I think it was one of my grandkids that gave me this little lumber business and I’m getting around to seeing if it’ll work ok on my layout. I forget who made it, it’s prebuilt and painted and has a molded on base. I could cut the base off but I’m thinking about using ground goop to blend right up to the building. I’m going to maybe use an india ink/alcohol wash over the structure to dirty it up some, but I need some suggestions about what I could do with the roof to make it look better. I don’t know what the roof of the larger structure is supposed to represent. The smaller one would look great with some tissue paper/tar paper, I think.
I bought a couple of boxes of the Atlas lumber and didn’t like the color so gave them a coat of tannish color paint. They still looked too new for me so I tried a ink/alcohol wash on a pile of that.
I thought that might look ok for some lumber that had been left stacked outside for a while but not for all of it.
Anyway, any suggestions for the building would be appreciated.
It all depends on your era/ time frame as to when this lumber yard was inoperation. Even back in the late 50s and early 60s, Most of the roofs shown would have been asphalt shingle due to the pitch. A nice touch could also be weathered corregated roofing and rolled roof on the out building. As for all the lifts of outside lumber, unless the lumber company wasn’t busy, most stacks/ lifts about the yard, if not covered, wouldn’t have any greying/ weathering showing. Off to the side somewhere you could have these greyed stacks of cull lumber for an effect. Cull lumber is usually all the castoffs that they couldn’t pass off on to the customer or it was a grade of utility lumber lumber that was received. This is generally onlt the stock that would stay around long enough to weather.
When you get into the late 60s and 70s, most all lumber was delivered with the lifts covered. All excess stock not moved to sell would remain wrapped. Some lumber yards would even peel back the wrap and still have it as a cover.
An added focal point to this lumber yard could also be a few stacks/ lifts of lumber built up from scale wood. The only thing you need to do is try to make all the plastic look as good as the “slightly” discolored real thing.
If your era allows, centerbeams, would fit great. If you model a period in the 50s, then loaded flats or bulkhead end flats would be your cars servicing the yard.
I mention this as to a customer of many lumber yards spanning the country over 30 years. Where does the time go… Well at least most of my product hasn’t changed much, just harder to find that good old wood.
Thanks for all the good information, I appreciate the help. Have you got an idea of what the roofing material on the large building is supposed to represent with those raised ‘sections’ on it like that?
Wow, the poor little Atlas Lumber Yard has been getting quite the attention on this forum over the past few days
If you haven’t already, start with This Forum Thread (by comparing posting times, it should have been up on the first page when you started this topic).
Consensus is that since the kit was from the 1950s, it should be good for a period of a few decades before that - although I believe the (outdoor) radial saw would be from the late 1930s-early 1950s period.
I agree that India ink washes are great for giving that over-all dirty look. As far as looking more like the real world, I feel that every structure kit or built up needs a good dirtying!
I too have this yard building and put a “roll-roofing” look on the roof with a gloss black paint and mineral roofing material from Az Rock and Mineral Co. For the most part; a tar paper, roll (salvage), metal or shingled roof would fit most any area.
As for rolling stock that serviced yards, let us not forget the boxcar. Lumber was still being delivered to yards (at least here in MN) in boxcars as late as the late 1980’s. And even though this is a bit on the foggy side for me; I seem to remember a boxcar being unloaded at a yard in the Twin Cities sometimes in the early 1990’s.
Jarrell,Allow me to throw a monkey wrench into the works.[:O]
First,I would think twice about spotting a 72 foot centerbeam car in front of that lumber yard.
I would not hesitate to spot a 50 foot boxcar there.Why? The centerbeam would drawf the lumber bay whereas the boxcar would look more at home and lumber is still being shipped in boxcars.
As far as weathering why ruin a gift from your grand kids?
However,since you ask…As far as the roof I would use either Poly S Grimy Black or Old Silver followed with streaks of rust-I would make a wash so I could rust the roof seams.
As far as the building its self and realizing in the real world all buildings are not filthy.A wash of dark tan followed by a coat of dullcote should tone the building down.For the office dark brown followed by a wash of dullcote should suffice.
Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I think now that I’ll try painting the large buildings roof a new looking ‘tin’ color and then try my hand at weathering it some with a rust color. The smaller buildings roof is corrugated (sp?) metal so it may get purty near the same treatment. Larry, you’re right on the rolling stock. I shoved a Loooooonng flat bed in front of it and it just don’t look right… [:)]
Needs another building with it to sell hardware as hardly anyone had just a building out in the open with lumber. Also needs a security fence around and a couple pickups the customers have drove up in . maybe somebody loading boards. Don’t forget a shed fot cement and morttar and other bagged goods. In effect a building supply outfit.Back in the fifties many small towns had such lumber yards.
I’m planning on getting all the buildings in these 2 pics to make my lumber scene with. The Atlas kit should fit right in. Note the size of the center beam park in front.
(did you get that PM I sent you on the mortar lines?)
