The Cotton Gin

The Cotton Gin was completed earlier than the cardstock mill village houses (earlier post).  As my first "scratchbuilt" structure, it was quite a challenge.  I could not find a kit -- initially my preference versus scratchbuit -- but bumped into a reference to E. L. Moore's Cotton Gin article in a 1978 "Model Railroader" magazine.  So, the magazine back-issue was ordered, some materials procured, and the "game was on". 

Some modification from Moore's instruction were made to take advantage of recent improvements.  I used Clever Model's (CM) cardstock "parts" in a couple of places -- old brick texture for the boiler house exterior, vertical seam sheet metal for the unloading shed exterior walls, and cedar shakes for the roofs of the main building and unloading shed.  Also used the tarpaper pre-glued roofing from an American Model Builders kit that I had finished earlier (the Company Store) for the boiler house roof.  The loading dock is also left-overs from the American Model Builders kit while the covering for the loading dock is grooved styrene (not something Moore referred to in 1978).

I couldn't figure out Moore's instructions for windows and I need to learn to make them "square"!!  The orientation was also changed (mirror image) due to the fact that I cut one window on the wrong side of the door -- the window inside the unloading shed was for the wagon/truck driver to be able to get a weight ticket through the window.  Before I re-oriented (due to my mistake), he would have had to get out of the truck; now he just has to slide across the seat!?!  Maybe we'll just have them drive in from the other side.

The final result was reasonably pleasing.  From a couple of feet away, it looks OK:

OK, so the REA truck should be at the station and not at the Gin, but I didn't have a suitable vehicle otherwise. . . .