Progress on the Earl Fruit Packing House

It's been slow, but the Market Street packing house is taking shape. There's still detail work to do, but the major assemblies went together today along with a temporary sign to check out proportions.

Major work still to be done: make the roof look more like composition roofing by toning down the color, attach the sign permanently, paint the roof trim, attach the steps. It's not the neatest work I've ever done, but it's been fun to research and to build.

The 1935 Ted Wurm photo from Prune County Railroading was the main inspiration, with this model having both the sign and half-walls matching what I suspect is the Earl Fruit Company's packing house.

One interesting excursion involved the sign. I checked my computer for the best typeface to match the sign, and found "Bank Gothic" was first created in the 1930's, so it's actually a very appropriate font for the time. I've seen other Earl Fruit Company signs with similar block lettering - at least one in San Jose and something similar in Lodi. I suspect Bank Gothic was inspired by sign painters, rather than these signs inspired by the font, but it's still nice to know that the lettering is appropriate for the era.

Note to self: I really ought to try to recreate that prototype photo on the layout. Time to make some miniature figures that match the two poses. I wonder how I can make an accurate STOP sign for the flagman?

New Photos Appearing at Old Sites

If I ever needed a reminder to keep checking out the online collections of my favorite museums, I've got it.

You
may remember this picture from a few months back showing the packing houses along Ryland St. on the north side of the San Pedro Street yards in San Jose.

Silicon Valley Online seems to have just added this picture showing those warehouses up close, taken from just west of the San Pedro Street crossing. The near packing house is J.B. Inderridden, the far one is the three story Rosenberg Brothers packing house. Warren Dried Fruit and eventually Abinante and Nola will eventually occupy the rougher building just on the edge of the picture.

Check out those stub switches, scale shed, and see what you can glean from the track arrangements!