B&M Style Milk Platform

Milk Shed at Fairlee

On the White River Division I wanted to add a milk platform and shed similar to what the B&M used on their branch lines. I will cover the prototype photos in a later post. Currently the best location to place the milk platform would be across the tracks from the Fairlee frt. house when in use. The milk platform would be built as a small diorama.

Once the Gatorfoam was cut to fit the layout, I cut a paper mock up of the platform to determine the size. I used the small shed that RailroadKITS gave out this year at the Lancaster Expo. This structure fit nicely on the platform and when the end window was exchanged for a door, it looked exactly like what was used by the B&M. The kit has laser cut walls, doors and windows. There was extra doors and windows included so it was an easy build. For the roof I substituted small scraps of NorthEastern Scale Co. slate roof #HOSHG3.

The RailroadKITS shed is set on my paper mock-up of the raised platform.The Gatorfoam diorama base is also seen in the photo. I usually add the date built and some other related data to the bottom side.

The shed is painted and ready for the roofing. The base is glued and squared.

The walls had nail holes and loose boards added before they were glued together and the windows and trim added. As mentioned earlier the end door was added to the window opening. The doors are left off till the model was built as I wanted them to be open. The structure was painted Floquil Tuscan red followed by red chalk and dark rust Bragdon weathering powder. The platform was built from left over scrap lumber. The decking is 1by 8" lumber which is undersized but looks good. I had a lot of this lumber available. The window glazing got a coating of flat finish to appear dusty and dirty. The slate roof got some weathering also.

I used about three quarters of a milk cans 50 pack on the platform and the surrounding grounds.

Garbage cans, boxes, brooms and broken windows are added around the shed.

Added Details
I used most of a 50 pack of CMA milk cans on the diorama. They are now Tichy milk cans #8173. I added two brooms, a couple of workers, some crates and a garbage can. The rear window is boarded up, so I just leaned the broken window against the rear wall. Behind the window I put a Hood's milk sign. It is a colour copied, reduced sized decal image. I made a small shelf with some milk can lists just outside the door. The paper is sanded down thin before cutting to size. I leaned a skid and put a barrel below the platform. Some older milk cans are knocked over and can be found in the brush near the platform...George Dutka