Diorama: Ship Dock with Buildings

So, I am making a trade for some Steam Loco detail parts, that must be drawn and printed 3D, to finish my NP Mikado project. One of our own here on Trainboard is a master at drawing 3D stuff for Shapeways, just by seeing a picture.

He has a huge Shapeways store with hundreds of items, and for every item for sale, believe me, he had drawn up another couple thousand that did not make it to the store due to minor flaws or other potential printing mishaps. Some of his drawings are so big, that purchasing a print is cost prohibitive, so he don't even have one for himself. I was lucky enough to identify one that I could laser cut, and it's right in my budget.

So Walter has printed some beautiful ships, but has not printed the cost prohibitive dock with buildings he wanted to go with the ships, and this is a project just up my alley, so this is what I got so far:



I am using Walter's drawing, but am making subtle changes to it. What he said was the dock up front is for 2 ships, and the dock in back is for trucks to take on cargo. What I modified is I added a rail loading area off one of the buildings in back to support loading two 40' boxcars, and I made a diorama base, (the dock will be removable so he can plant it on his own layout and use the diorama base as a pier drilling and scenery elevation template) that has the scenery elevation transition from shore to water.




The other mod I made was to change his pier design to match the Micro Trains Line of laser cut waterfront structures, so he can use those around his new layout and have a perfectly matching waterfront scene, and move his boats around to any of them as desired.

 

It's all plywood so far.

 

It was a wonderful modeling day out in the garage. It was sunny and 80 degrees, so my diorama base dried in an hour from laying track, ballast, beach sand, painting the water, and spraying a quick gloss coat on the water. While that was drying I drew up the first structure sides, and cut them. The tabs fit in the dock slots perfectly, so no wasted wood. I tested the height of the rail at the loading dock, and it was perfect, doors on the boxcar and structure lined up and looked good, although I cannot say the same for the look of the inside of the AZL boxcar:


The extra burn marks are by design, so the structure gets pre-weathered with the laser. There will be a stairway between the two structures, and the structures will be offset:

Well, that's about all for now. Time for supper!

 

I used a drop of black floquil in dio-sol thinner as a wash. Can't use weather-it or any of the india ink style washes because alcohol absorbs water and anything water based warps while drying.

 

Today I drew up the second building, and painted the first. I also cut black construction paper as an interior liner so light don't leak through and so any missing boards or splits can show the tarpaper underneath:



And that's all for today, it's 90 degrees in the garage.

 

A bit more progress, same as yesterday, but with the other structure, interior blackout and painting. Also, I cut and applied warehouse doors to both structures. I cut the dock ladders and applied around the parameter of the dock, in case someone fell in the drink, and wanted to get out of the water fast:


Then before the backside photo, I wanted to stage my AZL boxcar, but COULD NOT like the interior floor at all, so I went off on a tangent to fix that boxcar, so out with that stupid big ol, biggy biggy B'giggy car weight and giant round head screw. I folded 4 grams of lead weight for each car end, and glued where you can't see them inside, then grinded the plastic thinner in the center so the floor looks better:


Then I painted on some glue, and sprinkled dark rust powder on the floor so looking inside the boxcar, through it's door, it don't show a giant slab of steel car weight, and an enormous round head screw anymore:


And a bit of weathering, and the AZL boxcar is now presentable to stage on the track at the backside of the diorama. That's how an empty boxcar floor should look, dirty, a bit rusty, with debris on the floor. Compare it with the 4th photo in this topic and see the difference a bit of work on that boxcar makes in a scene:



I also embellished Walt's design a bit and added the bumpout room on the blue building end. I'm going to have a ladder down to the water level on it, for night time covert rowboat smuggling operations. What good is a waterfront business that don't have a seedy night shift?

 

I made some more progress. I got the structures wired for lighting, 5 lights in each:


I drilled through the upstairs floor to mount the warehouse floor lighting, so placing cargo inside will illuminate nicely, without wiring all over the place:


Then I painted all the wires and sides of LED's black so no light will leak but just remain directional, and no colored wires could be spied through upstairs windows:


I cut peel and stick roofs for easier shingle application, and attached to the structures, as well as applied window glazing, and trim detail:


I paused to admire my AZL boxcar, sitting pretty and dirty, on the rusty warehouse track. Long pauses to reflect are good for the soul, and my pause was a good one, where I contemplated a solution to world hunger, war, clean water, and the energy crisis. *pop* Woah, I need omnipotence for that!


Moving right along, I glued on the green structure, but left the blue one loose, because I still have all the stairs and walkways detail to work on, but here is a right rear overview of the whole project:


And here is a right front overview, showing all the trim and windows attached. The visible slots are where the double deck walkways will go:

Here is the left front overview, where you can see the bump out room now has a ladder down to the water. Contraband flows up and down that ladder on moonless nights, and rowboats, silent and under the cover of darkness smuggle it back and forth.


And the last photo for today is the left rear overview, where you can see the electric and gas utility meters, and truck loading dock.