im planning on a spot for the atlas lumber yard on my layout, seeing this kit is pretty much a classic, i was wondering as to what to add or take away to make it slightly different, any detailing that can be done to improve or enhance this venerable structure?
thanks
See the latest (April) MR. There is an article about how to detail a lumberyard. The two structures are very similar.
With any model, the better you paint it (and weather it) the more it will look like it’s supposed to be there and look less like the “classic model” you see littering plywood centrals.
Create a context for it. Leave it by itself it will stand out. Put it on an industrial alley with a yard of lumber stacks and men building loads for contractor’s trucks…
I brought one cheap, mainly for the radial saw & workbench details (which are quite nice, and with a bit of modification & some decent paint, will look suitable for the interior of a woodshop I’m going to model - just replace the missing rack section on the lumber yard with some Evergreen siding).
But I think the real problem is that this is just a lumber rack, with a small shed as an office - in my experience, these lumber racks certainly existed, and kind of looked like that, but were just a part of the entire lumber yard (which around Long Island/NJ usually had a decent sized retail section, one or more lumber racks, a garage like building where they did the actual milling/cutting, and so on - this garage would keep the power tools dry, and also held the smaller stuff like molding and trim, as well as drywall and insulation, etc.). This is how Alpine Models sells their lumber yard (well, the lumber rack and the store/shed are sold as two seperate kits, so that’s not entirely true, but it once was sold as an entire lumber yard set).
The coming of the first generation of big-box (Chanel and Rickels - I think Pergement only handled paneling and molding in the lumber department) knocked out a few of these retail lumber yards, and then the second generation (to Long Island) of Lowes and Home Depot chased most of them away (or into contractor work). Leading to the modern era outdoor lumber racks of…
http://www.materialflow.com/Rack_Supported_Structures.htm
(Most home improvement centers around here keep the lumber inside on such racks, while reserving the outdoor racks for fertilizer, grass seed (next to the wild bird seed[:P]), concrete blocks, fencing etc.)
You could add a Campbell shingle roof to one or both of the buildings. Also, I’ll second the recommendation to look at the April MR. They’ve added lumber, vehicles and a chain-link fence which make a world of difference.
I add lumber in the storage racks and lumber stacks in the “yard” area…Actually this lumber mill is to small for rail service.I agree its a classic that can be found not only on plywood centrals but,layouts of all sizes…
I plan to incorporate two of the Atlas structures with several of the Walthers lumber yard structures to create a large complex. I got the first Atlas at an estate sale about 20 years ago and bought a second one recently although it is still in the box. The first one is very well done. I think they will look great as part of a large complex of mismatched structures. This is what I typically see at old lumber yards.