After adding the long expanse of the ice dock on the Union Ice Company kit, I decided that I was going to extend the dock in a “T” shape to meet the building instead of just installing a ramp for the ice.  I used the template for the original ice dock to create the needed parts, though I ended up using slightly smaller material (what the hobby shop had available).

Here is a picture showing the end of the existing dock, which I added a Plastruct stairway and railings as the wood looked too “cluncky”.

I then assembled the filler piece for the dock on the cork board and inserted the completed piece into the gap, using a bottle of paint as a weight to assist in gluing the piece into place:

Here is the completed addition to the dock, waiting for the ice ramp and railings to be installed.  My logic behind making the change in the ice dock was to make it so that if a block was stuck, the workers would be able to walk over and fix the problem without needing a ladder.  Also I added a small ladder going up from that level to the shorter section of the roof, which I will show in a later post.

For the ice loading dock for the Union Ice Company kit I followed the directions for the most part.  The only change that I made was to make the bracing the same for middle uprights as the ends.  I did not like how the small supports recommended in the kit looked after building the first upright.  I used additional scale lumber from Northwest Short Line to provide the needed material.

The second picture shows how I used a cork board and pins to build the ice loading platform right on top of the instructions, which are covered by wax paper.  This technique allowed me to use the pins to secure each piece into the correct place while I was waiting for the glue to dry.

This picture shows how used bottles of paint as weight to glue the completed platform into place.

I have continued the construction of the Union Ice Company, learning many things along the way.  This kit has been especially interesting due to the fact that it is built using cardstock for the major components.  One of the most important things that I have learned through building this kit is the importance of making sure that each component is glued to others while being as square as possible.

Here is a view showing the interior walls of the kit for the office area:

And here is the back view of the building after I completed construction of the walls, notice the right side of the picture shows the cooling tower:

In the next post I will cover the construction of the loading platform for the reefer cars.

I recently bought the Union Ice House kit from a yard sale at the local model railroad club.  The kit I have was made by California Model Co. but I have seen it under a couple of other names as it is a very old kit.  I chose the kit because it was a cardboard type kit and I had no experience with building these.  The chief thing I have learned so far in the construction of this kit was that you can never have enough clamps.  At the suggestion of several people I used Elmer’s Wood Glue to build this.

I decided that I needed the corrugated metal roof to be rusted and corroded to match the peeling paint of the Fryxell Feed Store.  I used Ferric Chloride to “rust” out the individual panels once I had cut them to the needed size.

-Safety Note-

Make sure to fully read the directions on the bottle when using chemical etchants.  Use safety equipment as directed and make sure to use in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.  Make sure to follow local regulations on disposal of used etchant.

I dipped the pieces into the solution and left them there until they “boiled” violently.  I then swished the pieces in water to stop the reaction and set them to dry after wiping the gunk off of them.  Once dry I attached the pieces to the cardstock sub-roof using a CA type glue, although in the future I think I will use tacky glue.

Once I attached the roof panels I used a mixture of several different colors of pastel chalks to provide the rusted color I wanted.  I then sealed the roof using Dulcote.