Modeling a prison on my layout

[Anonymous]

I've seperated this part out of my other layout post for easier response and follow up....

here was my original post on the this subject:

Well, I went by the Virginia Inland Port today....here's a background....

Operated as an intermodal container transfer facility, the Virginia Inland Port (VIP) provides an interface between truck and rail for the transport of ocean-going containers to and from The Port of Virginia. Containers are transported by truck to the VIP for immediate loading upon a rail car or for short-term storage prior to loading. Containers arriving from Hampton Roads terminals are unloaded from the train and dispatched by truck to inland destinations. Land is available to steamship lines for container storage and ancillary service companies.

I wanted to see if I wanted to model part of this intermodal facility instead of a roundhouse in the lower left corner. I then thought that it would mean that I'd have to buy about 100 model trucks, so I decided against it.

On the way back to the highway I went the wrong way and had to turn around in the driveway of a Virginia department of corrections minimum security prison.

Not 1 minute later, what should happen but the ipod shuufled over to "Folsum Prison" by Johnny Cash.

Well that was it...1) I was thinking about modeling on my new layout
2.) I just saw a prison
3,) the man in black sealed the deal.


I'm going to add a prison yard somewhere on my layout. I'll think about where tomorrow....

I figure a couple buildings, a work yard, and a lot of stone walls and voila, Fulsom Prison in O gauge.

whadya think?


--------------------
The Plastic Lizard



I took some pictures of Levenworth, KS last August.




The guards weren't too happy with me paying a visit. They politely suggested that I turned around immediatly and headed back to the highway. I wonder what those little red dots on my chest were[:)]

[Anonymous]

Heres some links to the sctual Folsome Prison,

http://www.myfolsom.com/photos-folsomprison.shtml

[ChiefEagles]

Model the big coal yard there too. Man, that is a monster. Use to almost wreck trying to look at it when I was going and coming from Hampton BPS. Now I go the backway [258] across the James River Bridge [look at the big carriers] as it turns into Mercury Blvd.

[Frank53]

it's a noble thought, but unless your layout is huge, doesn't seem practical. I was going to model a drive in movie and realized how many suare inches were required to put up a lot that would hold a belieevable number of cars and decided against it.

[Roger Bielen]

The trucks might be cheaper than populating an overcrowded prison.

[Anonymous]

Well, I think I should be more clear. I'm not going to model Folsom, or Levenworth or any of the giant prisons. I think I'm just going to make a smaller "Folsom light". more like the camp I saw Monday or the one in "Cool hand Luke"

Some of the switch towers out there by MTH and others look like they would make good prison towers if they were painted grey. There are plenty of ways to make a couple bunk houses. I haven't decided if I'll make a stone wall or a fence wall.

BTW, what is an inexpensive way to make stone walls?

[Frank53]

QUOTE: Originally posted by plasticlizard


BTW, what is an inexpensive way to make stone walls?

ummmm, out of small stones you might pick up in your yard?

[Anonymous]

funny Frank, funny

[locomutt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by plasticlizard

Well, I think I should be more clear. I'm not going to model Folsom, or Levenworth or any of the giant prisons. I think I'm just going to make a smaller "Folsom light". more like the camp I saw Monday or the one in "Cool hand Luke"

Some of the switch towers out there by MTH and others look like they would make good prison towers if they were painted grey. There are plenty of ways to make a couple bunk houses. I haven't decided if I'll make a stone wall or a fence wall.

BTW, what is an inexpensive way to make stone walls?

Cast the wall in plaster,simple flat forms,and scribe the stones with
an ex-acto ?
Well what ever you do,it looks like you will have a 'captive' audience.

Where exactly is that compound located ? I've been in that area
several times in years past and am not familiar with it.
I had two military schools at Ft. Eustis,and was able to explore the
peninsula fairly well.

[Anonymous]

which of the compounds are you asking about?

1. Levenworth is in Kansas, accross the river from Kansas City, MO.
2. Folsom Prison is in California, north of sacramento
3. the VIP and the smaller prison is at the intersection of I66 and I81 in Virginia.

[locomutt]

The one in Virginia.

Just an FYI,and you may know about it,but Micro-Mark has
some real nice sheets of stone,brick,concrete block,etc.
The surfaces are slightly raised above the mortar lines to
give a more realistic look to them.
I've gotten several different ones,but haven't used them for
a project yet;but they do look,and feel a lot better than the
old flat sheets of same.

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by plasticlizard

. . .BTW, what is an inexpensive way to make stone walls?

I've been pondering the same question. I'm going to try scribing some smooth styrofoam with an awl, then painting it. Cheap and quick! Also, Plasticville's Airport Terminal (45985) has a great control tower that looks very much like a guard tower. See Bachmann's web site for images.

Jim

[FJ and G]

interesting idea.

a chain gang also might be nice.

[Anonymous]

already thought of the chain gang....I've seen a Lionel track set that would look good with the guys wearing orange jumpsuits...


Regarding the towers, with a little paint and if I cover Lionel with Dept. of Corrections I think this Lionel switch tower would make a nice guard tower. I could give the moving people little rifles to carry.

[Dr. John]

Interesting idea! You might consider modeling a portion of a prison at a corner of your layout to give the impression of a larger facility. Maybe have someone escaping ala Tim Robbins "The Shawshank Redemption" or Clint Eastwood in "Alcatraz".

[FJ and G]

great chain gang idea, TPL

Dr John's idea is tops.

How about modeling Camp Cupcake, with Martha Stewart in matching striped outfit?

[Anonymous]

You could look into modeling Ossining Prison AKA Sing-Sing just north of NY city. It straddels the old New York Central Hudson river Mainline with fortiffyed bridges crossing the tracks. Now Metro North commeter trains use the tracks and many of the people on the "reverse commuting" trains in the morning are visiting husbands and fathers and get off at that stop.

[Anonymous]

Now I've found a source for walls, and I've found a good way to make chain link and razor wire. I've started tracking down a guard tower, and I think I've got my buildings situated.

But anyone know how tall the walls of the prison should be? Would prison walls be 20 feet high, 30?

[Dr. John]

I would think that the walls would be 30 feet, with chain link fences at 10 to 15 feet tall.

[cnw1995]

Michigan's max security state prison in Newberry just has Stalag 17-type dorms behind several layers of chain link and razor wire fencing - using silver mesh could be interesting. These days, everything seems to be behind chain link and razor wire...I'm thinking of enclosing a tank farm...

[csxt30]

Just happened to notice a water tower today & Thought , ooh, Plastic Lizard should have a water tower for his prison!! I know some where I thought I saw a prison with there own water tower. MTH & lionel Ibelieve have made them. Thanks, John

[Anonymous]

good idea guys thanks...

I'm going crazy on ebay trying to find cheap or used parts...I'll be repainting them anyway.

[TexasEd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dr. John

Interesting idea! You might consider modeling a portion of a prison at a corner of your layout to give the impression of a larger facility. Maybe have someone escaping ala Tim Robbins "The Shawshank Redemption" or Clint Eastwood in "Alcatraz".

How about the two guys from "Raising Arizona"?

[FJ and G]

well, the ideas continue flowing. Why not do an entire crime scene of

1. a crime in progress (burglers breaking into a window).

2. A police paddy waggon picking up the miscreants

3. a courthouse with suspect being led handcuffed inside

4. the jail scene and chain gangs

5. perhaps a prison break and escaping in a boxcar

after the prison break, you see them being picked up again and you've just come full circle!

[Anonymous]

The ideas are coming faster than I can process them. Every year I go to the beach at 4th of July with my inlaws and every year it rains at least 2 days. So this year I'm bringing a project with me. I'm going to be doing A TON of hydrocal castings. Walls for the prison, retaining walls, and rocks of various sizes for the layout.

Here is my plan:

1. Mix hydrocal
2. pour in molds
3. put Corona's in cooler
4. go to beach
5 after Corona's are empty go to step 1.

And then if it rains one day, I'll paint them.

[locomutt]

Now that sounds LIKE A GOOD PLAN to me.
Hope that one works out!!

[Anonymous]

How about a white collar crime section with a pool and sundeck? You could also have a wrist slapping machine.

[Anonymous]

Don't you know that the white collar criminals get away with everything?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any ideas for an existing building (plasticville, bachman, Lionel, MTH, etc.) that would serve as a main building for the prison?

I was thinking of the plasticville hobo shacks would make good bunk houses


or maybe the plasticville town hall..with maybe 3 of them put together and taking off the clock towers.

[Jumijo]

TPL,

You could kitbash several hospital or apartment building kits together into one building. I saw an article in an old issue of CTT that featured a very convincing factory made out of 2 Plasticville hospital kits. The Union Station kit could be used as the entrance or "front" of the prison. It looks suitably institutional.

You might also consider scratchbuilding the prison. You're going to have to scratchbuild the walls any way. Prison architecture is so spartan that it wouldn't take much more than some flat styrene sheets. My hobby store carries large sheets > 2 feet by 1 foot in many thicknesses. Your prison and walls could also be made from wood (1x4s for instance). The wood would give dimension to the walls and could be painted to look like cement and scribed to look like stone. You could screw and glue a prison together out of wood or MDF much faster than with plastic.

The Plasticville airport control tower would make a great guard tower. Use several of those for a large prison.

Window screen can be used to replicate chain link fence. Spooled wire can be used to simulate razor wire.

Use your imagination and don't be held back by what kits are available. Also, don't make the project more complicated than it has to be. Most prison type facilities are pretty devoid of detail. Just huge monolithic buildings surrounded by walls.

Jim