FRUIT JUICE

...or what happens when a Cider stand moves to Florida.

This was the photo that inspired me.  I've lost track of where I found it, and haven't seen it without watermarks:

And here is my version of the stand and most of the figures:

I did modify and paint figures for the man and two children on the left side leaning against the fence, but this is as far as I got to meet the requirements of the railroad-line.com forum challenge.  The figures are the primary reason I chose to model this little scene.  They offer so many elements that set the era, and they present diverse economic groups from the working class folks along the fence and behind the counter to the well-to-do folks out front and the tradesman bringing a tray of wares to be sold at the stand (at least that's my guess).

Though the painted-on sign in the original photo is hard to read, I think it read "ICE COLD CIDER".  Now I believe for a time in this country 'cider' was any fruit that was squeezed to make juice.  If any reader should have better information, please let me know as I enjoyed the research but didn't press the matter too far.  Regardless, by the 1920s, fresh squeezed juice was a treat to be enjoyed when available.  It was certainly the thing to have while wintering in Florida.

I decided to change the sign to read FRUIT JUICE as a way of better locating this little stand in central Florida.  Despite the industry crippling freezes of the late 1800s and early teens, the citrus industry still held on well into the 1920s.  Bananas were available at this stand, and I made mine from Milliput.  Other details are premade castings such as soda bottles in a crate or the little bottles in a crate on the counter. 

Perhaps the most curious detail was the little portrait picture adhered to the stand above the window on the left side just above the well-to-do couple and their child.  I guessed this might be an election poster, so I looked into election posters from the twenties and sure enough, many of them were just portraits with the candidate's name and maybe a slogan.  I chose a picture that I figured would work and I think it captures the look.

The little shed itself was built up board-by-board and the sign was painted freehand.  I'm pretty proud of that effort as I managed to paint a drop-shadow effect using orange beneath and yellow above.  Part of the fun was choosing colors.  My wife suggested gray for the main color and I'm glad she did.  I used a gray in the blue-tone family and I think it looks perfect.

This was a fun little project and I'm glad it is done.  Eventually I'd like to create the rest of the scene as there's so much there worth modeling from the melons on the bench to the giant shade trees to the farmhouse in the background and the wagon way beyond the stand.  Plus, I can exercise modeler's license to include elements of humor or added interest.  But now it is time to get back on the Station...and that will be the next post.

A Happy Accident

This accident became happy when it revealed what was once hidden.  On November 17, 1956, John L. Oliver buttoned up this box car.  I know this because he wrote the date on the inside of the car.

I purchased this car last year on eBay and was disappointed to find it in pieces when I received it.  The shipper did a fine job of packing it, so I suspect the postal service was a bit too reckless in their handling.  In the end it will be fine as I can reassemble the car, and, of course, it worked out for the best to reveal the maker's mark within.

Here is the outside of the car, custom painted and lettered by Mr. Oliver for his Pan-Handle Rusty Route railroad.  I can say with near certainty that he himself painted and lettered the car, as his solitary claim to fame in Model Railroader magazine was an article on painting and lettering Steam Locomotives (of which I have one, 2-8-0 #225 mentioned in a previous post).  Note the hand-made box with typed label and address stamp.

Of particular interest beyond the car's birthday was the metal weight from inside the car.  It appears to be some sort of typesetting for a stamp or document press.

And here is what it reads, after 'inking' the stamp with a Sharpie pen:

I have three other Oliver cars, an express reefer for the P-HRR, and two cabeese.  A fourth car also came from that collection and was shown in my custom Christmas coal train post, but I'm not sure if Oliver built it or if it was given to him by Earl Benteller, for whose Allegheny Railroad it is lettered.

One way I enjoy this hobby is by continuing the legacy of these pioneer modelers through preservation of their equipment, and, if possible, keeping it rolling in revenue service.  Someday the Ocali Creek shops will get this car rebuilt and back on the rails...but they've got a mighty long backlog of kits, er, projects to get to so who can say when that will be.

Turnout Trials TWO + Tools

More turnout work, but this time with tools.

On another blog (I forget which one right now) I read about track tuning and checking the level across the rails.  Sure enough, the curve coming into this turnout from the left is banked slightly towards the center, which is fine, but the turnout is flat through the points.  Actually, it was slightly banked away from the center, so I could see how that sudden change in level might cause trouble for certain finicky rolling stock or locomotives.

My solution was to shim the turnout, seen above as the white strip beneath the ties in the lower center of the image.  This did the trick, eliminating most of the incidents of derailments in this location.  The only thing remaining that might cause an issue is the funky taper on the ends of the point rails.  Atlas clips the corner off the top of the point rail, which is already a pressed-metal quasi-rail to begin with, so it becomes a tricky thing to file without doing damage.  A gentle touch is required.

Work continues on a mini scene for a Railroad-Line forum challenge, and when that is complete sometime before tax day I will return to the benchwork for this railroad in earnest; hopefully sooner than later.  Also on the wish list is helping my oldest son with a project this week that might become a post if we get anywhere with it, and maybe even some rolling stock work.  We'll see.