James River Branch: Weller Fuel Oil

Weller Fuel Oil Company, Part 1 of 3: Design

Curiously, the fuel oil company got its humble beginnings way back in July of 07 courtesy of a pair of Micro-Trains Z scale tank cars I'd just purchased. Owing to their chunky cast-on ladders, I was having a hard time getting to like these cars, and after buying my first Märklin tanker, I decided the Micro-Trains cars were not going to be rolling on my rails. And that's how the oil company got started: I decided to remove the ladders and railings, and use the tanks for storage.

As Naughtright evolved, the fate of the fuel oil company came into doubt. It disappeared from the plan quite some time ago, and did not reappear until the most recent changes, when the diner got moved, leaving a vacant lot. Ultimately, the fuel oil company bubbled to the top of the list of possible new occupants of this prime piece of real estate, located as it was at the front edge of the layout—perfect for a business with lots of character and detail.

In the back of my mind I had an image of a curious little depot comprised of a pair of horizontal tanks sitting on the roof of the office. I'd stumbled across the place years ago somewhere in north-central New Jersey. So, I brought out the Micro-Trains tank cars to see how Weller Fuel Oil might shape up. When I placed the tanks on the layout, however, they seemed unexpectedly large. Fortunately, I had the Baz Models A.J. Slick Fuel kit on hand. While the kit was entirely too large for the space as-is, it did provide the components for a much smaller business.

My next step was to turn to Live Search Maps to research 1:1 fuel oil businesses, and promptly found loads of inspiration. In particular, I was looking for offices, and found no end of variations, from absolutely nothing to old truck trailers to suburban homes to a curious wedge-shaped building that became the focus of my attention.

Taking the search process one step further, I made use of Google Maps Street Level imaging function to take a virtual walk right up to the building. What I'd found was the Queen City Fuel Oil Company, an absolutely perfect subject for a brass kit leftover mash-up. And with the design for the Weller Fuel Oil Company building now established, it was time to start chopping up some brass.

These ex-tank cars got the Weller Fuel Oil Company started, but were too big.

The A.J. Slick kit contains the raw materials for a smaller business.

The Queen City Fuel Oil Company is a perfect modeling subject.

Here's Queen City Fuel Oil in a Google Street Level image.

What the office building lacks in size, it makes up in character.