This structure was photographed by Jerry Dembeck.
The picture was taken at Paul's Model Railroad Shop's Open House.
HISTORY
Model Railroader ran series on how to scratchbuild this structure in their March, April, and May 1960 issues. The plans were based on a lumber and coal dealer located in Pennsylvania.
The inspiration for this model came from a similar structure built by Mr. Larry Elliott for his Rio Grande Western layout. Intrigued with the design, Larry showed me the issues that contained the plans.
After obtaining copies of the articles, I discovered that the building is much larger. The author of the article compressed the building into a smaller footprint. Deciding that the plans were too big for my purpose, I compressed the building further.
The roof over the office and millwork shop is removeable for viewing the detailed interior. The main building contains piles of stacked lumber. The building is lit. When you open the door to the shop, a microswitch turns on the lights in the shop and around the building.The Model
The base
The base is 1/4" plywood. Narrow Gauge And Shortline Gazette Magazine produced an article on how to use styrofoam meat trays to build stone walls.
The ground cover around the base is from Woodland Scenics.
The simulated concrete roadway is constructed from Evergreen sheet styrene.
The handrails are scratchbuilt from Evergreen rod.
The Main Building
The building is constructed with studs, rafters, and roof trusses made from Evergreen styrene strips. The walls are covered with Evergreen styrene sheet. I bought large sheets of styrene so that the walls could be assembled in one large piece.
The roof is styrene sheet covered with masking tape and painted to resemble tar paper.
The interior of the main building is detailed with stacks of lumber and other building supplies. The stacks of wood in the building are scratchbuilt based on an article in Model Railroader. The other building supplies (doors, windows, etc.) are from the scrap box.
The Supply Building
The Supply Building on the upper level is also scratchbuilt following the design of the main building. The details are also from my scrap box.
The Office and Millwork Shop
The office interior is detailed with SS Ltd. details and figures. Some of the figures are from Preiser and Campbell.
The Millwork Shop contains a complete interior. The workbench is scratchbuilt, but the tools and equipment are from Detail Associates. The toilet fixtures are from SS Ltd. Various brooms, vises, and electrical boxes are from Evergreen Hill.
Details
The entire structure is lighted. I used 1.5 micro bulbs in Campbell shades. The lights are powered by AA batteries located under the base. The light switch is unique. I used a Radio Shack micro-switch. When you slide the door back on the shop, the switch will activate the lights.
The vehicles are from Alloy Forms and Jordan Scale Models.
The brick and concrete block piles are from Mr. Plaster.
The coal conveyor is scratchbuilt from plans in Model Railroader.