EZ's 2013 adoption challenge

[ezdays]

It's time to jump into this challenge. I have several tank kits that I started to build a good 6 years ago. One, the Con Cor, I got about 2/3 done before I put it in a box above my workbench. I intended is to combine it with the Interstate Fuel and Oil kit as a kitbash to form a large oil and gas storage facility. I have several other kits that I will add to the bash, depending on the available room. Yeah, until I get everything built, I won't know where everything will fit.

Here is a list of everything that I may use for this, all or in part, in this challenge:

• Cornerstone- Interstate Fuel and Oil kit
  Con-Cor -#648 oil storage kit
  Con-Cor- Cambria City Butane storage tank kit
  Rapido- water crane kit
  Life Like- part of a water storage tower (building only) kit
  Life Like- small structure kit

I will start by finishing off the first two kits, then see what I can use from the other ones. I should wind up with a rather large kitbashed facility, but that was the plan six years ago.

   

[Tyson Rayles]

While I can't justify something like that on my layout I have always liked industries of that type as the eye appeal is thru the roof.

[ezdays]

While I can't justify something like that on my layout I have always liked industries of that type as the eye appeal is thru the roof.

Thanks Mike, I have no idea where this is heading, but it does have a certain appeal to me since I can remember spending a bit of time at some of those Texas tank farms working on control systems. I really don't have that much room for one of those, but something like this could work.

[ezdays]

Wow, talk about running for the train as it is leaving the station. No, I didn't catch the train either, just as I didn't complete my challenge.... But, I did get quite a bit done these past few weeks.

Here are a few shots of where I was the beginning of this month. I started to put together to large butane tank and the smaller horizontal tanks:

   

   

   

[ezdays]

Now, if you think I skipped a few steps, well I did. I didn't think anyone needed to see a step-by-step of putting kits together, so here are a few shots of where I am as of a few minutes ago. The paint and glue are still wet on some of these structures, but here they are in all their glory. They are all from four different kits, The butane tank was one kit, and was a bear to put together. There were about 80 parts held together only by glue. Get one part off a bit and the rest don't fit right. The horizontal tanks and the storage house came from another Con-Cor kit and another one that I have no idea what I did with the rest. The other tanks and the Quonset building are part of a Walther's Interstate Fuel kit.

I've still got a ways to go, I have a few more structures, accessories and small tanks to build, paint and weather most everything and add a whole lot of pipes to bring it all together. I will need to rearrange everything, add gravel and put a chain link fence around the whole thing.

I'll post some progress pics as I go....

   

   

   

[Tyson Rayles]

That's making for an awesome scene Don!

[ezdays]

That's making for an awesome scene Don!

Thanks Mike, if I had been able to start sooner, I might have finished, but hey, I got more done than I would have without this challenge.

[nachoman]

I agree - that's gonna be a great scene when you are done. Spot a few tank cars in front of there and an old switcher and it will look great.

[ezdays]

Just a few progress pics. I've got all my kits built, did some scratchbuilding and discovered that there's no office building on the property. I'll take care of that next. Here's what I've got done as of today. I'm playing around with the arrangement, so that may change a bit. The depot can service rail cars as well as tanker trucks, so it needs easy access to those trucks to come fill up and go. There's storage for anything from crude oil to natural gas, butane, and five grades of gasoline.

The overall depot is on a bit over an acre. I need to bring in about 500 yards of N scale gravel, build an access road and put in some 1200 feet of chain link fencing (around 90" in my world). Then, of course, comes adding people and making things look like they've been around for a while.

   

   

[Tyson Rayles]

[ezdays]

Thanks Mike, that means a lot coming from you. There is a lot more work to this project than I anticipated. Probably, if I started the challenge at this point, I'd have been able to finish on time.

Hey, this way I can work at my own pace. As you see, I'm going to mount everything on that sheet of white plastic first meaning that I can do most of the work sitting down at my workbench rather than standing over my layout.

[Tyson Rayles]

I don't know what height your layout is but I make mine elbow height (45 inches in my case) so I don't have to bend over to work on it. Also at that height I can sit up under it when I need to work on the wiring or whatever.

[ezdays]

I don't know what height your layout is but I make mine elbow height (45 inches in my case) so I don't have to bend over to work on it. Also at that height I can sit up under it when I need to work on the wiring or whatever.

I'm sitting right at 42". It's not the height, but right now, it's the standing for long periods that gets to me. Given a choice, I need to spend more time sitting at the bench for now. You'll understand when you start to get decrepit with age.

[Tyson Rayles]

"You'll understand when you start to get decrepit with age."

Yeah, you are what? Two years older than me?

[ezdays]

"You'll understand when you start to get decrepit with age."

Yeah, you are what? Two years older than me?

Try a dozen.... :o :o :o

It was around your age that I noticed decrepitness starting to creep in. Try as I may, it got worse as the years rolled by. I still get things done, it just takes a lot longer and hurts a lot more. Sure glad that Costco sells those gallon-size tubes of pain rub.