MORRISTOWN & ERIE RAILROAD - WESTERN DIVISION

[PRR Modeler]

Frank, I can't help with the etched brass stairs but NESL has wooden stringers 11 inches long. Maybe an option is to paint them like they're made from metal?

[Erieman]

Frank, I can't help with the etched brass stairs but NESL has wooden stringers 11 inches long. Maybe an option is to paint them like they're made from metal?

Curt,


Thanks. I have been on the hunt most of the day and now have several possible suppliers. I am looking at the brass stairs because you get fine detail. The steel mill building will be about 6 inches from the front of the layout so i want as much detail and sharp detail as possible. Hopefully in the next day or two, I will have made a choice. If you look at the Walthers steel mill detail kit, you can see all the stairs that i will have to build. So much fun. i'll post my decision soon. Thanks for your help.


Frank / Erieman

[Erieman]

Good evening All,


After reviewing several manufacturers of brass stairs, i finally selected one. That's the good news. George Barrett of Sheepscot Scale Products used to build very interesting structures. He also is known for his vehicles. George also had a line of brass conveyors, crane booms and fire escapes. I used one of his fire escapes on a building that was designed and built by Bob Van Gelder. I recall the quality of the etching, but could not totally recall the manufacturer. After talking to Tom Langford and John Siekirk, my brain finally connected. I talked to George the other day to see if he had any in his stash. As luck would have it, he has four. WHEW. While this may not fill all the stair needs for the steel mill, it is a good start. Now i'll just have to keep my eye out during swap meets.


I will also be ordering some components Doug Geiger, builder of " Irene" a beautiful steel model that took him over 2500 hours. Next up will be selecting the lighting for the interior of the building. I found a circuit board that controlled two bulbs. They alternate flashing. They have been installed on the bottom of the crane to show as warning lights.


More next week.


Frank / Erieman

[jerryrbeach]

Frank,


I am glad you found at least some of the stairs you were looking for.  I wracked my brain for a possible source and never thought of George.


I keep thinking about the effort you are putting into this and am looking forward to seeing everything come together.  This is such a massive undertaking not only in size but with the effort to detail and light it realistically.  I keep visualizing this mill with all its special effects topped off by the thunderstorm in the background.  This is going to be a dynamite scene on your layout.

[Erieman]

Frank,


I am glad you found at least some of the stairs you were looking for.  I wracked my brain for a possible source and never thought of George.


I keep thinking about the effort you are putting into this and am looking forward to seeing everything come together.  This is such a massive undertaking not only in size but with the effort to detail and light it realistically.  I keep visualizing this mill with all its special effects topped off by the thunderstorm in the background.  This is going to be a dynamite scene on your layout.

Good Morning Jerry and Happy Thanksgiving,
I keep thinking the same thing. There is a lot of work with this model and one should not hurry. Details and lighting are important for sure. One can certainly spend a lot of time and money on this model. I need to keep looking at details as I build this monster. I got lucky with George's fire escapes. George did a wonderful job designing the fire escapes. Very light and detailed. Most of the other designs were heavy in design. Just being particular.  I will now have to keep looking for additional fire escapes that George made. Ebay, swap meets, etc. will need to be watched closely. At this point, I really don't know how many fire escapes I will need. One problem is that his products were really not sold out here in Arizona.
Lighting is also going to be a challenge. I have seen several detailed steel mills and lighting is certainly key. Sound effects might be interesting as well. The total scene is still being churned. Lots of things to consider.


Thanks for stopping by. If you ever see any of Georges fire escapes at a swap meet, let me know.


Frank / Erieman

[jbvb]

For the record, two companies specializing in etched parts that I regularly see at the Amherst/BigE show in W. Springfield MA are Model Memories and TrainCat Model Sales.  Bernie Kempinski's Alkem Scale Models also has etched parts, but his focus was more on scenery last I looked.  You might also want to ask for a catalog sheet from Free State Systems (if you can't find him, I can dig up the owner's contact info from a different computer tomorrow) - His signal ladders and platforms might be useful for smaller access ladders.

[Erieman]

For the record, two companies specializing in etched parts that I regularly see at the Amherst/BigE show in W. Springfield MA are Model Memories and TrainCat Model Sales.  Bernie Kempinski's Alkem Scale Models also has etched parts, but his focus was more on scenery last I looked.  You might also want to ask for a catalog sheet from Free State Systems (if you can't find him, I can dig up the owner's contact info from a different computer tomorrow) - His signal ladders and platforms might be useful for smaller access ladders.

James,


Thanks for stopping by and providing me with a few more potential suppliers. Actually, i have had several conversations with Model Memories. He no longer exhibits at the Big E. Apparently doesn't make enough money there. He has very beautiful components. I also looked at Gold Medal. After looking at what i wanted and what is being offered, i felt that the fire escapes that were built by George Barrett were the best for my situation. George did a wonderful job with the design and produced parts that have the right look. Most of the others that I looked at were quite "thick". Because the steel mill will be so close to the aisle, i wanted the fire escapes to look more to scale. Hence my decision. There are other items that I am looking at from Model Memories.


So if you go to the Big "E" in January, keep a look out for some of George's fire escapes. I may need some more. Will let you know before the end of January.


Frank / Erieman

[Erieman]

Here is a photo of the steel mill as it currently stands. The oven is almost assembled, but lacks all the details that should be included including lighting. The crane is just placed in its location and you will see several wires. They are for the lighting on the crane. There is a circuit board that will be mounted on the backside of one of the interior walls. The larger red and black wires are glued to a post and exit at the base of one of the building supports. My neighbor and I spent a couple of hours yesterday talking about lighting. once all the main structure details are added then I will aping the interior of the building. The Mud Gun and tap hole drill have been ordered. I have found several steel mill photos on Pinterest and are reviewing what details I can add to my structure. There are a lot of details and lighting that I plan on adding. Or hope to add!!!


Here is a status pic.


Frank / Erieman

[PRR Modeler]

That will be a layout highlight when complete. Well done.

[Erieman]

That will be a layout highlight when complete. Well done.

Curt,


Thank you for your kind words. The blast furnace is only one of three major structures planned for this area. The rolling mill is complete and ready for installation. The open hearth furnace is in the design stages and hopefully will be started soon. My goal is have this scene completed before the Arizona Division NMRA regional conference next September 25th - 29th. That is a lot of work in such a short time, so i need to get back to it. Thank you for stopping by.


Frank / Erieman

[CVSNE]

For the record, two companies specializing in etched parts that I regularly see at the Amherst/BigE show in W. Springfield MA are Model Memories and TrainCat Model Sales.  Bernie Kempinski's Alkem Scale Models also has etched parts, but his focus was more on scenery last I looked.  You might also want to ask for a catalog sheet from Free State Systems (if you can't find him, I can dig up the owner's contact info from a different computer tomorrow) - His signal ladders and platforms might be useful for smaller access ladders.

James,


Thanks for stopping by and providing me with a few more potential suppliers. Actually, i have had several conversations with Model Memories. He no longer exhibits at the Big E. Apparently doesn't make enough money there. He has very beautiful components. I also looked at Gold Medal. After looking at what i wanted and what is being offered, i felt that the fire escapes that were built by George Barrett were the best for my situation. George did a wonderful job with the design and produced parts that have the right look. Most of the others that I looked at were quite "thick". Because the steel mill will be so close to the aisle, i wanted the fire escapes to look more to scale. Hence my decision. There are other items that I am looking at from Model Memories.


So if you go to the Big "E" in January, keep a look out for some of George's fire escapes. I may need some more. Will let you know before the end of January.


Frank / Erieman

Frank,


It probably wouldn't be too difficult to convince Bernie to etch some stairs that would fit your needs. He's working on doing some "ladders" (ie. "stairs") for a ship model he's planning - and he's a pretty devoted steel mill modeler - even wrote a book on the subject.


Marty

[NKP768]

Try Ken Hamilton's Wildhare models - at one time he produced an HO scale fire escape.

Doug

[Jerry]

Frank a fine job your doing on this layout.

Jerry

[Erieman]

While rummaging around in my parts drawers, I came across the extra parts from a fire escape that i purchased from George Barrett of Sheepscot Models. There are three steps, several railings and floor grates. These parts only confirmed my decision that I had made the right decision for the fire escapes. They are very well designed and delicate. They are going to look great. Now I have to wait for the postman to deliver the fire escapes. Then I can continue with the oven details.


I have had to change the way I was running the electrical wires for the crane blinking lights. Originally I was going to mount the circuit board in the building structure. Well, the light wires are long enough that they can run down the column and thru the floor surface. What a relieve to know that the wires will be totally hidden.


I have another issue that I have been debating. The standard roofing material provide by Walthers are plastic panels molded with black plastic. Using the  plastic panels would imply that the roofing material is about 9 inches thick. So much for that idea. More digging in my parts drawer revealed a couple of choices for the metal roofing. Besides the typical corrugated aluminum, i found some paper corrugated material. I purchased this material in a hobby shop in Houston several years ago. I used the material on the build of East End Market. The paper corrugated is a good scale for the steel mill roofing. It is also much larger than any corrugated aluminum material. I primed the paper corrugated sheet and let it dry. I will be experimenting with pigments tomorrow to see how I can simulate rusted steel. The back of the sheets will be primed and painted either black or rust. TBD after I complete the front portion of the steel simulated sheet. I'll take a couple of pictures to show you the results.


Frank / Erieman 

[ACL1504]

Frank,

Glad you found more parts for the stairs on the mill.

I agree that most plastic kit roofs are way out of scale/thick. The corrugated paper seems like a great solution. Looking forward to seeing how it looks.

I think I've only used a plastic kit roof once. It's all part of making the model look realistic and less a toy.

Tom