Modeling a Paper Mill - Part 4.1 Construction Progress

If you have stuck with me this far and read through the other posts, let's take an overall look at my construction progress.  As of this writing, the newly revised track configuration is just about completed, although I'm waiting on some additional pieces of track to finish track work to the small engine house.

As I discussed in another entry, one aspect of my first paper mill design was a lack of tracks to load paper bales and rolls and no suitable amount of space to store empty or loaded cars ready for pickup.  The old design used the Walthers paper mill kit as the primary structure, although I long realized that the brick building is at best a suitable building for a warehouse and/or loading tracks and not really to house the paper machine as Walthers seems to imply with their advertising.  That building, while nice in detail, really lacks a suitable amount of space to install a loading track with any real storage capacity.  The best I could manage was two (2) 50-foot boxcars inside and one boxcar peeking though the end.  My three store age tracks were not much bigger, allowing me only to keep 4-5 cars present, and at the other end of the mill.  Clearly all of this had to change.

When I decided to redo the paper mill modules, the two key elements needed were more loading space and more capacity for yard tracks.  I also wanted to have only one track where chemicals would be loaded, although I came to designate certain areas within that one spur for different chemicals.  Here's a basic summary of what was completed:

• The inbound and outbound Yard tracks are each now single tracks with a capacity of 9 cars.
• The primary warehouse track has been lengthened to hold 6 cars.
• Warehouse #2 track will hold four (4) boxcars.
• Warehouse #3 track will hold seven (7) boxcars.
• The chemical and slurry tracks were combine to one track, each with 3 to 4 loading/unloading spots.

Progress as of Oct 1, 2017

View of the road crossing to the warehouse; paper machine building in the background. Lots of work needed to finish the pavement, which was created using black dyed spackle to form the roads and parking area

View from the warehouse looking north. I fill the gap between tracks using construction foamboard, which is rough cut to match the configuration of the tracks. I then add the colored spackle mud to fill in gaps and create a small amount of relief or contour.  Ground foam and fine dirt will go on next.

View looking south; warehouse in background

Same view as above but foamboard has been partially painted to show where static grass and weeds will be applied

Oct 15 Progress

After adding foamboard to each of the areas, it's time to paint and add texture to the paved areas. The first coat is a craft paint from Michael's in basic black. I then use several coats of craft paint in a pewter gray color, adding fine dirt in between to add some texture to the asphalt surface.