jwb's scratchbuild 2014 summer challenge
#1
I'm going to enter the 2014 scratchbuilding summer challenge. I have a project that wasn't quite started, but I'm going to take advantage of the challenge to see if I can bring it to fruition.

The Sunkist lead on my layout is based on agricultural areas in central and northern California. I had mocked up a feed mill/distributor for a position on a spur from that lead:

   

However, I think the overall profile came out a little large for the area. As a result, the mockup will basically determine just the footprint and the roof angle. A better idea of what I'm aiming at is a feed dealer in Petaluma, CA, one of the very few industries on the resuscitated Northwestern Pacific. (This isn't my photo, it's from Google Street View). I'll be back in the area in July and may see if I can get over to Petaluma for some of my own photos then.

   

This won't be a big project, although I expect to do additional work on the scenery in the area as well as the structure.
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#2
I went back to Petaluma last month and found a building just down the street that I like better than the prototype I posted above. It has a similar function, a feed warehouse, although this is for poultry and not dairy cattle:

   

I've come to prefer foamcore for this sort of project, but I'd gotten a slab of balsa at the craft store for another project and discovered that, among other things, balsa, especially if sealed, makes a good start for distressed concrete. So I transferred the dimensions of the mockup in the first post to balsa:

   

I have a sheet of brick paper left over from another project, about the last I have from the late lamented Paper Creek Model works, that I will use for the brick section here:

   

I can use various Grandt Line nut-bolt-washer castings to detail the walls.
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#3
Clever Models has some nice brick sheet too,buy the file and make all you want. :mrgreen:
Johnathan (Catt) Edwards
"The Ol Furrball"

"I'm old school,I still believe in respect"
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#4
My biggest problem with printed brick sheets is "the repetitive pattern". That "Paper Creek" sheet is basically 4 "strips" of the same brick/mortar/color pattern. I would have to cut that into many small pieces to get a brick wall where I could not see the "repeats".
Some may call that "pattern sensitivity" a blessing, I think of it more as a curse, that adds a lot more work, for me, to a brick wall project.
I do like your second choice, though, - - - - have fun with it Thumbsup Big Grin
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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#5
Without a precise comparison, I would say that the height of the side wall would make less than two of the repeating strips, so that lessens the issue. And part of my object here, for no special reason, is to use up as much on-hand materials as possible, while also not making this a big-deal project. It's basically a background flat in a foreground area!
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#6
I started to wonder about what's on the other side of the brick warehouse, and I was able to find this on Google street view:

   

So I'm going to see what I can add to the right side of this project.
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#7
2285_ Wink Big Grin Big Grin That street view looks like an excellent source of Wink FUN Wink 357 Icon_lol Icon_lol Icon_lol
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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#8
Looking at the street view, I've scoped out the sizes and shapes of the additional buildings:

   

While I had originally wanted to stick with material on hand, I'm going to order a selection of roof vents, as well as some of the new Northeastern corrugated material, since I won't have enough of that to do the additional buildings.
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#9
hi
What is your backdrop painting?

Dick
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#10
That's something I did myself before I extended the shelf in that area, so it will have to be modified.
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#11
I distressed the balsa for the foundation to look like the foundation in the prototype photo, sealed it, and sprayed it with Floquil Aged Concrete:

   
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#12
2285_ 2285_ 2285_ That "concrete" looks almost as aged as I feel ! 357 357 357 357 I will definitely be following this "build" Thumbsup Thumbsup
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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