# head 'em up, move 'em out



## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi guys, 
I finished (finally!) my stockyards yesterday. Here's Rhonda moving a steer down the alley:


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## Guest (May 5, 2008)

that looks really good! 
especially in front of that background you 'built' there...


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

Excellent work, I'm hoping to work a stock yard into my plan because I LOVE those black Rio Grande stock cars! 

So is the loading platform rebuilt? What did you use for wood to build it?


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## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks, Korm. Having a real background helps a lot. 

UP, the loading platform will get rebuilt today. I'm also planning a plywood box to keep it covered - just one hailstorm would be the end of that particular model. 

The pens are built almost entirely of balsa except for the pine dowel fence posts. Everything was stained with a mix of alcohol and india ink, then basted with Thompson's Water Seal. 

Here's a shot showing the loadout before its demise:


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## Guest (May 5, 2008)

Matt, Great job!  Looks like a place I go in the winter where the old Santa Fe stopped half way Fresno - Manvel Tx. area. Looks way to much like it. 
Toad


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Matt, you did it again, the first photo fooled me, I thought it was real. You do a great job of not only modeling and photography but using forced perspective of the buildings in the background. Excellent!


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Matt, 

Pens look great! I always enjoy your photos too! And...you did a fine job on that "painted" backdrop! [][ ]


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## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks, Jim. It's always fun - I once had a museum director trying to figure out if her dad was in the cab in one of my model pics! 
Here are a few more details. My son insisted that I had to have at least one pipe gate like those commonly seen in pastures in our world. I finally relented and soldered one up from brass tubing:


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By mhutson on 05/05/2008 11:49 AM
Thanks, Jim. It's always fun - I once had a museum director trying to figure out if her dad was in the cab in one of my model pics! 
Here are a few more details. /div>



Why not? I'm in the cab of one of my model pics! 

And that pipe gate is superb!


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Man! great job and what an excellent location for a layout. Those houses in the back looked like part of the layout,,, but then, the whole pen looked like part of the background. Very convincing


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

Again great looking model, the plywood cover is a great idea and something i need to think of too, since it does HAIL in Kansas!


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

That's beautiful! And perfect setting too. 

Superb job 









I like the D&RGW standard gauge stockcars. Not all that different from the little narrow gauge versions...except for all that metal


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Excellent work Matt. It looks like the real thing. Yes, you really need to find some way to protect it from the elements. 

Doc


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## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

There's one more feature I forgot to mention, probably because it's not visible. Beneath the roof of the scale there's a ScaleSound II module from Miller Models with a recording of real cows to add just the right atmosphere. Oh, and the roofing on the scale house is from Rainbow Ridge Kits. This is the stuff formerly produced by Big River Lines and is real corrugated galvanized steel. I washed it with muriatic acid to get it to look old. 

Thank you all so much for your kind comments. 

Sincerely, 
Matt


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

Super modeling and lovely detail Matt: it seem like I was just right there.


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## imrnjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Matt-- Great job on the yard!! I'm in process of putting together a much smaller loading station for both sheep and cattle. These would have been found in more rural areas where livestock was purchased from large ranches like the '6666's, 'XIT', or a group of smaller ranches for shipment to the large regional Auctions or feed yards or other ranches. The primary differences would be no scale shed, an adjustable loading ramp to handle double decker (sheep) cars and naturally the total size. I hope you don't mind if I plagerize your model, since it has given me a couple (read several) ideas, for mine./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif 
A question I had is the on most prototypes I've seen, there is a slide out to close the short gap to the car, did you model that? And if not, what gap did you leave between car side and ramp? 

Mark


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## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Mark, 
Thanks to you and Alan for your comments. Actually the higher ramp on my model is for sheep or calves. There is a hinged platform which swivels down into position for loading the smaller animals into the upper levels of the stock cars Here's a shot of the ramp up in its normal position, ready to load larger animals:


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## rangerjoel (Jan 4, 2008)

Man, that is really nice work. It’s so detailed and realistic that I can almost smell the manure from here, and I’m in California!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gif 
Thank you very much for sharing those great photos. 
Joel


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## Dr G (Jan 16, 2008)

Matt, 

That is just amazing!! I can smell the manure! (And I should know--spent quiet a lot of time with the cows while in veterinary school). I agree with everyone else--I almost have a hard time deciding if it is real or a model. One suggestion--manure on the ramps--if memory serves they were always full of c--p /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue.gif. But then so is most of my advice.


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## Guest (May 6, 2008)

looking at the last foto (from above), i think, something is missing. 
the planks i had at the ramp of my corral (have been ranching for 15 years) looked allways somewhat greenish in the middle. 
even when washed down with a hose, some (dried) cowshit allways stayed in the corners of the 1" by 2"s nailed on the ramp.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Pretty amazing, especially for an outside building. Great work. Just wondering why you chose balsa, it being so fragile. Jerry


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## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

Matt, 
Well actually....that "dirt" is mostly steer manure. Gotta have the right atmosphere, don'tcha know?  

Cheers, 
Matt


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## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry, 
I use balsa because it's cheap and easy to cut. I've had very good luck with long term (10+ years) balsa projects outside here in Colorado - probably because it's so dry. 

Thanks, 
Matt


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Sounds like you know what you are doing. I never would have thought of using it outside, may consider it now. Bit wetter here in Nebraska though! Jerry


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## Sourdoh (Jan 6, 2008)

I think the whole thing looks about right. kormsen is right. Basically cow crap consists of a lot of grassy stuff, especially if you feed alfalfa. Those grass stains NEVER hose off, I can tell you that! So - When in doubt - add more greenish stain in all the cracks and edges. The centers of the ramps usually get hoof-worn, so they are he most clean.


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## mhutson (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmmmm....we could talk for several more pages on the best methods of modeling cow manure! I'll have to put some thought into that. 

Cheers, 
Matt


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nicely done, Matt. Another great foto op for the contest.  

Detail is super.


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