My layout is freelanced with a heavy influence from moden day New Jersey. Are there any building kits out there that resemble warehouses or industrial buildings from NJ? I’m having a hard time finding anything that isn’t a steam/old era building model. Specifically I’m looking for things like warehouses, track-side buildings and industries that would have a lot of semi trailers around it.
Here’s one option, if you can find them: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/533-871002
You can also look at some of the Great West Models kits: http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=&scale=&manu=great+west+models&item=&keywords=&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=30&Submit=Search
You did not mention the scale and timeframe you are modeling. Reading between the lines, I guess you are into the more modern era - like 70s or more recent, and like most new modelers in HO scale???
The Pikestuff line of buildings represent “pre-engineered” metal buildings that first appeared in the 1960s. Companies like Butler and General Steel are a couple of real world companies that make these.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=Structure&scale=H&manu=Pikestuff&item=&keywords=&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=300&Submit=Search
That being said, a lot of brick factory buildings have lasted from the turn of the 20th century into the 21st; so some brick buildings would also be appropriate form industrial NJ. As an example, Walthers Quality Investment Casting is an old brick building that has been modernized
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3751
Well, I would assume that modern warehouses or industrial buildings in NJ look similar to such buildings in other parts of the country. The generic buildings that others have linked or mentioned are good choices. Of course, not every old building has been razed and replaced with modern buildings, so a mix of old and new would look realistic.
To answer your specific question here are some other options:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-2917
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3192
Modern warehouses tend to be big. A good way to represent bigness in a confined space that is often required by our layouts is using a thin three sided structure that protrudes only 2 to4 inches out from a backdrop. This gives the illusion of depth since our eye does not see the 4th wall. The Pikestuff kits lend themselves to kitbashing in this way, and the same could be done with any of the modern structures linked above. You could also scratch build a simple three sided building with styrene sheets from Evergreen or other suppliers, or from simple cardstock, which would work better for simulating concrete walls rather than metal.
Atlas markets a structure kit called “Middlesex Manufacturing Co”. The model is based on a portion of the Helm Tobacco complex in Helmetta, NJ. The building still stands, and is adjacent to the Conrail Amboy Secondary track, (Former PRR Camden and Amboy).
The complex was still used until the '90s, and was slated to be converted to residences.
https://secure.atlasrr.com/mod1/printItem.asp?ic=0721&eq=&Tp=
Hi
I cannot help with the location.
Idustrial buildings from the steam era are still in use today.so are of use on your model.
Industrial architecture is very much function over form so HO industries made by European manufacturers may well be of use.
More often than not if you want a particular building say from your home area you have to scratch build or bash it.
Some of the pike stuff buildings may be of use.
Even some of the Hornby or Bachmann Branchline industrial low relief structures may be of use these last two if you can find them in the US may be expencive.
regards John
BigBlueConrail
Lots of great suggestions so far for kits, but if they don’t fit your needs then scratchbuilding can give you what you want, as others have suggested.
You could start by getting some pictures of the buildings that you want to model, including some close ups of construction details. Google Earth could also give you some overhead shots to show roof detail. You can determine dimensions by using references like a ‘man’ door or loading bay which have predictable sizes, and scaling out the height of walls etc. from those references.
There are an abundance of scratch building materials available. If you aren’t sure what to use then show us the pictures and we can give you lots of suggestions for what to use and how to use them.
Scratch building can be very satisfying! Give it a try!
Dave
Theres alot of great suggestions in this thread, thanks for them! I wish many of those kits mentioned were still made since there seems to be a lack of stuff actually out there to easily buy now. I may just end up scratch building something as recomended. Thanks again for the help!
Ummmm, not necessarily. The OP mentioned buildings with a lot of trailers around. If he is thinking of the facilities that are along the New Jersey Turnpike, I don’t think he envisions old mixed with new, nor the Pikestuff pre-fab buildings. What they have are large, single story, concrete structures with 20 or 30 roll up doors for trailers to back up to, sometimes along more than one side of the building.
OK, as a first run approximation, here’s an Bing view of an area of North New Jersey (a little south of Newark Airport) with a reasonable amount of post-1960s large industrial buildings - as you can see the buildings are fairly large, and would best be modeled severly compressed or, better yet, as backdrop buildings (or both). Buildings are functional, somewhat plain, especially on the sides facing rail spurs - windows are often kept to a minimum, as big windows for natural lighting like older factories had is no longer really required due to widespread adoption of flourescents - the windows may be present at the front “corporate” entrance, but not the working sections. Looking at those, I am sure you (the OP) can see how to use plain styrene or card to fashion the walls and flat roof. Oddly, this area doesn’t seem to have too many metal ‘Butler’ buildings similar to the Pikestuff corrugated ones, but speaking of Pikestuff, you’ll need to buy Pikestuff (or eqiuvalent) loading dock roll-up doors and metal personal doors by the gross.
Such buildings are also good candidates for the now-mainstream modeling techique of photo-print - take images (or find them on the web) of prototype doors, entrances, fixtures, etc, scale and print them on high-quality paper (or have decals made), and afix to the building walls.
The building color pallete, as can be seen, is somewhat limited, seems mostly to run white, beige, tan, greys, and the roof colors too run somewhat limited tan-grey-black. No Plasticville garish pinks and pastel blues here - not even at the “Gentlemens” club (Lookers - with a diner attached! Explain that to your wife if she catches you parked there) at the corner of Division & Dowd. Also, not too many brick structures, but quite a few concrete blocks ones (often the block is covered in a sort of stucco, painted tan or beige of course). There’s actually lots of details around the buildings
That is a major set back in modeling today’s box concrete industry buildings like you see.
Most of the suggested buildings would look odd with a 50’ FBOX at its dock since these buildings are simply to cotton picking small for the modern boxcar or reefer.[:(]
All is not lost.[:D]
Thankfully today’s box concrete industry buildings can be easily scratchbuilt by using mattboard and entrance and dock doors from Pikestuff-a dock is not needed on the buildings.A large storage tank or silo could be used for raw material shipped in tank cars or covered hopper.
Hi!
Years/decades ago, finding the right structures was relatively easy as there wasn’t all that much to choose from - unless you had lots of bucks (FSN, etc.) and/or liked building stick by stick (various wood model mfg). Sooo, you were left with the plastic offerings of Revell, IHC (and its relatives) and so on.
Today, we are blessed with a multitude of kit and built manufactures. The premier (IMHO) for plastic kits is Cornerstone, and for build ups I would say Woodland Scenics and Cornerstone. But there are soooo many other mfgs out there - especially with laser cut offerings. The downside is not all are advertised (like cornerstone/woodlandscenics) a lot.
I found that doing advanced searches on the Walthers website opened up a lot of doors to finding excellent and little known manufacturers. One that I really like is BTS (Better Than Scratch). But there are so many others, that only come to the surface if you do various searches on Walthers, Ebay, or even Google.
Check out Pikestuff building kits. They produce some very simple, realistic steel sided buildings that can be kitbashed into what ever you want. I’m building a UPS warehouse/sorting plant out of a few of them right now.
If I may.
While these are indeed nice buildings they leave a lot to be desired as they come since they’re more fitting for nonrail served industries.
But…
At their prices 2 kits can be combined to make a supper nice rail served industry.A storage tank or bulk silos and you have at minimum a 2 car spot industry.
Also keep in mind you can kitbash or mix two buildings together… I used the Magic Pan bakery and the Ford Tool stamping plant to make a much bigger bakery building.
Larry, take a look at them. They are perfect for what the OP is looking for. These are exactly what a lot of modern warehouses look like. Kits come with loading docks for trucks, with huge doors for freight cars etc. [*-)][%-)]
Larry, take a look at them. They are perfect for what the OP is looking for. These are exactly what a lot of modern warehouses look like. Kits come with loading docks for trucks, with huge doors for freight cars etc.
Actually I have used those buildings in the past and still think modern cars dwarfs those building as they are and that’s why I recommend combining two kits or scratchbuild a concrete box structure from mattboard and use Pikestuff doors…
This looks awesome and is exaclty the type of building I am looking for, where did you buy those kits to make that?
Thanks again to everyone giving their input in this thread. Alot of great info so far!
They are good industrial buildings but: NONE of them are in stock with no arrival expectations.