Grand Rapids Sub

Vernon: 

GLASERS LUMBER COMPANY:

Corunna: 

CORUNNA MILLS:

Owosso:

  
  Owosso Michigan, located on the Grand Rapids Subdivision (GR Sub), was the first section of the layout that I constructed before I had decided to focus my efforts on the Flint Sub.  

  Owosso was a very busy area when I was growing up. The location was once the interchange for the Grand Trunk Western's Grand Rapids Sub and Greenville Sub as well as the Ann Arbor and Penn Central railroads. 
  The Grand Rapids Sub interchanges with the Flint Sub at Durand Michigan. Although it requires dismantling and rebuilding, I am opting to keep it as a part of the layout.  My thoughts on this are that it will provide a change of tempo for an operator  who prefers branchline operation as opposed to mainline running. In addition, this branchline segment will create a "live feed" of traffic to keep the Durand Yardmaster on his toes. 

  All Greenville Sub (Turkey Trail) trackage north of Owosso, and GR Sub trackage west of Owosso will be represented by staging.

  The Grand Trunk and Ann Arbor railroads continued to serve the area well into the 80's. 

which will allow me some flexibility if I opt to roll the clocks back to the earlier years of my 1980-1990 time period.

  Since then the Ann Arbor has sold all trackage rights to the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay (TSBY).  Likewise, the Central Michigan railroad now operates all Grand Trunk lines north of Durand. The Penn Central no longer exists here, the diamonds having long been removed. Originally I chose to keep the PC line intact on my layout as the interchange allowed for more operating potential. It is still up for consideration as I build the new segments, however I have determined that there will be a sufficient op tempo in the area that the diamonds could be removed.

  The module that Owosso occupies in these photos was part of my original layout that has since been dismantled. The new module is already built and ready to start laying track down. The 4 new tables that make up the new Owosso mod are 6 foot each, giving me an additional 8 feet to expand the scene. The new module is built to Sipping and Switching Society specs and will also be dual purpose (Home Layout and Show Layout) to allow me to link up with the S&SS layout for display.

OWOSSO ELEVATOR

G. YOUNG SEED BUILDING

GTW DEPOT OWOSSO

MIDWEST ABRASIVES

MIDWEST ABRASIVES STREET VIEW

WOODARD FURNITURE COMPANY

MALLABLE IRON MACHINE SHOP

MALLABLE IRON STREET VIEW

ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTION:

 This is a scratch built structure for Owosso, Michigan. It is full scale based off measurements I took while on leave. Lucky for me, the next time I came home, the entire area had been leveled. I hope that the scenery base, once in place, will improve the overall appearance. The road bed will also be lowered so the tops of the rails will be flush with the Luan base of the model.

Here is a look at the loading bay. I still have a little bit of weathering for the front wall. On the actual structure, there was another building on this side of the track however space restrictions forced me to omit it.

This is the actual structure

I have been lucky on multiple occasions now with getting my data " just in the nick of time". I would go home on leave and take a bunch of pics and measurements. I would then have a list of follow up data to collect the next time I was home only to find the entire area leveled. If it has taught me anything, it is (1.) Get what you can when you can. (2.) Whenever you think you have enough pics....take more...get EVERY possible angle, and keep a photo log.

I started laying out structures with simple place holders. In the case of the elevator, it was a cereal box and some paper towel tubes. After I was happy with locations, I cut out the PVC tubes so I could start getting used to the size and determine if I would need to slightly compress.

As it turned out, I was happy and did not want to lose the feeling of "presence" that this building has/had.
I then finished the wood core (this was an experiment, and I will not be doing it again) and cut the styrene wall sections.

Fast forward through Afghanistan and I was ready to begin painting and detailing.

 

I used several modeling mediums for this project. The core is MDF and Luan. The Silos are PVC. The main structural areas are Styrene. The details are a mix of brass, scrap bin parts, and toys liberated from my nephews toy box.

 

  
Here are some different angles.

 

These shots give a better idea of the real estate this thing occupies on that portion of the layout. For my future layout, which will be multi-deck, this structure will likely be on the top deck.

 

 
This was not my first trackwork, however I was experimenting a little. I went with the Peco Code 75 here. If I had to do it again, I would not use the Peco C75. It had smaller rail yes, but the ties are in keeping with the old Atlas Code 100. That combination just doesn't seem to work for me. At the time, the desire for superdetailed track hadn't hit me yet. I will do what I can to weather and hide some of these (in my opinion) issues.
 
In interest of my wallet, on my future layout I will probably use the more detailed track around key focal point areas, and Atlas Cd 83 elsewhere. All of my old Atlas C100 track is reserved for staging.

I always used to take what I thought were a lot of progress shots. Once I started getting on these forums, I found that I was taking way too few. 
Now when I start working on a project, I make sure to have a camera close by. It really helps for explaining/demonstrating. Additionally, it helps me remember what techniques I used for reference in future projects. I do the same thing with painting projects. I keep a "Paint Card" for every project I do. They are maintained in my filing cabinet so I can remember what colors or color combinations I used. I always kept a note pad handy before the digital age, but a photo log is so much better.

G. YOUNG SEED BUILDING:
This is the scratchbuilt G. Young Seed building. I am still not satisfied with the roof. I may try to add a little more detail. The building is selectively compressed to 2/3 the actual size. I have not yet finished the scenery base in this area.

 The first step was to calculate the dimensions and build a cardboard mock-up.

Once it had sat for a few months and I determined that it was appropriately sized, I built the styrene version. The roof is removable so that I can detail the interior and install lighting in the future. The next two photos show the base color applied.

Next I applied the homemade decals and began layering colors to show the aging of the concrete.

Next I worked on the roof and completed most of the exterior details.

I am not completely satisfied with the roof. I believe it still needs a little more detail which I will add at a later date.

Here is a look at the actual building. During the time frame that I am modeling, the storage units were not there.

  MALABLE IRON CONSTRUCTION: 

Corner Building

Machine Shop in back

These scratch built structures for Owosso, Michigan are selectively compressed to fit the space available. Once again, work started with measurements and a cardboard mock-up.

I did utilize some DPM wall sections for the lower portion of the corner building because I felt that it was "close enough" to capture the flavor of this particular building. I then scratchbuilt the second story from Evergreen .040 clapboard siding. Unfortunately I was not taking a great deal of photos during this build because I was still new to the forum and blog world. The next photo therefore jumps ahead to the completed corner building with basic weathering completed. Once the Owosso portion of the layout is complete, I will go back and follow up on final weathering.

 The roof on the back half is loosely sitting on the structure. It actually seats tightly into the building, but for the time being, all roof sections are removable so I can detail interiors and run lighting, etc...The smoke stack in the background is still unpainted as well.

THE MACHINE SHOP


This structure is completely scratchbuilt. The exterior of this building is based on photos taken in the late 90's and early 2000. Some liberties are being taken to backdate the exterior condition to what it most likely looked like while still in service. The interior is completely fantasy. I do not have any pictures of the interior of this building, nor was I able to get any while home on leave.The setting below is on my old modular layout which has since been replaced. The new modules will not afford any additional depth to the scene, but there will be a significant increase in width. This will allow me to get a more realistic lead into the spur on the back side of the building.

After I was satisfied with the dimensions of the cardboard mock-up, I cut the base out of .060 styrene. I then built the framework for the building itself. As can be seen in the photos of the actual building, there are a large number of windows in this building so when it is lit, most of the interior will be visible from the front. I wanted to do a shop interior, but again I had no photos of the actual interior layout. Having no experience myself in machine shops, I started researching and gathering ideas for shop designs and I threw together what I hope will be a plausible shop design.

Here is the building as it sits on the base. I placed alignment/mounting lugs in each corner of the base. The corners of the superstructure are designed to seat onto these.

This view from the front shows roughly what the viewing angle will be when complete. With most of the front being windows, most of the floor space will be visible.

I wanted to make sure I had a shop office for managerial paperwork, project design, reference material, etc...I used Walthers brick sheets to build the two visible walls. I then painted them Antique White to represent the mortar. Once the paint had dried, I used colored pencils to achieve the brick color and highlight the texture of the brick.

Next I painted the base color of the foundation with Testor #1233 Flat Light Aircraft Gray. For the superstructure, I used Primer Gray.

Next I drilled and mounted brass tubing into the foundation to represent post anchors for the interior columns. I then used chalks to weather the floor.

Next I started to lay out the shop interior. I used several pre-made castings for the various machinery. I also scratchbuilt some of the Drill Presses. All of the tables, lockers, and storage racks are scratchbuilt. I have also built tool cabinets for each workstation, but they are not shown in this picture. After a friend with more experience than I looked at it, he immediately pointed out that I would need to move the racks of steel stock from the upstairs loft area down onto the floor or behind the building. I will be moving those to the yard behind the building and putting parts storage in the loft.

Another view from the side. I used white paint to dry brush the shop wall to look like worn paint.

Here with the superstructure seated to the foundation.

I tried to capture some of the organized chaos look that I see in a lot of older machine shop photos. There is a great deal more work that has been completed, but not shown here. The interior lighting is installed and functional, I have a complete interior of the office, workstation tool boxes, etc...

MIDWEST ABRASIVE CO. CONSTRUCTION:

This scratch built complex has been  considerably compressed to fit the space. There are several key recognizable features of the complex that allowed me to shrink the plant to about one-third of its actual size and still be instantly identifiable. Once again, work started with measurements and cardboard mock-ups.

I determined that DPM wall sections could be utilized for the building nearest the backdrop, and a RIX Quonset hut could be used for the rear add-ons. In the image above I am using a small factory structure as a stand-in for the boiler house. 

The MWA water tower is visible for nearly 1/4 mile in most directions. At the time that I was modeling Owosso, there were no sufficient water tower models available to fit the location. To scratchbuild this tower I used a small piece of PVC tube for the body. I then calculated cone dimensions and cut the cap out of .020 styrene. For the bottom  I used a 25 cent gumball machine capsule. I then used brass and piano wire for the legs. The base flange for the main mast is a superglue cap.

Unfortunately I did not get any additional progress photos of this build. In the next picture you can see the nearly completed model. There is still some additional work to be done on the roof tops. The new Owosso module will have more room for this scene so the Quonson hut may be extended to more closely represent the prototype. Once the scenery is in place, the entire structure will get some additional weathering.

The street view is compressed to the main building only since depth of the scene forced me to omit the wings.

NEW OWOSSO SECTION:

3 of the 4 new sections of the Owosso Module

  Work has begun on the new Owosso section of the layout.  I am saying section, because it became apparent that the new track configuration I chose to use did not provide a common frontier on either end.  Therefore, by definition, this is no longer a module but rather a sectional element.  In order for Owosso to become a module, I will need to incorporate two bookend sections (or at least one) that provide a common frontier to Sipping & Switching specs.
  This new version again is 24 feet in length allowing me to capture the area at roughly two thirds scale of the prototype.  This is a size that I adopted as my standard while building Durand Yard that I will try to adhere to for all signature and operational areas in order to keep car movement proportional. The new Owosso is in keeping with all builds completed after Durand Yard.
  One of the problems with expanding an existing scene that was already selectively compressed for a previous version is visual impact.  For example, I am stretching the scene considerably to allow linear space however I am still restricted by the same/original depth of scene.  In most cases this may not be an issue for the railroading aspect because you are essentially un-compressing the space, but structures are visually effected by un-proportional footprints.  In my case there have been several areas where this has become evident.  The upside however is that for every negatively impacted area has been an equally opportunistic potential for improvement.  Scenic elements that were previously omitted due to space constraints can now be added back or expanded upon.  For structures this is important because often times in our model worlds the size of the building/industry does not justify the number or volume of freight cars we try to pack onto the spurs.
  A prime example is the Midwest Abrasives complex which is a large sprawling labyrinth of  buildings.  For my original layout, this was abbreviated down to a fraction of its size trying to capture key visual elements and the general flavor of the prototype.  Tracks serving the facility were shortened, if not eliminated all together.  The new space will allow me to expand this complex back out and incorporate those previously considered elements that were too costly on space. 
  The freight house adjacent to Midwest Abrasives can also be expanded by and additional half a building length bringing it much closer to the appropriate proportional size.  
  The Owosso elevator was modeled full scale on my original layout to capture the size compared to the trains.  The G. Young Seed building on the other hand was modeled to 2/3 scale.  This worked on my original layout, but now I am regretting the decision to shrink the building.  It will be something I am ultimately willing to live with however because the remainder of the layout must take priority.  I will just keep a small baseball bat under the table for anyone who happens to come along and point out this deficiency....or that the interior of my machine shop is COMPLETE fantasy.

  Track work for the new Owosso scene started with laying out the switch templates and track for visual reference.  Utilizing the GTW track schematic, historic overhead imagery, and photographs, I began the process of stretching the scene to the new dimensions.  This was a lengthy process that went thru several variations before I was satisfied.  I was able to stretch the scene even further when I made the decision to push the Penn Central diamonds all the way to the left/north edge of the scene.  I also pushed the depot, freight house, and MWA complex all the way to the right/south edge.  I did this after realizing that two bookend sections would be necessary to tie this scene into the layout design. 

Redesigning and stretching the scene.

Adding the buildings in to ensure the track configuration will work.

  After the plan was finalized, I began building switches and placing them into their appropriate locations.  This created the need for some additional minor adjustments to ensure everything flowed correctly.     

Laying out the trackwork.  New space allows for #8 turnouts throughout.

  Once all the final adjustments were complete, I began laying track.  I started with the GTW yard which is on the front of the scene and the primary focal point.  Starting at the location of key switch clusters, I walked the trackwork out to the edges of the scene.

  Wherever possible, I like to span the joints between sections with a solid piece of track.  After the epoxy cures, I then cut the track with a razor saw.  This ensures exact alignment.

   
   As GTW yard neared completion, I began to lay out the connecting tracks to the elevator and Ann Arbor storage tracks which run along the back of the scene in front of the Woodards Furniture Co. and Owosso Iron and Metal.

  The GTW yard is completed on the right side of the module, and the Ann Arbor trackage is being installed on the left.

  A close up view of the Ann Arbor elevator tracks.  The track on the far left is the spur track to Woodard's Furniture and Owosso Iron and Metal.  Again the scene expansion did not include increased depth so modeler's license still had to be applied.  There was actually an access drive for vehicular traffic into the facility that was located between the Ann Arbor tracks and the elevator.  In addition, the space between the AA tracks and the Woodards spur was a two lane street.  I will be modeling it as a single lane industrial alley. 

  After a group discussion with all my friends....they were both there....we determined that this scene would be best operated from both sides rather than only from the front / GTW side as originally intended.  This means that a backdrop will be omitted obviously, but also opens up opportunity for including more of the local switching for the Ann Arbor. 

  A look from the opposite end of the Ann Arbor tracks.  The spur on the right going off the table is the Valley Lumber lead which was located behind Woodards.  There will be an extension build at a later date which attaches to the scene that will allow Valley Lumber to be represented by two staging tracks.