Atlas "Ace Feed and Supply" - What goes on in this structure?

Neal,

To the best of my knowledge, no milling services were performed in that "feed and supply" store. I have one of the original Walthers buildings on our layout, located adjacent to the Lionel "Grain Elevator", so that the "fFeed Store" is just that, i.e. supplying all sorts of feeds, grains, and farm tools and supplies (I even have two new farm tractors parked outside, as for sale items) to the local farmers. I have located the structure beside a rail siding, with a boxcar spotted beside that long loading dock. The whole scene looks nice.

I grew up on a dairy farm in CT.  There was a store called Eastern States Supply that was larger than the Walther's building.  We would buy some hardware items there (shovels, pitchforks, etc.), supplies like barbed wire but the most frequent thing was bagged grain as a feed supplement for the cows.  It arrived in 100 pound burlap sacks (in 40' single-door boxcars that I used to wander through as a little guy) and we'd buy 40 bags at a time.  This was strictly a supply store, farmers never shipped anything out of there.

Thanks for all of the input so far. I'm sure that they did sell farm supplies at the prototype that I'm modeling, but back in the 80's when I first saw it, they had grain silos, so I assume they were shipping stuff out too. The following image isn't very good, but it shows you the prototype in several different eras.

HEre are some old interior photos:

You can try this link too:

https://calisphere.org/item/cf...b02a348bcf7d1263065/

Here is what I did with my Walthers structure. The extension covers the 'milling operation' and was built to justify spotting 2-3 covered hoppers alongside per operating session. Also occasional boxcar is received. I replaced the original roof as to me it did not look right. In my research I found that no two feedmills are alike so hopefully mine does have the right 'feel' to it.

Ian

That is really very nice, Ian. 

Most noted that I can remember.  The local feed mill supplied flour, and buckwheat  pan cake flour, certain times of the year.   Feed supplements, as mentioned, most common purchase.  There was a small mix mill on the farm, used to grind corn/oats feed.  The supplement contained additional nutrients and protein, important to milk production.  A fair amount of dried molasses was part of the supplement.  Tough to get buckwheat pan cakes.  

These buildings, if they had a mill, would have also had a dust collector, as noted in the HO model.  The potential dangers related to the mill and dust may have been part of the demise of these local businesses.   

Add:  Note the Dust collector, top, of the Walther's HO model.  Indication of a feed grinding mill.

The Menards feed store also has a dust collector.

Neil, in the earlier times many farm supply stores started out as mills where besides hardware and other farm stuff they sold their own feed. As time went on and commercially prepared feed became more available many tore down the silos and became farm supply stores where hobby farm people and suburbanites get their supplies! Wheelbarrows, gates, shovels etc and commercial feeds already bagged! I deal with a store which still has their silos and make their own feed but also sells the commercial brands. Many of the old stores are empty now! I have noticed that the empty stores without the old silos still have rusty abandoned sidings where the silos used to be! Hope this helps! Love your modelling!

Did you enlarge and read that article posted above? It described that farm supply store as selling everything but baby clothes.  Both my Walthers and Menard's versions were kitbashed with the addition of tall elevators.

Neal, from the caption under the third picture in the article you posted Annlick was both a Feed, seed and farm supply and also operated a mill.  So for your model all type of trucks and rail cars loading and unloading all types of freight with the exception of tank cars would be appropriate.  Augmenting your Sur Sweet with an Ertl grain elevator would probably give you a good a good representation of Annlick's.

Sometimes you get lucky! Purchased the Atlas "Ace Feed and Supply" with the intention of using it as a general warehouse on one of my stubs. Haven't built it yet, looking forward to having another structure on my layout!

Bruce