Modelling Presland - a Structural Flat

The Reliance Moulding building on Maple Street is presently operated by Presland Iron and Steel. On my HO-scale Kingston's Hanley Spur layout, I have a spur serving the property used by both CN and CP. It's a rambling structure, and I wanted to increase its profile as a structural flat. The finished product (top photo) and I'll describe the build and the prototype in this post.

The north side of the property as seen from John Counter Boulevard:

There was always a railway spur to this property, initially built by the CP but later jointly-served by CN once CP's alignment into Kingston changed. The spur was likely used for inbound and outbound loads for the various companies that occupied the property. In my modelled era of 1970, marking the start of Presland's use of the property, it's likely steel loads were received in gondola cars and handled by the overhead travelling crane.

Travelling from the north side of the property (above) to the south side (below), I only model a small portion of the crane. This is the third structural flat I've placed here. The first was a holdover from my Vancouver Wharves layout. The second was a cardstock/paper flat with a Gould Battery sign on the roof.

My first step was to rummage through my structure parts drawer to find some likely components. I found a side wall of the Walthers Municipal Pier Terminal kit (below-at left) and some other components with prototype photo printed off:

I decided I wanted nearly two full storeys, and selected this wall component before removing some height at bottom. With this done, it would line up with the travelling crane better:

Now to fill in some holes, to give the building a modified-over-the-years look. I used two brick wall sections, another at top right, a grey sliding door from the Walthers kit, and added one platform:

Colours are hard to distinguish from black & white photos, but I went with an overall cream colour:

Then some dilute black craft paint to add a patina of age:

Before and after. The previous cardstock/paper Gould Battery flat (above) and my finished structural flat (below), both showing the travelling crane in foreground. Note how the existing paper backdrop fits in to add depth.

Before and after, opposite end view. I would end up adding a garage door, a paper access door, small railing and platform at the left side of the structural flat, as well as a ledge to separate the two storeys. Due to the minimal car clearance here, any larger platform was a no-go. I also added acetate to the second storey windows then some printed factory windows in behind. The yawning opening at right will be filled with some interior details and/or a moveable door to add depth to the structure.

I think this completed third structural flat presents a more imposing facade and the look of a larger building extending beyond the backdrop.