Adding trucks to the layout
This passenger side view (above) shows the gas filler neck and gas cap added to all the trucks. These are some of the apple crates (above right) that the author measured before constructing his HO scale models. The HO scale McIntosh apples that fill the crates
were made from a blend of Fimo clays (below) rolled into a strand about 3″ scale in diameter. This was then cut into 3″ scale seg- ments, rolled into balls and poked with a needle to make the stem ends. The final step was to bake them in the oven.
including McIntosh apples, an early variety often available by mid-Septem- ber. They also became the dominant variety in Vermont after a bitterly cold winter in the early 1930’s destroyed less hardy trees. These McIntosh ap- ples are Fimo®
clay. They were rolled
one at a time between thumb and fore- finger from a well-kneaded but not completely blended combination of red, white, yellow and green clays. The ap- ples were given a slight poke with a fine needle for their stem ends, baked for about 20 minutes in a 265ºF oven as per directions and then glued in the boxes with matte medium.
The farmer driving the apple truck
came from a scrap box. His arms were repositioned to hold the steering wheel. He wears a cap and plaid shirt, both de- tails that were gleaned from photos.
there was a small surprise. Apples get packed in standard one bushel boxes. Those bushels are measured by weight not volume. A bushel of apples weighs between 42 and 48 pounds depending on the variety and where you check. Twenty four bushels tip the scale at a minimum of 1,008 lbs, again, plenty for an older half ton truck. I initially planned three dozen boxes never sus- pecting that would overload the truck by more than 50%.
One manufacturer listed the stan- dard apple box as 19″ long by 13″ wide by 11″ tall. A dozen don’t quite fit the model bed which is a bit small due to the thickness of its plastic sides. Hap- pily, field measurements confirmed, like everything else, boxes vary slight-
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ly. I built boxes 18″×13″×11″. They still are packed more tightly than they should be, but it isn’t noticeable. My .005″ styrene box sides are a little
thick. Twenty or 24 lb Bond Ledger pa- per is closer to scale, but using styrene was simpler. The bottoms of my boxes are six scale inches thick to support the thin sides and lessen the number of ap- ples needed to fill them. Furthermore, I only had to build half the boxes. They hide a block of styrene filling the lower truck bed. Two types of boxes were con- structed following examples from online photos and observed first hand. The in- side bottoms were splotched with apple colors to camouflage any gaps before the apples were poured in. New York is the top grower of apples,
Weathered blue pickup Originally Armour yellow, this truck didn’t inspire any cargo ideas. I decided to try a different technique for weather- ing it to see what might happen. The completely disassembled body got a coat of rust colored primer. Several diluted acrylic blue colors were applied with a brush after the base coat had cured. The truck bed was left rusty. Details bor- rowed from photos include a red rear fender and a scrape on a front fender. The wooden frame behind the cab is styrene 2″×4″ posts and 1″×4″ rails. The posts set into pockets drilled in the truck bed sides where the prototype pockets were. The truck will get a load of wire fence rolls (painted tulle fabric). The tailgate is missing.
Orange and black pickup Most of the old truck photos showed numerous dents. This truck became a guinea pig for wreaking wear and tear
NOVEMBER 2013
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