I bought the Walthers Cornerstone Clayton County Lumber kit today at the LHS. I got it all built, it was very easy and fun. The kit looks good but I got a few questions on it. What colors should I use to paint it (and weather)?, what things should I put inside it to super detail it?, has anyone put lighting it this kit, if so how?, and if any one could, if you have used this kit and have it on your layout and stuff could you please post pics? Thanks Mike
Wow, no one has anything…I will also post this on the other MR forum. Mike
I do not have this on a layout and I am fairly new to the model railroading world, but just have a little patience. Being the summertime, many people are not into the trains as much and may not be checking the forum as often. As long as I have been on here, questions have always been answered eventually. Hope you find answers to your questions.
Mike
I’m using the same kit. It is not on my layout right now, but the office building will be used as the main office for my shortline. Weathering has not been done yet, but I plan on getting some sort of smudgy gray/brown color and ground up rust colored chalk for the weathering. The chalk will be applied with some water along the eaves and then sprayed with dullcote.
If you go to your original post and click “Edit,” you can change the Subject of the post. I’d suggest something like “Painting and Weathering Suggestions for Lumber Company.” You limit your audience by specifying this particular kit, while your question is considerably more general than just for this kit.
Most of my buildings are brick, but I’ve got a few wood-sided ones. I painted one of them a mustard yellow, which came out well. It’s a brighter color, but still muted and toned down enough to look like it belongs around a railroad. Moss green is another possibility. Depending on the rest of your layout, gray might not be bad either. (My layout has a lot of gray granite, gray stone walls, gray ballast and gray asphalt roads, so I avoid gray for structures.)
Is this a wood-sided building, or is it more like sheet metal? Also, what’s the location and era of your railroad? All of these will have a bearing on what colors are appropriate.
Its a galvanized metal building. It would be light grey or an “aluminum” color with some rust stains. Or you could model it as a painted building, in which case it would be whatever color you want. Reddish brown/barn red paints are cheap so that would be alikely color. The roof would be metal.
There is a color picture on the box.
Its a lumber yard. Detail it with stacks of lumber and building materials. Go to a lumber yard and look at it. Do that.
Dave H.
It is a sheet metal building, I am modeling the PRR in the counrty in Northern Ohio, and the era is 1950’s and early 1960’s. Mike
My experience with lumberyards in general, and rail served yards in particular, is that they don’t go in much for neatness or sprucing things up. Here in Wisconsin the temperature extremes of the seasons take their toll on both wood and metal. But at some point of course every building has to have been new.
Dave Nelson
Spent a lot of time at lumber yards, and worked at one for a couple years too.
You can’t get away from the thousands of metal bands cut from bundles of lumber, they’re everywhere.
Lots of scrap blocks used to keep lumber bundles off the ground, and so forktrucks can get under them too.
Lots of forktrucks.
Giant radial arm saw and/or table saw with a mountain of sawdust next to it. Saws seem to universally have massive cast iron bases, and long feed ramps on either side. Barrel or two of cutoff scraps.
Lumberyards typically aren’t open at night, so lighting tends to be more for security than safe operation. (real fun when we pulled OT building a rush order of trusses, you haven’t lived till you’ve raced around with overloaded forks in complete darkness)
Some fire extinguishers and hoses would be nice. “No Smoking” signs.
Usually a letter or number designation for each side of long storage canopies, on the ends of the building, usually white signs with black letters a foot or so high.
Many carry stuff besides lumber too, concrete blocks and sacks of cement are popular.
Couple/three tiltbed flatbed trucks for deliveries.
Stout stumpy guy with a cigar is pretty much mandatory. He usually has a clipboard and hollers orders from near a No Smoking sign.
Not much in the way of landscaping, fencelines are often tall with weeds.
Maybe a guardhouse/checkpoint where customers check in and out with loads.
Lumber stacks are usually arranged according to type, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, etc, and within each group,they run in two foot length increments, except for the size you need, which is always on the other side of the yard. However many bundles are in a stack, only the top one has the plastic cut off, to keep the weather away from the lower bundles as long as possible.
Fences tend to be taller upfront, where trucks could pull in at night to steal lumber. Back fences seem to be lower, less chance of peop