Berrigan's Boat Works Foreground Structure from Full Steam Ahead R.G. Shinnie Kit

The foreground building that helps make up the larger Berrigan's Boatworks facility was made using Full Steam Ahead's "R.G. Shinnie Boatworks" kit offering.  This is a wonderful waterfront kit that offers the modeller many choices as to placement of docks, dormers and other various aspects of the structure.

Before going into greater detail on the foreground structure, I would like to share with you this image of the background structure that will help make up the full facility.  It is located on the far side of the tracks up against the backdrop.  The lefthand side of the structure was made from the Foscale Winger Paper Bag kit and the righthand side of the structure was scratchbuilt using some of the parts from the foreground kit I will be sharing with you below!  Yes, robbing Peter to pay Paul, if you will.

Back to the foreground kit now. I followed Joe Rutter's directions as to bracing all the walls before glueing them together. Bracing is necessary when constructing wooden walls as paint and glue will warp the walls over time if they are not properly braced.

Note how I've chosen the cedar shakes alternative although the kit did offer the modeler the choice of that or clapboard siding. Two large windows on the back of the structure were not needed, so I boarded them up and used the windows on the background addition which you can see in the image below.

The roof shingles are now in place on the foreground structure.  It is a lot of fun placing the foreground structure in different locations in front of the background one just to get a sense of how things may look.

This additional dock area with an overhang will be the area where smaller boats can be worked on.  The kit offers all the templates to construct this great looking add-on.

Jigs are offered in the kit for all the dock areas.  This jig has holes for the pilings.  They certainly aid in the alignment of the pilings.

The finished  two-level decking for the front of the structure is looking nice.  I pre-painted all the strips of wood first before creating the dock work.  Then I ran a wash of black over top the wood pieces to give that weathered look.  I prefer doing this method before making the decks.  A jig for the smaller stairs was also provided in the kit.

In this image we check out the stairwell at the side of the building.  Its supports are angled into the wall and are not really visible in this image.

The structure placed on some basswood in order to determine its necessary height.  This is the structure pretty much completed.  A lot of scratchbuilding will be necessary to place it on the diorama.

And...here we see some of the scratchbuilding necessary to help create the feel of a waterfront industry. 

This structure is the new addition to the scene.  The kit is Full Steam Ahead's R.G. Shinnie Boatworks and it offers a lot of scenic details to help add a waterfront dimension.  I have the structure resting up on some basswood to help determine the appropriate height I want for my future diorama.

Viewed from another angle, you can see the great options this kit offers.  All the docks and tires are included as is the life preserver on the building wall.  I really like the character the two upper roof dormers and the side staircase bring to the scene. 

Remember me "imagineering" the scene (here with the foreground structure nowhere near completion)?

Well, I think I've set upon this juxtaposition of the two structures to help make up the scene.

More scratchbuilding is done on the diorama.  No, the water is not in as yet, but the Boston and Maine GP9 "Bluebird" is checking out the scene as it passes behind the foreground building known as Berrigan's Boatworks!

There will be a detailed thread on the overall construction of the diorama.  Keep a lookout for it in the links to the right! 

Also, to view an in-depth version of this build at the Railroad Line Forum, copy and paste the link below into your address bar above

http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30198

 Have a super day!  Mike Hamer

Berrigan's Boat Works Background Structure Evolves from Foscale Kit Winger Paper Bag Co.

Foscale's backdrop buildings are excellent offerings for my current needs as I am planning a shelf layout to be built along the walls of my crew lounge. The shelf will be 16 inches deep. Berrigan's Boat Works began with the Foscale Kit #17 Winger Paper Bag Company. A friend scanned the sign and I reworked it to name the structure after my friend, Gerry Berrigan.

I like the look of this stucture with its slight changes to the elevation seeing how the section to the lower left juts out a bit. The loading dock and its concrete supports are interesting as well and the triangular peak on the roof certainly adds visual interst.

A front view showcases the windows, doors and overhang. While this building really appeals to me, I want Berrigan's Boat Works to be a larger facility so I decided that a scratchbuilt extension would be in order.

Let's step back in time and review the making of the kit.
Here is the original set of instructions that came with the Foscale kit known as the Winger Paper Bag Co.

First step, brace the sides and paint the interior to help prevent warping.

Rather than paint the exterior walls, I gave a wash of white acrylic.
By giving washes, you can always add more until you achieve the desired results.
If you paint directly on, it is more difficult to remove the paint if you feel you used too much.

Paint the windows and doors.

Here's a great little tool for snipping the details off the sprues.

Very little residue is left as this tool allows you to get in really tight.

A trusty burnishing tool to press down on the lettering.

I like the desired effect.

A closer look at the burnishing tool.

Why not place the building with other background structures I've already finished?

Rearrange things a bit.

Yup, I really like the appearance of the Winger Paper Bag Co. now referred to as Berrigan's Boat Works.

I want a railroad spur to work Berrigan's and I thought that the short loading platform offered in the kit was more for vehicular traffic, so this interesting extension was born!

To create this add-on, I took parts from a variety of kits I had hanging around on the shelves. The wall section was easy...it is one clapboard wall from the Bar Mills' "I-Kit". I wanted unique doors and larger windows, so I robbed them from a Full Steam Ahead kit I will be building. The kit is the R.G, Shinnie Boatworks and I am not too concerned with one wall of that kit missing its windows and doors as that wall section will be the back wall of the structure and will never be seen by viewers in the room. The roofing came from leftovers in another Bar Mills kit and the beautiful loading dock is a Ed Fulasz plaster offering.

Some of the loading dock detail can be seen here. I haven't glued any of the detail parts to the model just yet...only placed it for the photograph. I will eventually create some steps to join the upper ramp with the lower one.

A 45 degree angle view of the completed structure. I really like the look of the extension as is fits in nicely with the original building.

I am really excited about how this amalgamation of kits and kit parts turned out and I know the Berrigan Boat Works will make a wonderful contribution to my new shelf layout! Have a great day!  Mike Hamer

To view a more in-depth account of this build at the Railroad Line Forum, paste the link below into your address bay above.

http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=27442

Full Steam Ahead - Freight House & Supply

A friend, Ron Newby, is building a series of modules for a portable railroad he showcases at train shows and he needed some building completed before a specific show deadline. I offered to do one for him and I selected a structure from a manufacturer whose kits I had not worked with before. Full Steam Ahead is a company based in Ontario which produces laser cut structure kits and ships them in these beautiful cigar style boxes with a lovely imprint of a steam locomotive on the cover. I was exited to try out a new kit from a new manufacturer.

The kit is a freight house and supply structure that would be a perfect fit on any model railroad. Opening the front and back covers of the instruction manual provides you with a fine example of how the finished product appears.

Ron gave me the liberty to select any colour scheme of my liking, so I chose to paint the structure in Boston and Maine colours, of course! Depot Buff and Maroon. The image above shows a faded and aged railroad shed where the maroon has turned to a more brownish colour - a nice combination in my books!

I painted the wall sections using an acrylic colour called 'sand' and a trim colour called 'coffee bean' over top a maroon base. Note the grooves along the top of the wall sections. These are cleverly designed to allow for the roof rafters.

A great feature of this kit are the many loading docks that surround the structure. I chose to add supports front and back creating an 'x' formation. Staining with an alcohol and ink combination provides a weathered look to the wood.

Another nice feature to this kit is the inclusion of rafter supports. Above you can see the rafter tails after having been applied with the kit in an upside down formation. Note the wraparound nature of the decking.

Here is a three-quarters view of the completed structure with many of the detail parts on the loading docks.

The structure as seen from another view. I particularly like the stairs leading from the dock to the ground.

Finally, a side view showcasing the nice sign that comes with the kit. Now that it's done, off it goes to Ron for his modules. It was a joy putting together this kit and I must congratulate Joe Rutter from Full Steam Ahead who has made such a lovely kit!

To see a more detailed account of this project with many more images, check out the link below to the Railroad-Line Forum thread I created.

http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26388

To visit Full Steam Ahead's website...

http://www.fullsteamahead.ca

Here are some pictures that my friend, Chris Lyon, snapped of the finished model on Ron's module.

I like how Ron has detailed the scene.

Lots of little "doodad" items bring the property to life.

Nice view from the side.

A front view.

A close-up from the vantage point in front of the module...this shot taken before the detailing of the area.

Nice side-on view.

From above.

Like the vehicle and the little people.

Looks like business is brisk.

Ron is talented when it comes to module construction and finish.

I'm proud to have been able to build this structure for my good friend Ron.

An aerial view.

From the back of the module.

Thanks for checking in on this fun project.  Have a fantastic day!

To view an in-depth account of this project at the Railroad Line Forum, paste the link below into your address bar above.

http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26388