Structure Model 6 - D&RGW Ore Loading Platform

Nothing looks like wood than wood! That is my belief and therefore I decided on my next structure model to be a very tiny ore loading ramp that once stood in Colorado, or maybe there are still some rotting remains of it today.

The plan was published in Model Railroader Magazine.

I could not build this ramp as a stand-alone structure because I could not figure out how to keep all the posts and crossbraces from falling apart before the glue had set. So I drilled appropriate holes in a plywood base and planted the upright posts in place. Then I added the cross braces and the planks.

 This time I stained the planks before gluing them in place.

 I also made the ramp moveable.

The ramp was lowered on the railroad car (omitted here) and a truck backed onto the ramp and dumped their cargo into the ore car.

A wood beam is fixed at the edge of the ramp to keep the trucks from rolling off the ramp.

This probably was my masterpiece because it earned me 105 points out of 125.

Construction: 38/40
Detail: 15/20
Conformity: 21/25
Finish: 18/25
Scratchbuilding: 13/15

You see, the smallest structure earned me the highest score.