Esso Bulk Tank Upgrading

The previous post included a view of Imperial Oil's bulk tanks along Rideau Street in 1970. Since that's my nominal year for modelling on my HO scale Hanley Spur layout, it inspired me to upgrade my HO scale tanks, which were really just place-holders or mock-ups made of cardstock. 

Looking across CN and CP tracks above the limestone outcropping on the harbour side of Rideau Street, (above) the tanks are showing their age and have a large Esso oval logo. Here's the Before photo, showing my white cardstock tanks and way-too-small logo. In the foregound, closer to water level, is the limestone Imperial Oil warehouse:

My duckunder was a handy workbench, with the tank site just to the left. I taped the cardstock to a piece of foamcore matching my available backdrop space. Each piece is one half of an 8x11 sheet. My previous mock-ups are visible just behind:                                                   

I cut curved pieces of cardstock that I taped in to form the tops of the tanks. Here is the completed bulk tank backdrop. The colour is not so blazingly white:

I decided those former Texaco turquoise tanks had to go! I used a tape-runner to apply adhesive to the parchment-like paper onto the cardstock, which ironically, like the paper came from my wife's side of the layout/craft room! 

I'd photographed a small Esso oval logo, enlarged and dulled by photo-editing, also applied to the paper with tape-runner.

I added a couple of power poles and rearranged the equipment sheds around the tanks. As suggested by modeller Lance Mindheim, keeping a colour palette narrow reduces the suspension of disbelief required by brighter structure colours!