Fred's Garage and Office

Fred's Garage and Office

On Workday Wednesday last week Fred presented me with the structure Bruce from the United States had built for him a few years back.

The structure was in need of repair and restoration.

Fred offered it my way as a "winter" project and he was totally surprised when I returned it his way three days later on the Saturday past when we ran trains...with only the sign left to build from scratch!

Here is the finished product with the sign in place beneath the eaves of the office area of the garage.

A closer view.

Front on.

Even closer examination.

Hey, I recognize the lad inside the door!

I chose to print the sign in three sizes to see which one would fit best when the page was printed out.

A quick drawing of the lines...not perfectly square, but they will be!

I test the border before I cut out the sign.

I've glued it onto cardboard.  This is okay seeing as the structure will never remain outdoors between operating session.  It will be brought inside as we do with the lovely depot at Spruce.

Here is the original.  My font choices came close!

Here is the structure as it was presented to me.  Some of the roof areas were damaged and the far roof required painting.

The cupola area was damaged with many of the slates missing.

Paint had peeled off the main roof as well.

The closer right hand corner will require some addressing.

I first went to town re-painting the roof.

The office "lid" is coloured as well!

We need some ridge caps.  Cardboard cutouts do the trick.

Perfect fit!

The roof area had to be re-glued down as well.

Let's begin with the repairs and insert of the new slats.

A couple were found inside the building.

New slats had to be fabricated from scratch.

The cupola is now in place.

Looking much better...even though the sign is not present as of yet.

The weather vane looks good!

I'm liking the look!

There is Father Fred peeking out the door at us!

Here's Gord Bellamy...an original member who was instrumental in the building of the railroad!  The town of Bellamy is named for Gord and the whistlestop at Ferndale on the outer curve on the front of Fred's property near Rat Portage is named for Gord's wife, Fern.  You'll also note that ferns grow in the center of the look out on the front property!

The storage area has a "temporary" fix to its roof which adds some character to the structure.

The gentleman out front is working the hose by the large barrels.

Or, you may find him over at the far end of the building.

A look down the side.

A peek around back.

Backside full on.

Three quarter angle view.

The garage door with smaller door.

Another three quarter view.

Back with the new sign.

The office took up residence in Spruce last week sans sign.

She sure looks good in the great outdoors.

And she works beautifully in the scene with that special depot!

Paul Norton sent along this fine photo and caption. 

 

Fred’s shed use to be a crowded workshop for a number of us in the winter. This is Ralph Dipple fitting the Jig Stones that were made for the buildings in Craig Leigh. The belly pot wood burning stove used to keep up warm.

Thanks for taking the time to check in on this little clinic showcasing the refurbishment of a great structure built by our good friend Bruce Chandler from the USA!

All the best, Mike's Workbench and all our OVGRS friends

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada