Another Shipyard Build

Ojaste

Last spring I "official" retired and was looking for something to do. The job jar was as empty as it was going to be and I needed some way of keeping busy. My wife suggested and encouraged me to return to model railroading. (I think she did that so i would stay out of her way.) I jumped in with two feet and did a whole bunch of reading and watching YouTube trying to decide what to model.

I'm not really interesting modelling a prototype and think freelancing is the way to go. There was tons of things to get the workroom cleaned up and decide how much space I could use. I must have done 1000 layouts and could not come up with a theme or era that interested me. Well not until I found the Sierra West web site. I fell in love with the models and the details and was inspired to to build one of Brett's structures. This gave me the theme(s) I needed. I love wood and the sea. I made the assumption the Shipyard was built in the 1900-1920's and was still operating in the early 1970's is when I first started model railroading. So my era is around 1973, when I got married, and I still remember seeing shipyards, schooners, steam and diesel and saw mills had not yet been modernized; he says with a hopeful smile.

The Shipyard as Foss Landing was the ideal structure and industry to base the layout. It has ships, wood and sea, what else would I want? So I order it and after awhile it showed up on the doorstep. I read and re-read the instructions highighting the keep points and went on a shopping spree getting all the things I needed to build the structure. After the spree my wife still supported me getting into the hobby again. (Sounds too good to be true.)

I have to say, if you didn't know anything about building structures, building The Shipyard will give you everything you could possibly want to know about it. It is a "master" class in structure building. I found Paul Smulders posting the best possible source in helping me build the Shipyard structure. I studied every step, re-reading it multiple times and I thank Paul for doing that. I just can't see how he has the patience to to it over such a long time.

I was inspired through Paul's posting to document my build of the Shipyard in photographs. To this end I created a Facebook Page to share with my building of my layout, which the Shipyard and future Twin Mills structures play a big part of it.

If you are interested, the photographs are at these links.

The Shipyard-Main Building:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1444478522443943.1073741838.1406375389587590&type=1&l=02c4b4cde3

The Shipyard-Loading Docks:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1463164343908694.1073741839.1406375389587590&type=1&l=e1e63156c6

The Shipyard-Upper Yard Storage Shed:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1463167817241680.1073741842.1406375389587590&type=1&l=f0904561b9

The Shipyard-Derrick Dock Shed:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1463166950575100.1073741841.1406375389587590&type=1&l=9b5328fcef

The Shipyard - Saw Shed:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1471091059782689.1073741843.1406375389587590&type=1&l=95bd434439

M&K Railway main site:
https://www.facebook.com/MKRailway

When you have sometime, drop by add comments there or here. I have so much more to learn.

Marty

admin

Wow Marty, just wow. Beautiful job!

Jerry

Welcome Marty.

Was just over to your page. A very nice job. Great coloring and weathering.

Jerry

Karl.A

Welcome Marty,

Thanks for the introduction and for leading us to your pics. That really is a very nice job. Everything really turned out well.

I hope you will keep us updated with your progress as you move forward.

Ojaste

Thanks for the comments. I'm working on the diorama part and this is all new to me so I am taking my time to get the colour scheme to my liking.

PaulSmulders

Hi Marty and welcome to the forum. Your Shipyard build is coming along very nicely, I'm glad my postings have helped you out.

Paul

Ojaste

Back from the Fine Scale Expo 2013 and energized with new tips and tricks for the shipyard build. I've completed the diorama base sections of the instruction manual. You can see the photos at,

DIorama Base: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1481626898729105.1073741844.1406375389587590&type=1&l=2494dcb34b

Hopefully progress will greater over the next few weeks now that winter has come.

Marty

Ojaste

Hi,

I've now completed the Ship under construction phase of this build. It was a challenging part of the build and some day would like to re-do it to see if I could do it better.

Here is the link to where I've logged what I've done.

Ship under Construction:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1488873991337729.1073741848.1406375389587590&type=1&l=6be46ac5c7

Btw: I've starting to use some green chalks to represent the algae and sea weed. The Rembrant colours I and starting to use are:

- 201.3 - Light Yellow
- 202.3 - Deep Yellow
- 619.3 - Permanent Green Deep
- 620.3 - Olive Green
- 620.5 - Olive Green
- 627.3 - Cinnabar Green Deep
- 627.5 - Cinnabar Green Deep

\Marty

Ojaste

A bit more is done.

The Barge Derrick:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1490668787824916.1073741849.1406375389587590&type=1&l=9ee17182df

The Fence:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1490674074491054.1073741850.1406375389587590&type=1&l=76ca4d3dae

Karl.A

Fantastic work on the derrick Marty !!! You work really shows the intricacy and wonderful detail of this piece. Your construction shows what a beautiful model it is.

Very nicely done indeed.

Karl.A

KKarns

Hi Marty, just catching up on your shipyard build...great work here and did you notice Paul....he's almost done! hint, hint. I have admired all Brett's water front kits and you have done a fantastic job on this one. Thanks for posting so many really nice pictures of your progress. Ken

Ojaste

Karl,Ken,Paul thanks for your comments. I real hope other builders see what I've done and learn from my mistakes and a few of my brighter moments. I've enjoyed doing the build, but when it gets down to the "fiddly bits" it is taking me longer. It's not a race, only an adrenaline rush (or panic attack.)

So here are my latest progress pictures.

Main Dock Piling:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1498931713665290.1073741851.1406375389587590&type=1&l=796e084a13

The Steam Box:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1498938883664573.1073741852.1406375389587590&type=1&l=345e6cf1fc

The Boiler (Partial complete):
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1498942046997590.1073741853.1406375389587590&type=1&l=3b947e7afa

The Detailed Castings:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1498986480326480.1073741854.1406375389587590&type=1&l=6faa6de0a7

Where I am now is trying to fine a good way to light the diorama. Like Paul, I should have included it into the build earlier. The MicroLumina products are the right way to go but I did not get any until the FineScale Expo. I should have bought more (i.e. thin tubing.) Now I have to get stronger glasses to see AWG #30 wire, let alone solder it. I tried to find 1/32 tubing in Toronto and have yet to find a source. As matter of fact the train stores around here are discontinuing selling brass wire because of volumes and margin.

Regards,

\Marty

Ojaste

The tracks are spiked into place and I did a test run with a couple truss rod boxcars i made. I did notice the spacing between the boxcar and the dock awning was rather close and slightly crooked. When I come to glue everything in place I must remember to check it again. No the lighting has to be sorted. I've ordered the parts and now I'm in holding pattern until they arrive.



\Marty

James

Wow - great build - everything looks wonderful - love the building walls, pilings, high tide colouring, barnacles etc. that is what is great about HO - so much can be packed into a diorama. Re lighting I've been experimenting with some 3 volt DC pre-wired nano LEDs as per Woodcutters thread.

PaulSmulders

Nice work on the Shipyard build Marty, and your picture posting of the progress is superb. We must have crossed paths a few times at the Expo but never realized ...

Paul

Ojaste

hi,

Thanks for the comments James and Paul, it seems this kit is popular. Paul, I'm was the quiet one drooling over the kits while my wife kept on reminding me that we are on a budget. Anyways I managed to purchase the Logging Essential kit last month and it's next in line to be built.

it has been a few months since I posted any progress on the Shipyard. There were many distractions that kept me from the build. like waiting for the boiler to arrive. I did however keep busy building a Campbell kit (Towers Flowers) I bought at a flea market for $25. It was an interestingly complex build and helped me fill the time until the boiler came for the Shipyard. In case you are curious, here is the link to the build pictures.

Campbell Towers Flowers:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1532088133682981.1073741858.1406375389587590&type=1&l=98d0329e1e

With that build complete, the can now return to completing the shipyard diorama. The boiler has now been as complete as it is going to be until it is set into the diorama.

Boiler:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1498942046997590.1073741853.1406375389587590&type=1&l=3b947e7afa

I had begun the diorama detailing and preparations for gluing all the details in place. A number of things are still to be worked out with the electrical connections and the lighting of the main structure and the lamp posts in the yard. I now have all the parts I need and will be working on getting the lighting sorted out over the next few weeks.

Final Assembly:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1531784317046696.1073741856.1406375389587590&type=1&l=ceaa86f2d7

Regards,

\Marty

Karl.A

Coming together great Martin, you are making really nice progress on this.

Karl.A

JohnM

Marty,
I'm glad to see you are back in the saddle. I need all you folks staying out in front of me for my own guidance.
John

Ojaste

Hi, I'm back for a quick update.

Thanks for the comments Karl and John; it hurts a bit when you get back into the saddle after being off it. It took me some real motivating and thinking to figure out where I left off and what to do next. I decided to work on the lighting and get that task out of the way. It is very difficult to retro-fit lighting into a structure and many compromises had to be decided on.

For this posting, I will only show the final outcome of what I came up with. I will post all the gory steps and photographs later when I catch my breath and recover from the saddle sores.

Here is a image looking from the harbour into the shipyard. There are Micro SMD LED's on the two lamp posts, two 12V normal lights in the saw shed and a Mini LED in the Yard Masters office.


This is a view looking at the Saw shed.



The Sales Office and parking area gets well lit.



The Saw Shed and the Line Shed (it's light is dimmer by accident, but I like the look.)



Ok, the last one of the Line Shed and a boxcar to give it some interest.



That's all for now. I will post the rest when I have finished captioning them.

\Marty

shay987

looks great!

KKarns

Marty, Really looks nice. The night shots with the lights gives the thing so much character and realism. The retro fit was a nightmare I'm sure but well worth the effort..well done. Ken

LSNRwyAl

Awesome.

Karl.A

Nice job Marty ! The lit scenes were definitely worth the effort.

Karl.A

JohnM

Marty,

Your work is fantastic. By the time I get to that stage I pray you will have posted details. As would always be the case, your suggestions for a version 2.0 would be especially valuable. In so far as dimming down LEDs', do you know how to do it? I can assist if you wish. In a word, as you are most likely aware, simply increasing the R value will reduce current flow and hence brilliancy.

I love the effect ! ! !

Respectfully,
John

srankin6

Marty,
great job, lighting is superb!

Scott

Ojaste

Guys, thanks for the comments, they inspired me to stand tall in the stirrups and finish the shipyard build.

As promised here are the detailed photos for how I did the lighting.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1549353588623102.1073741859.1406375389587590&type=1&l=00c499797d

Here are the detailed photos for how I created the power pole. (Still a work in progress, i think)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1549361825288945.1073741860.1406375389587590&type=1&l=bcfa453025

And finally here is the link to the photos of the final assembly, with exception to the water, scenery, power pole wiring to main building and any other embellishments (i.e. people) I think would make the diorama interesting. Any suggestions on what to add would be useful.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1531784317046696.1073741856.1406375389587590&type=1&l=ceaa86f2d7

This I started this build on 3 Sep 2013 and its been a long fun journey. This forum has been very helpful in getting me through it.

Here are a couple "artist" photos of the shipyard to tease you to look at the more mundane ones in the M&K Facebook page.

The Sales Office scene.



The Saw Shed scene.



The Upper Yard Shed scene.



Enjoy and happy modelling.

\marty

LSNRwyAl

Wonderful.

JohnM

Marty,

That is wonderful. I can't believe you only started in September. Thank you so very much for all the photos. I am going to d/l them all and put them in a folder for reference.

Forgive me please for asking, but do you have another project underway? If so, I've undoubtedly seen it but not tied it with this in an overload of information.

Respectfully,
John

James

Omg these photos are stunning! I love good nighttime lighting. These are very evocative scenes. Fantastic work- very inspirational!

shay987

Awesome!! I realy like the B/W pics.

admin

superb!