Quick Technique for Modeling Concrete Silos

Above is Walthers Cornerstone Medusa Cement kit known on the Woodstock Model Railroad as Schell Industries Inc located at Warwick. It comes with a series of smooth styrene sections which, when glued together, form six silos. In real life, many are constructed of concrete rings placed on top of each other to a desired height and the ring segments are visible to one's eye. How, then does one easily model the segments on a smooth styrene silo to look realistic [or reasonably so].

In pondering the above question at the work table, a roll of Frog masking tape was spied off to the side and an idea formed. Why not wrap sections of Frog [or any masking] tape around the silos with each layer overlapping just a little to form a visible ring segment? The above example shows four sections of tape wrapped on a piece of ABS pipe to demonstrate the technique. With a little care, the overlapping segments can be kept to similar widths. The Frog tape has texture and takes flat acrylic paint well which gives the concrete look as shown in the first photo.

Tuesday Night at the Huff and Puff

This was a "lighter" night for members with some away on holidays and others leaving early because of the heat and humidity. However, some work continued and the following pictures show a cross section of the evening's efforts.

This Walthers kit labelled as Schell Industries Limited was put in place near Warwick. The slogan of this Woodstock industry of the 40's and 50's was "Blox Brix Mix". It also involved Schell Transport that carried the cement products around the province and morphed into the present CBM located at the same Woodstock location across Dundas Street East from Home Building Center. A Ready Mix plant is under construction to be placed to the right of the Schell plant.

Here's Cliff and Matt discussing the detailing of the fuel depot that Matt has been installing over the past couple of weeks. It involves bulk tanks, a rail tanker car unloading platform, a tank truck loading platform, the connecting pipes and a warehouse for the bulk petroleum products like barrels, etc. 

This is a closer look at Matt's fuel depot. It includes three horizontal bulk tanks connected with piping to the tanker truck loading platform. The piping seen at the bottom of the closest tank leads off to the tank car unloading platform to the left beyond the picture. The Esso tank truck is an Ulrich Kenworth metal cab and chassis purchased in the mid 60's and fitted with a scratch built tank.

Work continued on the Wellington expansion to the right of the Zorra Cement Plant. Jim is installing a turntable at that location which, when coupled with a roundhouse, will better serve the yard already laid out to the right of this picture

Sunday fun

Rod put in the track, which he has never done before, for a siding and ballasted it. Trent ballasted a siding in Wellington. Ralph painted the rock wall on the branch line and Bill added figures and details at the chip stand, and along the front of Valleyview. Glen brough in a new building for the port area. Jim and I put up some fascia and tucked up the wires. This section of fascia is about an inch and a half higher than the track to prevent trains from falling to the floor.

Rod's siding

Trent adding ballast

rocks painted

Bill added scenery along this section

new fascia

Tuesday night at the Huff and Puff

On Sunday we added a view block to the back of the Elsewhere yard, and started ballasting it.

Then the idea came up again to add a round house and turntable to Wellington. The widest part of the aisle was chosen and a board was positioned to indicate the area to be use, so the rest of the group would have input on this extention. On Tuesday the last rock wall on the branch started taking shape.

More ground cover and ballasting went down in several areas.

A small road bridge adds some visual intrest along the lower main line. An oil dealer replaced the truck terminal, at Trent's suggestion.

A road crew works on the road near Warwick.

Bill Scheltema gave us more furniture for the lounge area. You can see it will be well used.

Tuesday night at the Huff and Puff

We were all happy to see Don come up for a visit. Good luck on your continued recovery. Cliff set up his passenger train for all to see.

Can't wait to see it rolling over the rails. Bill brought in an news stand he converted over to a Chip Stand, it has a cook slaving over the frier and a couple of waitresses.

Rick brought in fliers for new show dates and trays of small parts and hardware he has for sale. Most of the effort was on basic scenery. As pictures of Springbank, Warwick, Wellington and the Cement Plant attest.

Boeing flat cars

The derailment is at MP 165 on the 4th Sub between Cyr and the Fish Creek Trestle (just under a mile east of the trestle). All told, six aircraft bodies were involved with three in the river. 5 of the 737 bodies suffered heavy damage while the lead most plane lost the rear truck on it's flatcar carrier This derailment is going to take a day or two yet to reopen the tracks, and even then, likely will require MRL's big hook to retrieve the three planes and flatcars that went over the bank.

Sunday fun

Trent laid the rails to the engine terminal. Then painted the floor grey and after postioning the building, ballasted the area. Ralph finished up the hills at Oxford, and cleaned up the area.

The hills at the east end of the Lincoln tunnel were painted and grassed over by Rod.

Jim started wiring the cement plant yard and extended the hill line towards Wellington

Glen added a extention on a corner near Warwick and he also brought in a Grain Elevator and a couple of trucks.

I finished the trackwork to the meat plant.

Tuesday night at the Huff and Puff

Only a small crew came out, but a lot got done. Rod tried his hand at laying down plaster on some hills, with guidance from Ralph. Glen worked near Warwick and Jim added more detail at the mine. Ralph worked on the branch line scenery and I painted more mountains.

Rod's hill

Glen adds more scenery

Jim added more detail to the mine area

The Taylor Mountains

Ralph adds more scenery on the branch line