Model RR Shows - Let the Buyer Beware

Like many modelers, I often pickup kits at shows from unknown vendors, with the idea that a good deal is a good deal no matter what.  I'll stick the kit on my modeling shelf and decide to build them at a later date.  So it was with a Walthers logging truck that I had purchased years ago, as these kits have become harder to find and have been sold out at the local hobby stores for some time.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the kit, only to find that the cab had already been painted.  Well not a huge problem, I started to look it over and realized that the previous owner had actually substituted a different cab than was present in the original kit.  The first tip off was that the cab was painted and the second that it was actually a solid block of resin and actually a copy of Mack truck cab.  This was not going to be a kit which was easily put together.

The cab on the left is the cab usually provided from the Walthers kit, one that I had previously started and was just at the final assembly stage.  The cab on the right is the solid block of resin I unknowingly purchased, although I do admit that the details of the wipers, air filter, etc are quite good.  It's just the space behind the fenders and inside the cab are solid blocks of resin. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo until starting to remove the area beneath the fenders.

Here's the view after most of the fender area has been cleaned out.  I drilled a series of small diameter holes along the underside of the fender to start the process and then used a 0.25 in bit to remove the large block of material. Afterwards, I sanded the area smooth and then glued a small block of styrene in the middle to hold the wheel axle.  One word of caution. I don't know what type of resin was used but while trying to remove the resin I noticed that I was smelling a very sickly sweet chemical smell and therefore donned my half face respirator to be safe.  I think that during the heat from drilling it released the odor and it was annoying enough that I could smell it even after finishing my work.  Subsequent sanding was done in the out of doors.

While I thought about trying to remove the solid resin inside the cab, I opted that I could never get the walls thin enough to be realistic, and therefore would try another route.  That was to use the separate truck frame and remove the pre-molded seat and dashboard.  So it was back to the Dremel tool, sand paper and chisels.  I'm never going to be totally satisfied with the way this cab looks, so this truck has been sent to the back of the layout in an area which is heavily treed, and enough shows to depict a log truck coming into the saw mill with a load.

So lesson learned. Next time I fully inspect the packages contents even if the package is sealed with some tape. Who knows when this cab was switched.

Pontypool / Cargill Construction

When I decided to change the layout to install a new yard, I ripped out a previous corner that was basically finished with scenery, which is always difficult to do. However, I rationalized that it was basically a corner that was doing nothing for the revenue stream for the railroad and it might actually enough space to add two rural industries.  The first spur was set aside to hold an elevator that I had built years before to mimic the elevator at Pontypool, ON.  The elevator is located along the CP Rail line and is about 25 miles SW of Peterborough. The Pontypool elevator was constructed in 1918, and was unique as the base was constructed from cement while the upper portion was the typical wood construction.  It was also unique in that the sides of the elevator were covered by cedar shakes.  A store and office, which disappeared in the 70's or maybe even before, had historically been present.  You can still see the outline of the building roof where it attached to the elevator if you look hard enough.  Remnants of the foundation can also be found if you take a closer look through the grass and weeds.  The current structure, which has not seen any signs of life for 40+ years actually replaced the original elevator built in 1894.  The original purpose for the Pontypool elevator was to store barley, wheat and oats in the days of horse and buggy. These products where shipped to Toronto and Montreal by CPR train. As the elevator expanded its services, the first power line to Pontypool came to the elevator and later the first diesel generator in the area was added to grind crops for the farmers. As farms expanded and the transportation system improved, farmers were able to store their own grain and have it trucked to larger elevators.  From what I have researched, it was a Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd elevator.

1977, Kawartha Lakes Public Library

While no longer in service since the 70's, this elevator has always a fascination for me due to its construction. I hope someday that some group will restore it before the termites find it.  Several years ago I decided to scratch build the elevator using the plans from Campbell as a general guide.  The hardest part of the build was fabricating molds for each of the cement walls. Some day I'll detail that process.  I also need to change the cedar siding as I used a commercial product and was not thrilled with the results.  Unfortunately after the structure was built, I really didn't have a good place for it on the layout and it was boxed up. So it has been moved many times and sustained some damage since I didn't pack it well enough.

The former trackage and elevator were fit into the corner and at some point in the future I will paint the track into the backdrop.  But for now the modeled area will serve as storage for cars or simply sit empty.

The second addition to this area is a fertilizer supply business.  This was modeled after the Cargill facility in Mount Elgin, Ontario (Mile 7.7 Port Burwell Sub).  While I don't know much about the former operation (Cargill stopped using this building roughly 6-8 years ago), I came across it while railfanning the Ontario Southland and thought it would be interesting to model some day.  I have modified the structure and placed it up in the clay belt of Ontario so the that the ONR can service it.  While I would have liked to model it as is, once I started to draw up plans I realized that I would have to significantly compress it.  So I have ended up with two buildings, but only support one conveyor tower instead of the two the prototype has.   

Conveyor partially completed

Bldg #2 with completed conveyor set in place

My buildings are primarily scratch built, although some of the components have come from the Walthers Saw Mill buildings and a Rix grain system. Building 1 came from a different part of the layout and was repainted to match the Mount Elgin facility. The 2nd building was scratch built, although I had to compress part of it and omit the 2nd elevator. I hope to add the 2nd conveyor in the future, especially since it has the very prominent Cargill logo painted towards the top and I have the conveyor parts.  The roof was the toughest part of the build, as I had to add more supports that I originally thought were necessary and forgot to take into account that the styrene roofing that was purchased had no real strength and buckled and warped enough to make installation difficult.

Completed building (sort of). Amazing how the photo shows me a few errors and omissions that I have yet to address

The Cargill facility is now open for business, as new track has been laid and the building has been set into the scene.  While many details still need to be added to the building and the scene, I'm pleased with the outcome and it's time for this part of the layout to start receiving cars.