Model Railroading on the Cheap

Slimm’s Transfer

   Desperation fosters creativity:  Here is my super thin building for my lcl freight transfer operation which transfers less than car-load freight between highway trucks and the railroad.  I was trying to get a big operation into a small space. The Slimm’s Transfer Co. transfers road to rail and rail to road less than carload lot freight. This type of operation is long gone from today’s railroading. My home made building is located right in the middle of town and right in the middle of my table. This thin building only looks good when viewed from straight on. One side of the building handles rail cars the other side serves highway trucks on Hillton’s newly paved Exchange Street.

   It was quite a challenge to draw and print this freight transfer building entirely with the home computer but I enjoyed it by taking my good retired time allowing a chance for ideas to develop in my mind. The truck loading docks are set at an angle to the building and glued to its side. Here I came to realize that trucks take up a lot of space just like trains. There is a one half inch thick wood board inside to help the building hold its shape. The overhanging 4-sided roof was the most trouble, but I am pleased with the results. Everything you see in the photos of these buildings was drawn on the computer with the Windows Paint program and printed on 110# card stock paper with an ink jet printer, cut out with scissors, folded and glued together.  It now looks like I need a stiffener under the roof edge.

   The box car is an old L&W Models wood kit with scribed wood sides, silk screen painted, the ends and doors are cast metal and painted by hand. I built it while camping with my family in the summer of 1984. For weight I used stones from the driveway gooed to the floor. I had no scales. Later I realized it weighed over 8 oz.! So I popped off one door and removed a couple stones.

   Here is a view of the other side of the building. This makes a nice place to use some of the 1950s era trucks available today. The street with the yellow line in front is printed paper from the home computer.

   The red 1954 International truck is by Classic Mini Metals, the green and yellow Chevy is plastic by LifeLike, the Frisco trailer is by Walthers.