Well I built a warehouse out of cardboard. It is going against the backdrop so i didn't built a back. I'm going to build a lot of warehouses, it should be fun.
It looks better in real life. Well it's support to look old and crummy. I might add a few more details and some graffiti.
Jake,
Nice work. It looks a little like some buildings I just posted that have some good natural weathering. 
I wanted to post to a photo gallery, but I guess I need to figure that out. (I went to "create content" and picked image, it just made two posts that showed up in recent posts, not a photo gallery.)
Thanks for posting,
Charles
Good work!
Hey, who needs all kinds of expensive building materials? All you need is your imagination! I use paper & cardboard all the time.
Here's a pic of a garage I built using cardboard and paper. The lot isn't yet paved and I need to put in the gas pumps. I printed off the brick and doors on my inkjet printer. I find pictures on the web and then scale them down to the right size for printing and cutting out.
(click on the thumbnail to see the detail better.)
Hey Jake,
I see you have done it again. Very nice work on the warehouse. I have been so inspired by your work, I'm attempting to do some work myself with cardboard. Keep up the great work my friend. I can barely wait to see what progess you have made on the new layout. Have fun my friend,
Your Friend,
Rob
Rob---Roanoke,Virginia: The Norfolk Southern Crossroads Capital!!! , And my well missed home!!
Great warehouse job jake! I too, have built several structures out of cardboard. I do it a little differently than you though. First of all, I open up my cereal box, or macaroni box, or whatever raw material my wife has provided me with, and spray inside and out with gray primer. Krylon is what I am using this week, but I use whatever the local hardware store has on hand. It dries pretty quickly and I think it makes the cardboard easier to work with. Then I draw (outline) my walls on one side, and cut along the lines. I do use the square wooden beams to keep the cardboard from curling. Then I use plastic garage doors and windows to comlete the structure. Oh, and for window glass, I use the clear celophane from the macaroni boxes, glued to the inside walls.
So far I have built an engine repair facility, a couple of houses and my mechanic's garage. I started on a large building, but so far it is unfinished. What was to be signifigant was that it was coated with brickface, made on my printer. That part of it looked good, but I wasn't pleased with the design, so I abandoned it till I either change my mind, or toss it into the wood stove.
Al
I'm glad to see other N scalers building with cardboard! Nice work Buzzrexx and great tips Albey25.
I found out what the warehouse needed:
It needed a little graffiti and roofs above the loading bays. The one roof above the second door was off center but i fixed it.
Thanks everyone!
Jake
It looks good - thanks for sharing with us.
You said that the building 'needed something', so you might care to consider the following:
Door surrounds - these can be made from 1ft-wide (scale) strips of paper, styrene or card, and PVA'd around the edges of the doors.
NB: (Because the width of door surrounds varies, a check with a real warehouse could be in order).
I have also found that having a door partly opened creates a sense of realism - it makes the viewer want to look inside (seriously).
You may have already done it (I can't be sure from the 'photo's), but with a warehouse a partly-raised roller door can give interesting opportunities for detailing inside the building - not too much, but just enough to make a viewer bend down and peer underneath to see what might be inside. . . (it's interesting to watch).
Downpipes, junk on the dock (and around it - even on and between the rails) - this sort of building has infinite possibilities that can be done very simply - even just a telephone-box alongside a door . . Small things certainly, but all designed to make things look more 'real'
And don't forget a small 'Owners sign' - placed alongside the small acess door and written just big enough so that a viewer has to peer at ti, it can lead towards the raised roller door etc and get you LOTS of compliments (seriously - been there, done that)!
As i said. for you to consider . . .
Komata
"TVR - serving the Northern Taranaki . . . "
Thanks Albey to make the roof i just scribed it with a hobby knife.
Good tips Komata, The one door is open and i put a little bit of junk inside. I would like to put a light inside for night operations. Oh and signs, i keep forgetting. Would the company put their name/logo on the back of the building? I could put it on the side since a road will run along it. I could build a billboard too, for the roof.
AHHH! I need my printer fixed.
All great ideas for your warehouse. It's a delight to see what a tissue box can turn into! I've tried to build several cardboard buildings in N scale, but I'm completely and sadly disappointed in anything I try. I'll stick with wood, and watch you build with cardboard. Again, great work.
Jake
Signs: My apologies - I'd forgotten that I was looking at the back of the building. But, if the building is one of several on the siding (spur), it would probably be useful to the guard to have some indication of who owns which warehouse when he's placing a rake of wagons, though whether that is in conformance with US RR practice is something I cannot comment on (though no doubt others will)
oldcook43
Fear not - cardboard doesn't bite (LOL) - if iI can create with the stuff, anyone can (99% of the structures on my layout (it's under Komata's album in the Gallery)) are scratchbuilt from card (and I still have the fingers to prove it).
So, if you are interested (and want to avoid wood splinters under the fingernails (ouch)), you might like to look at an article I wrote on Cardboard Construction for the forum. (It's in the 'articles' section) You may find it useful - or at least entertaining.
Komata
"TVR - serving the Northern Taranaki . . . "
The new cold storage building looks interesting, it should be keeping your refers busy
I notice the paper seam shows up on the corners. If you did not want it that way, I was thinking, considering what Albey25 said about primer, and was wondering about a variation. The automotive spray primer that I have used seals and fills small grooves. Has anyone used automotive primer on a paper project like this? It should seal the paper and allow some light sanding to further smooth things out like paper seams. This might give crisper corners in general in the cutouts etc.
Charles
PS, thanks for showing us your work.
My observations:
The Refrigerated storage building would have labeling (signage) on it; the aluminum casting storage might or might not, depends on the company; and a "general storage" company warehouse would more likely than not be plain (no signage). That might just be a local thing, but it's what I've observed over the years. :)
Canadian is right about warehouses with no signs. Depending on the contents, they may not want to indicate what lies within to try to discourage burglars. We had a liquor warehouse near where I live that looked like an abandoned factory with nothing but the faded signs of the previous owner.
Jim
I've been taking the train to work and am surprised at how many warehouses and factories make sure that they DO have signs at the back facing the railroad. I figure that it is because many commuters are business people who may be either looking for places to invest or who need to find new suppliers/ customers for their company.
Just a thought from what I've seen.
I agree with Komata- a big thing to add authenic realism is junk. -Scrap metal, dumpsters, garbage, empty pallets, etc., and usually there are a lot of weeds coming up through the ballast on the sidings of these warehouses.
Charles wrote:
"I notice the paper seam shows up on the corners."
Charles, I couldn't find a way to hide it at the time. But the automotive primer! Great idea.
The roof also didn't go on the best. It still could mean it's old or something. This isn't the best building but with scenery it should blend in just fine. I hope.
Buzzrexx wrote:
I've been taking the train to work and am surprised at how many warehouses and factories make sure that they DO have signs at the back facing the railroad"
Thanks Buzzrexx that's what i wanted to know!
Michael Wrote:
"What did you use to make the rolling steel door?"
Michael, the steel rolling door is just a piece of cardboard that i scribe the lines into with my hobby knife. I always paint it first before scribing. I didn't do this once and the cardboard ripped. Probably wouldn't of with a really sharp knife.
Thanks everyone for the feedback!
Jake,
I suppose with the 2' or 3' rule (I guess you pick your choice), especially if it is more in the background, it will look just fine like you are hoping. But even if you eventually decide to replace or upgrade it, you have something to get you going on your way.
Throwing some buildings together quickly from cardboard could be a good way to test a scene design idea?
Have fun,
Charles
Charles:
You wrote 'Thowing some buildings together quickly from cardboard could be a good way to test a scene design idea?'
Certainly, what you suggested can happen, and seems to be the way that a lot of contributors to MR do their modelling.
But, and it may be just me, , but I've found that what usually occurs is that the building of the structure takes over and what was originally intended to be a 'cheap and nasty' construction actually becomes more than that (after all, even 'el cheapo' buildings have to look good - otherwise one can't visualise what the 'real' building will look like), with the result that these supposedly 'discardable' buildings become structures in their own right, and are very rarely diumped after their assigned task is completed - after all, why waste a perfectly good (and now nicely detailed) building?
A I said, it may just be me, but do others have the same experience?
Komata
"TVR - serving the Northern Taranaki . . . " ___________________________________________
Jimmi wrote:
"I have quite a few "el cheapo" buildings that I kept adding details to and never got replaced because they ended up being what I wanted in the first place. "
I'm in the construction business, and that sounds so much like a lot of real-life buildings out there! Going for realism at its finest!
Jimmi wrote:
"I have quite a few "el cheapo" buildings that I kept adding details to and never got replaced because they ended up being what I wanted in the first place. "
I'm in the construction business, and that sounds so much like a lot of real-life buildings out there! Going for realism at its finest!
I was thinking the exact same thing...
Jake - I'm not sure whether I love you or hate you. Those are some really nice models, so I had to give cardboard a try.
I love you for introducing me to modeling methods and materials that will allow an increased loco budget, and that is also quite enjoyable. I hate you for getting me addicted to yet another facet of the hobby.
What I've often done, instead of painting and weathering a cardstock building, is to colour it in Photoshop and print it out. That way it's easy to overlay any decals you may need and create textures that are finer than what you can create by hand. Plus you have the ability to easily repair any mistakes.
Here's an example of what I mean. It's much smaller than N-scale (1/300th) but you get the idea.
Does this count as Godwin's Law?
looks nice.
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