LPG Rack - Fully Installed and Lit - Ready for Business!

In celebration of finishing my Master of Science in Public Health degree - I decided to spend a few hours working on the layout today.  Here she is....the LPG rack - fully lit and placed into the scenery.

 Here is just a shot of the mill at night.....

LPG Delivery Rack

She is finished and ready for placement on the layout.  I decided to change the location for this kitbashed/scratchbuilt structure.  It is no longer going to be on the spur leading to the chemical delivery area.  Instead, it will be on the other side of the layout on a spur that to date had no real purpose.  This model will no become the LPG delivery rack; I have collocated the existing LPG yard to be adjacent to this rack and replace the LPG yard with the coooling towers of the plant.  I really like the changes happening on the layout.  Pictures to come.  Here is the LPG Rack before placement on the layout....

Some More Recent Weathering Jobs

A few recent additions to the collection....nice to have some time again to do some trains!

Another Railbox for the Collection

Added yet another Railbox to the weathered collection today....cannot get enough of these cars! 

ICG Boxcar

Still trying to decide to auction this one off or to hold on to it.  Originally, it was going to be a auction car, but then I thought I could use it for an MOW car on my CN line.  The high ladders and brake wheel place it outside my modeling era.  The jury is still out.....

GN Covered Hopper - Weathering Job

This model is a Micro Train Lines (MTL) 3 Bay ACF Centerflow, painted for Great Northern.  Out of the box, it is a very blue, plastic-looking model.  I washed it down with a mix of Floquil Dirt and B&M blue to fade the color and to wash out the graphics.  I then hit the body with Bragdon Enterprises weathering powders to show dirt, grime and rust.  Lastly, I used acrylics to compliment the grime and rust. 



The same hopper after the weathering job in the Grimeshop - ready for delivery to the customer.



Scratchbuilding a Chemical Delivery Covered Area

Recently on www.nscale.net a group of my train friends and I were discussing good ideas for chemical delivery to plants and mills. A friend of mine posted these pictures - once I saw them I knew I had to build one and that I had just the right spot for it on the layout:

Using pieces from a Bachmann Engine Inspection Facility, some see through brass walkway grating and some spare styrene, this is where I am at with the build:

Plenty still to do on it - a nice break from wiring, scenery, and weathering train cars!  I hope to work some more on it this weekend.  In the future, I hope to run pipes directly from the delivery rack to the chemical storage/receiving building.



A Grand Stack - Home-made!

I needed to add some height to the left side of my mill.  Late last year I decided the main warehouse and mill/factory needed a huge smokestack.  My inspiration came from the huge stack at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. 

In stead of buying stuff to make this stack, I looked for ideas around the house.  I ended up using a heavy duty cardboard roll from a Saran Wrap or Tin Foil box.  These heavy duty rolls are awesome.  They are rigid, straight, and don't have huge seams in the roll like TP or paper towel rolls. 

I hit the roll with some concrete colored spray paint.  I then masked off the top and painted it white to make the top more apparent and for a background color for the huge GP logo (hand painted).  Last, since it is the tallest structure on the layout, I added a bright red LED light on a pole atop the stack so we don't have any unforeseen accidents by low flying aircraft....

As always....last step...a good accurate weathering!  Might add some more soot to the top.....

The Paper Mill at Night

NIGHT SHIFT AT THE MILL

As promised, here are some pics of the paper mill at night - more to come:

I have a few more lights to hook up and will get to those soon.  I think lighting adds so much, especially to an industrial scene like a mill or a factory.  It is well worth the cost and the time to light any scene.

Chemical/Chlorine Delivery Area


Recently, I decided it was time to finalize the right side of the plant and get to finishing off the chemical delivery area.  This is a scratchbuilt/kitbashed portion of the complex that has really added a lot to this module/layout.  Not only is it another area to switch, but it really completes the large feel needed for a paper mill.

She is finally gorilla glued in place and the scenery has been completed around her so that she does not look like a a building sitting atop a layout - but instead it is part of the layout.  This is important to me in terms of realism....

Chemical Delivery Area & Chlorine Storage Tanks

  Originally, this delivery area was just bare walls.  It looked more like an engine shed vs. a delivery area for tank cars, especially at night when you turn on the interior lighting.  Thus, I added some extra parts that I had laying around to create the illusion that this interior space has piping/valves, gauges, etc.


Interior of the Delivery Area (it is lighted too)

  These are the ground storage tanks that come with the Walther's Cornerstone Paper Mill kit.  I like where they ended up at the mill.  I heated and bent the piping so that I could make it go underground into the mill.

Ground Storage Tanks & Piping

 My entire mill complex has a light colored gravel roof.  It too is weathered to show grime and effects from Mother Nature.  There are also plenty of roof details to include AC units, ventilation, fans, blowers, etc.  Here I added some aerial lighting to illuminate the chemical storage tanks (chlorine).


Roof Detail & Area Lighting

 Stay tuned for more shots of this area as I get it finished. 

Detail Under the Water Tower

Here are some shots of the detail that I have added under the water tower to date:

Tomytec 1/150th Cooling Towers

I was hesitant to purchase this kit since it is slightly bigger than N scale (1/160th), but I had to have these at the plant.  The Leaf River Plant has a set of cooling towers and most big scale operations (to include the military hospital on my base) have these towers.  They are huge in real life - so this kit was fitting.

I made some modifications --

• I built my own concrete base with safety railing
• Added some piping
• Changed the height of the railing by clipping off a segment on each piece - (1/150th) railing is an eye sore in N scale
• Built a custom crossover bridge between towers; needed due to piping that runs over the unit
• Added a 1/160th ladder and used the 1/150th ladder to make a safety cage
• Custom weathered & painted

Here are the results and the location at the mill:

I recently placed them in this location; the base is glued in place.  I found the toughest thing with this plant is where to put everything!  I am finally at the point that I am just going for it...no more hesitating!