General Tire Akron - Original Plant Build

[SAH]

You're not the first to ask about lighting Lee, but no, not part of the plan.  Lighted buildings are a crowd pleaser for sure but a distraction for me.

Here's the pilaster overlay cut out.  The original plan was to make 6 of these to build up the pilaster and cornice.  + and - to this approach vs. the one I took, but either technique would work I think.


The middle overlay installed.  I colored the edge on the pilaster base with a black Sharpie to give me some wiggle room when placing the overlays. 


All three overlays are installed.  I'll give the elevation a spray coat of artists fixitive and add the windows and doors.  From then on it's details, details, details.


I realize this build is pretty much old school.  Passe even, given it's all about 3D printers today.  Every technology has it's purpose in the toolbox though.  For building large structures cheaply I don't think you can beat printed paper.

[Chris333]

Just imagine how long it would take to pick out random bricks to paint a contrasting color. 

[SAH]

The parapet walls and rolled roofing have been installed.  Installed on the layout the roof is somewhat visible, depending on how tall one is.  The back side of the front  parapet wall not at all.  I may model the sealant between the wall and roof on the side walls only.


Modeling the parapet wall coping is more of a challenge.  The early photos indicate tile coping was used.  Search parapet wall tile coping for lots of photos.  I think I've hit on something that will work.  If you're old enough to remember the days before the state of California determined nearly everything might cause cancer, you might remember the foil wrap at the top of wine bottles had a substantial feel to it, almost like sheet lead.  Maybe it was, I don't know.  Anyway, like all alert model railroaders I saved some 'cause you never know, this stuff might come in useful someday.  That was 40+ years ago.  The day has arrived. 


I created a form onto which a strip of the foil is pressed and nudged to conform.  The foil is malleable and holds it's shape nicely.   The coping shown in the photo took less than 5 mins to finish.  Heavy duty aluminum foil might also work.  Now to make enough for a good test fit.  We will see.

[mu26aeh]

Anyway, like all alert model railroaders I saved some 'cause you never know, this stuff might come in useful someday.  That was 40+ years ago.  The day has arrived. 

And I immediately imagined you acting like this
 

[SAH]

Good one.   

The reaction, not so much.  My basement stock is much more organized than shown in the clip, primarily so I can find the damn thing I know I have "somewhere".  To the point where when we lived in a townhome community I was "the guy" sought out by fellow residents when something broke and a fix was needed.  After looking at the offending item the stock reply was "Hmmm.  I think I have something in the basement that will work."  And I usually did, to the delight of my neighbors.  No big deal.   

The reality is wall coping was the use that came to mind when I started saving this stuff.  It just took 40+ years for a model building application to materialize.

[SAH]

Not bad.

[SAH]

Windows and doors installed.  Brick sills for the windows also installed.  Window pane covers are in progress.  More on that later in this post.


The sills add some more depth to the wall.  Use the cutter to make a black layer slightly narrower than the brick overlay.  Model Brick Yard conveniently provides the sill brick pattern but it must be cut from the sheet by hand.  After doing so, and finding very variable cut widths, I appreciate the cutter's precision all the more.


The Tichy "glass" is fogged in a random manner.  I'm not sure if this effect is meant to be a feature or a bug.  If not addressed and installed as is, the result looks like a poor glue job IMO.  You can mitigate the fog by rubbing the sheets on a piece of cloth.  Since I did not do so for the windows at the left side of the structure I decided to insert small pieces of paper colored with alcohol markers to cover the funkiest of the fogged panes.  The cutter comes to the rescue again.  I definitely would not want to cut each piece by hand.


I think I'll build the loading dock next.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Truly amazing.

[SAH]

Thanks Ed.  Getting back to building structures has been great fun. 

[SAH]

Photos of the dock are scarce.  Perhaps non-existent.  An old postcard shows post construction like you might expect for a wood dock.  Goodyear used concrete docks for Plant #2 (early 20th Century construct) so I decided that is good enough for General.  To simplify construction I decided to enclose the face of the dock.

Here's the dock pattern in place and a dock height test fixture (behind the NYC flat car).  The pattern is scrap cardstock.  The goal is to nail down the location of the pilasters, allowing the dock to fit tightly between them.


I determined two layers of foam board, 1/4" and 3/16", plus an overlay of .015" 100 lb. Bristol board will provide the correct dock height.  More test fitting.


I put a cardstock facing on the track side edge of the dock and used the pattern to create an overlay for the dock surface.  All glued together, ready for sealing with fixative and paint with a spray bomb.  I've come to like what ModelMaster called Flat Light Aircraft Gray for concrete.  It has a warm gray tone about it and looks good to my eye.  The dock is not attached to the structure at this point of course.


The dock really pops out in the photo.  I think it will recede during the weathering process.  Plus there are still a lot more details to add, particularly on the roof, which should balance the mass of the dock.

[Sokramiketes]

Yes!  Both the Light and Dark Aircraft Grays are my go to for concrete of various ages. 

[SAH]

Yes!  Both the Light and Dark Aircraft Grays are my go to for concrete of various ages.

Do you have an equivalent color in the Vallejo, Tamiya or any other brand for that matter?  I'm down to my last can of MM.   

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Do you have an equivalent color in the Vallejo, Tamiya or any other brand for that matter?  I'm down to my last can of MM.   

Are they FS colors? It looks like it: https://www.federalstandardcolor.com/

Federal Standard 16473

[Tad_T]

Do you have an equivalent color in the Vallejo, Tamiya or any other brand for that matter?  I'm down to my last can of MM.   

[SAH]

The dock is painted and attached.  Here's a long view capturing the whole scene, along with the prototype inspiration.




I always try to consider the "next steps" in a build like this.  With the primary structure more or less complete it's time to dig into some of the delicious details this project offers.  Start with the funky Bridge of Sighs connection between the old Admin building and the original factory.  Who would design, not to mention build, something like that?!  The did and so will I.

The model photo also pointed out that the parapet wall coping on the old Admin was kind of a stand-in solution.  Now that I know how to make tile coping I think I'll redo the first pass.

Lots of dust collectors, vents and such on the roof.  The front face of the structures on the roof need to serve as handles for lifting the structure.  Should be easy to do since beneath the rolled roof is a slab of 3/4" plywood that will provide a firm mounting base.

The bulk carbon black conveying system is called out in the photo.  I've not found a better photo of this one but do have a photo of the system that served Goodyear Plant #1.  Should be a fun build all by itself.

Part of goal for this project is to finish off the plant modernization expansion.  The little guard shack in front of the old Admin is a must build.  At ground level of the bay closest to the old Admin is what looks like the employee entrance.  I missed that on the first go around.  I need a dock and dock canopy.  Roof details and I need to decide which version of the roof above the structure common to the outbound tracks (not shown in the model photo) I want to do.

Lots of fun awaits!