and 35' trailers.
But as interesting as piggyback action is, here in the 50' and 60's, in later years this business on this terminals either were growing or simply vanished. Even the trailers have grown, 40' became standard, then 45', 48' to todays 53' semis. They all need much space which i have not available here.

Conclusion: For a setting the modules in modern era there is a new business required which will fit in the available space.

Further thoughts: Autoparts MFG has grown and as component supplier for the automobile industry manufactures now automobile parts out of plastics. A lot of plastic pellets were required. Some can be delivered in bags loaded into box cars, but for bigger quantities it is more economical to deliver the plastic granules in bulk.

Further conclusion: There a new plant to unload bulk materials is necessary.

More conclusions:
There is need now for covered hoppers specialized for plastic pellets:






As the manufactured components are lightweight and bulky, for economical shipping are high volume boxcars will be needed:

More Big Blues.





For the pellet unloading plant i purchhased a Walthers kit and started building.


Lutz