# OilValleyRY Oil City Yard Office -ongoing & brainstorming



## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

I’m still in the planning & aforementioned brainstorming phase. There are several aspects to this structure that I’ve already got nailed down in build method (how to). But a couple of things planned that I’ve never considered how to make happen.

FULL DISCLOSURE:
This is a tiny bit ambitious. It may make me sound a bit crazy. Some probably already think that I am haaahahahahahahaaa…. They’re probably right. Anyway, I’m always striving to improve and outdo myself (not others, clear distinction).

INSPIRATION:
Notably @cv_acr for his Wawa station build. I like several aspects of that, and while not duplicating it, I want the vibe of it. Mine will be art deco with aluminum trim. A different shape & footprint.

SITE:
The yard office will sit immediately along the aisle at 56 inches high to ground level. This will put it between the mainline/inbound track and the fascia. Immediately adjacent, and on thecsame scenic base, will be a partial parking lot (implying a larger lot off layout) that will fit 5 or 6 company vehicles.

CONCEPT:
Because of the location, large windows and a full interior are a necessity.
My build method is new & untried for me, but sound. All walls will be hollow, double-sided with square tubing as corner reinforcement inside the walls. This allows me to do three specific things; A, all wiring can be routed through the walls and hidden from view. B, square rods on the second floor can be used for alignment into the tubing. C, all window frames will be double sided with glass between inner/outer frames, and likely pocketed with vertical blinds (which sadly wont open & close).
The full interior is according to my eye for detail. Filing cabinets, telephones, crew lockers, yes yes yes. Wall receptacles, light switches, heat registers, baseboard trim, paper documents, lunch boxes, car keys (well, I’m going to attempt it anyway) and even toilet paper on the roll. Working exit lights would be nice.

However: I found two hiccups. One isn’t too bad a hurdle.
1: Being 2 stories with the upper dispatch/CTC tower removable… ceiling lights on the 1st floor gave me pause. The easy solution is making only a portion of the ceiling removable… an idea I don’t particularly care for. The more awkward but I think better solution is having ceiling lights attached to beams that will be flush to the ceiling and blend in when seen through windows. Wall sconces for the record are not being considered.
2: I want all of the doors to be positionable, open, closed, or halfway. So far I’ve not devised a suitable method to achieve this. Wire will eventually fail. The only viable idea so far is pretty crude; making styrene hinges that utilize the wall cavity and integrated into the door slab with wire hinge pins. The hinges would be dramatically over sized. I don’t like it. Currently I’m batting around possibly using white electricians tape as a hinge system, but not really confident in the idea. Slab doors, and even door frames are easy. It’s the operable hinge system that is the puzzler.

If anyone has any suggestions on ceiling lights with a removable ceiling, and/or a hinge system, two heads are better than one. Well, that’s the rumor anyway.

Obviously this is ambitious, even for me, and will take quite some time to complete. That’s fine with the things I need to resolve in the mean time.
As fantastical and overwhelming as it sounds, it’s really just 2,000 baby steps… and step numero uno is happening in the next hours.


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## Thelic (Jan 10, 2018)

What stud spacing are you going to use?🤣

For your doors could you use a simple living hinge? Build up raised panel door from a piece of soft plastic (polypropylene is best for living hinges) that is thinned at the hinge point and integrated into the wall. I would think a border of styrene would give it structure while a softer core/hinge would act as you want it to. How many times are you going to open and close these doors that you are worried they will fail? My ketchup bottle lasts at least 100 cycles. Maybe look to the RC plane hobby for small hinge ideas, most of the smallest are all living hinges. You might even find small plastic containers you could salvage from.











If you want the door to stop in particular places you only need to look at the prototype!


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Stud spacing isn’t really applicable. There won’t be much weight so square tubing will be used at appropriate corners/intersections. There’s no need for 16” spacing or anything like that. The walls will be styrene. 

I don’t expect to manipulate the doors every day. But I don’t see that as a reason to skimp on reliability/durability. 
I’d like the doors to have full range of movement, 90-170 degrees.

I’m going to try an idea, see or how well it works, and go from there.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

the black outline represents the outside walls for the 1st floor. The alcove is going to be the main public entrance. The structure outline is 30 feet x 102 feet. 
The blue tape is only there to represent the partial parking lot area extending off the front, which should fit 5 vehicles backed in to a fence line (although it’s a little tight). The far back corner of the building from this vantage point will probably get notched and inch to accommodate an antenna array.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

OilValleyRy said:


> 1: Being 2 stories with the upper dispatch/CTC tower removable… ceiling lights on the 1st floor gave me pause. The easy solution is making only a portion of the ceiling removable… an idea I don’t particularly care for. The more awkward but I think better solution is having ceiling lights attached to beams that will be flush to the ceiling and blend in when seen through windows. Wall sconces for the record are not being considered.


Usually (smaller) station buildings that had a second floor did so to provide living accommodations for the station agent. This would usually be a 2-bedroom apartment (with living room, kitchen, dining room). This was the case specifically for the Wawa station you cited as an inspiration, upstairs was the agent/operator's living quarters.

Having an interlocking tower on the second floor wouldn't be common..... but also I have seen it done so it's not implausible either if the station is associated with a local interlocking like a diamond crossing between two railroads to require such a combination.

A dispatcher (CTC or otherwise) would generally be centrally located for a territory so those kinds of general offices would be located usually at division points, which provided fairly large stations to provide the office facilities for the division administration - sometimes with a larger station build with a full second floor containing office space, or an attached or nearby office structure. At any rate, it would be usual for the dispatcher to be located in an office with the rest of the division management (although the more modern you get, the more and more dispatching is centrally located. CN now dispatches all of Canada out of one central location.)

Now, you did mention that this is a yard office, not necessarily a public station, just using the Wawa as an architectural inspiration, so in that case, it all tracks as the general offices for a small railway.


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

I was trying to find a picture of your inspiration but I was unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, looks like a good scratchbuild project, I will be following.
Thanks for sharing.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

It's not posted anywhere on this forum, so OilValley found it elsewhere, but what he's talking about is my model of the Algoma Central Railway's station at Wawa, Ontario, which can be seen here:









Structures for the Algoma Central Railway


Modeling a prototype line means most or all of the structures will be either kitbashed or customized. Particularly when you're modeling a smaller and more remote regional railway, so "Canadian Pacific Standard no. 3 Station" doesn't really fit the bill. My road of choice is the Algoma Central...




forum.mrhmag.com





The station has a neat modern (I'm not exactly sure what the architectural style is called) look to it with the flat roof and the decorative overhang around the edges. (This is modeled off the prototype station using original blueprints.)

Prototype shot from the seventies of an ore train passing the station:









Railpictures.ca - A.W.Mooney Photo: Just one of those days; stopped in at Wawa’s ACR station as I knew it would be pulled down within a few years and I had not that many opportunities to photograph it…..and in comes a train from ‘the harbour’….AC 167 and 169 for power. Waited a bit, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Anyway, this station is long gone, so is the track, so is the power, and so is the whole subdivision. So this image turns out to be all history in itself. | Railpictures.ca – Canadian Railway Photography – photographie ferroviaire Canadienne.


Tens of thousands of great Canadian railway photographs, discussions, and much more. Click to view the image or register for your free account. Please share this if you like it.



www.railpictures.ca





Some additional photos of the station can be found here:




__





Algoma Central 2 Page






michiwawa.ca





A similar (but smaller and one-story) flat-roofed station existed at another location on the railway called Frater:



http://algomacentral.railfan.net/images/AlgoCenRy/Frater_Station_8-1964-test.jpg




http://trainweb.org/algoma/Images/Locations/Frater/frater3.jpg


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

cv_acr said:


> It's not posted anywhere on this forum, so OilValley found it elsewhere, but what he's talking about is my model of the Algoma Central Railway's station at Wawa, Ontario, which can be seen here:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks nice. 
Your model looks just like a weigh station I had to drive thru with the truck while delivering chemicals up there, back in the 70's, near Montreal. 
The part that sticks out is where they used to stand and wave you on or point to the parking area for further inspection.


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## Raege (Jan 7, 2022)

Looking forward to seeing this progress. Hinged doors…. Madman, genius, dreamer or a bit if all three 😉
You sir are a bad influence and I heartily approve!


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## Raege (Jan 7, 2022)

If your not dead set on making your own hinge perhaps these would be of use. I was thinking mounting them into side of door and inserting other plate into door frame








Precision Scale HO #319 Working Hinges, Small .110 x .340 (Brass) 12 pcs in pkg | eBay


Precision Scale Co. Inc. / HO Scale. T J Model Trains.



www.ebay.com


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Thanks for reminding me that I need to do the prototype test.


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## Raege (Jan 7, 2022)

what did you come up with?


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

I’ve been focusing more on reducing the number of irons that I’ve got in the fire.
But here you go, a proof of concept prototype with only door and baseboard moulding. The hinge material is still springy. I’m hopeful that diminishes in time.


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## Raege (Jan 7, 2022)

That is pretty cool. Looks good and once you have the door knobs installed easier to open and close  
Love the detail sir well done


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