# First cardboard mockup - Unknown building



## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

So for a while I've had this idea in my head about an office or small commercial building that had a parking lot under the building. I do not understand why they build a 2 story parking garage and leave the top open? Why not build a small building on top of the parking garage? I know it's been done. We have a couple sky scrapers here in Chicago that have small commercial stores on the first couple stories, parking on the next 5 stories, then condos the rest of the way up. 

So, I sat down one night when i couldn't really move anyways, and looked up specs for parking spaces and parking garages. I then drew some rough outlines of what I wanted, transferred it to scaled graph paper, and finally made a HO scale (ish) cardboard mockup of the building. 

It's nothing fancy, nothing ground breaking, but I wanted a simple project to do when I was unable to really move around at all. So I sat at the kitchen table and made this. Some of the details I added simply because I was waiting on glue to dry and didn't want to get up from the table yet. There are a lot of details missing simply because I just wanted to do a 3D mock up. When looking at the pictures, please imagine that there are two rows of windows as this is a two story building.

I added the rear section as an afterthought so that I could have an excuse to have it on a train layout next to a siding. 

My question to everyone is, what building/factory/assembly area/ etc would be okay on the second and third stories of a building, but still need rail deliveries? I'm a little stumped on what purpose this building serves as my original idea was an office building. I thought of an old factory that shut down and was converted, but that seems like a waste of space and we all know space is a premium for HO and larger. 



East side wall with TP&W boxcar for scale and loading dock location. 








Some extra detail I added while waiting for glue to dry. 








Northeast corner.








Northwest corner.








Southwest corner. The southern addition (where the boxcar is sitting) is an enclosed loading dock and freight elevator. 








The whole building is approx 10.5"x13.5" So a little under 1sqft of real estate. Just don't know what purpose the building can serve.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Some lessons learned for cardboard mock ups...

1. sometimes plain scissors are as good or better than a sharp knife.
2. 90 degrees is relative.
3. Check paint markers before starting the project. I was going to color parts of the parking lot with yellow (for the lines) and green around the building for grass. The yellow was already dry and the green dried on me pretty quick after starting. I used a cheap black marker to go over pencil marks but didn't trust it to outline windows which is why there are none. 
4. Lots of glue is not a good thing. Little glue, wait 5 sec, press piece in for 10sec, usually works pretty well.
5. Legos are awesome for holding walls together while glue dries, but they need more weight.
6. Labeling everything from the start, and good prep work makes assembly a lot faster, smoother, and therefore more fun to do.
7. I will do a cardboard mock up prior to building a building out of styrene. Learning how to assembly pieces, in what order, and what extra tools I may need really helps.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

A lot of different factories have sidings. Either to get raw materials in or to ship their wares out. Take your pick.
I would pick something that you could put some dry bulk cars on the other side too.

Your in corn country, how about a Kellogg factory?
They could bring in corn and ship out cornflakes or their other products?

Or General Mills Corp?

Are you going to build it out of cardboard or eventually make it out of a different material?


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

I'm in corn country, but I model northern Utah. The only thing really coming to mind is a furniture factory but that seems a little cliche. Writers block I guess. It'll come to me eventually. 
If I decide to use this on the layout, I would make it out of styrene. Brick styrene to be exact. Did the mockup in cardboard because its cheap and easy and I wanted a larger 3D visual of what the model would look like.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

spoil9 said:


> I'm in corn country, but I model northern Utah. The only thing really coming to mind is a furniture factory but that seems a little cliche. Writers block I guess. It'll come to me eventually.
> If I decide to use this on the layout, I would make it out of styrene. Brick styrene to be exact. Did the mockup in cardboard because its cheap and easy and I wanted a larger 3D visual of what the model would look like.


Well....you didn't say Utah.

A copy and paste, the first thing that came up.


Utah is the only state in the nation to have doubled its volume of exports, according to the report. That translates directly into jobs.

John Downen, research analyst with the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Utah, said the state exported a broad range of goods, including electronics, animal products, aircraft engines, automotive parts, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, sporting goods, and industrial goods, such as valves, drilling tools and fuses.

From here,
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=20828161

That is from 2012.

HOW about GOLD?:thumbsup:
This is in there too.
Airplane engines?

During the past five years, four of the top five Utah exports have increased, led by gold, which has seen its commodity price skyrocket during the recession. Gold traded for just more than $600 per ounce in January 2007, then peaked near $1,900 last August and was selling for about $1,617 per ounce Wednesday.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Spoil

What you did is the fun of modelling. Creating. It's also a very
relaxing and has no heavy lifting. 

I have an HO scale ruler. That sure makes things simple. You can get
the measurements from your proto building or others similar and then
draw up your building plans to HO scale. That makes it easier to
then go to cutting.

And yes, a sharp pair of shears can be very helpful. However, I most
often use a hobby knife with a straight edge for cutting. It makes for
cleaner straight lines. 

I prefer poster board to styrene. It's easier to cut and costs much less.

To use your idea of a first floor in use by vehicles, how about a warehouse
or factory with the tracks coming into the building. It's done often. I
have yet to completely finish one similar. It's an IGA food distributor and,
while not the same as your idea, uses a covered through loading dock.

It needs some paint touch up, weathering and a refrigeration cooling
tower on the roof (which is painted 120 grit sandpaper).

Don


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Don,
Just recently picked up an inexpensive scale ruler so that'll make future buildings easier. I thought about having a covered loading area but didn't have a large enough piece of cardboard for the base so skipped it on this build.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

BigEd,
I'm liking the electronics factory/assembly warehouse idea. It fits well with my other industries which include an electric motor factory, a plastics factory, a private R&D facility, and possibly a battery factory. 

Now it just needs a name...


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

spoil9 said:


> biged,
> i'm liking the electronics factory/assembly warehouse idea. It fits well with my other industries which include an electric motor factory, a plastics factory, a private r&d facility, and possibly a battery factory.
> 
> Now it just needs a name...


W.E.E.

Will's Electrifying Electronics


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## Steve S (Jan 7, 2012)

Dollar Tree stores have a foamboard product called Readi-Board that is very easy to cut and use for mockups.

Steve S


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## Misty (Nov 22, 2013)

Don, that sure is job you did in th epicture..


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