Scratch build contest, Our first entry

Our first entry for consideration is “Slippery Oil” from Larry Bradstreet.

Larry sent along some notes on building the model. I am attaching them here. Thanks for getting involved Larry. This ia a great effort and there’s more coming.

When I saw the Tank Car plan on the “Narrow Gauge Rolling Stock & Critters” CD, I knew I had to do something with it. It just looked fun to build so I decided to incorporate the tank into a structure of a mid-20^th Century oil dealer which would provide an interesting business on my future On30 layout. This business will provide a place to spot both tank cars & boxcars.

This project began with preliminary sketches which then evolved into some rough plan views & elevations. Once, I was satisfied with the general layout I constructed the tank car tanks & they were a fascinating project in themselves.

Next came the loading dock & platform; this was built on a foamcore foundation which was then covered with Clever Models texture paper.

I then built the building which sits on the platform. This building is constructed of Clever Models texture paper & has foamcore interior stiffeners as well as a roof which consists of matt board covered with Clever Models texture paper. The windows & doors are also Clever Models products. The windows are glazed with exposed X-Ray film which has a blueish color.

Once the building was completed, I built the platform & stairway over the tanks. This again is Clever Models texture paper & the catwalk has an interior stiffener made from a piece of matt board.

The entire model has had its’ color enhanced through the use of washes of artist’s acrylic paints. I think this adds some richness & depth to the underlying colors as the successive washes are laid one on top of the next. The use of these transparent washes also helps to tie all the various colors together.

Details:

1)      The barrels & bucket on the model are from some Tamiya military model kits.

2)      All the signage on the models as well as the oil & grease drum labels are downloaded from the Internet & then sized to fit prior to printing.

3)      The pallets are constructed from Clever Model texture paper.

4)      The scrap wood in the trash barrel is Clever Models texture paper.

5)      The piping is constructed from Evergreen Styrene tubing & the vale handles are HO scale brake wheels.

6)      I built the pump out of wood dowels & the unloading hose is shrink tubing from an electrical supplier.

7)      The 1950 GMC Pick Up is a Rail King Roadster model.

Thanks for the kit-bashing contest, it is what spurred me to complete this model, Larry Bradstreet

Comments

[John Humes]

WOW!!! Larry, thanks for all the photos and detailed description of the build. John

[Jim Gore]

Larry, my compliments on a wonderful structure with very nice detail. Good ideas for using those tank cars!

[marc witten]

Well awesome Larry,i knew when Thom said they were going to do this it would be fun,and seeing yours i think that will make an awesome model on one of there CD's,i know cause my version of Thom's Steeplecab as a traction version is on the critters CD.Nice touch with the oil tanks.I cant do any modelling yet no printer out here in Oman,waiting for my son to ship some i printed earlier to keep me occupied,thanks for sharing and best of british as they say.

[Dave]

And tomorrow i will be posting another entry.
Thom

[Galen]

Excellent work, Larry! Using tank car bodies for stationary tanks...seems so logical but it takes creativity to make that leap. Great job.

Thanks, Thom, for spurring on creativity through the contest and your products in general. Even though I didn't finish my entry on time, I will enjoy seeing it on the layout and I'm having fun building it.

[thom]

Galen. Send a photo when it's done. We would all like to see it.
Thom

[Wheel Balancing Weights]

These look like the real thing. You have some great skills to produce such a look alike. I am pretty sure that everyone will be mistaken by these.