I always liked these MTH buildings and got one last week. This is just about done and was repainted and detailed to be a sort of generic street level warehouse business. I reworked the front a bit for dual roll up doors and added some extra detail here and there.
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Very, very nice.
Simply amazing well done
Mike
Awesome job Norm.
alan graziano
Thx you guys, I should go work on my layout now but these Hamm’s are going down kinda nice after I cleaned up my shop. Haha.
As always, very nice Norm.
Norm,
Great work, as usual. Thanks for the detailed pictures.
What MTH building was it originally?
-Tom
Fantastic Norm. You really know how to work your magic.
Wow Norm,
What a transformation!
Thx guys. Here’s what I started with:
Norm, fantastic job on transforming the MTH building. Love your style of just the right amount of grime 
Your ability to envision and transform is second to none. All I can say again is wow!
Thx again guys, here’s the inspiration for the service entrance wiring - this is the YWCA in Knoxville (cool town!):
Beautiful work Norm. I echo all the previous excellent comments. The Hamm's looks good too. It was my favorite when we lived in Albert Lea, Minnesota in the early 60's. Still is!
Aha! We have finally found out the key to your modeling success...Hamms!!!
I just ran out and bought several cases for myself. I expect to be turning out amazing looking finely detailed o scale buildings in about 12 Hamm’s.
Well Done... Bravo!!!
Beautiful work Norm
Norm did the fire escapes come with the building or are they an add on? I like their 'beefiness' for shipping purposes.
Joe
What did you use for the Service wiring insulators mounted on the side of the building?
Joe, those are the stock MTH fire escapes. PHC, those are old Kiel Line parts.
Thx for the kind words on my basement beer choice - they are 50 cents a pop here in MI, and they taste pretty good!
Very nice. I really like the brick color and the weathering. May I ask what color or color combo you used for the brick? Your models set a high bar.
Paul
The insulators Norm used are our 3 wire standoffs here is a link:
http://scalecitydesigns.com/48...doffs-fka-keil-line/
part number 48-1193 6 per pack @ $5.00.
Norm great job on your building. I love the character that you give your buildings. Good color choice for the brick, I too am wondering what you painted it with.
Regarding Hamm's Beer, that really brings back a lot of memories for me. I grew up in Northwest Iowa and it was a leading beer in those days. I loved the dancing bears in their TV ads "From the land of sky blue waters". I can still hear their jingle with the Indian tom toms beating. I am in the process of making a Hamm's Beer billboard to place along a highway that runs beside my Mississippi River for an Iowa state trooper to hide behind for a speed trap.
Art
Would never think that you started with an MTH building.....this looks fantastic.....gives me some ideas to work with....
Awesome!!
Here's what I used. I used the matte clear over the base color (primer) before spackling the mortar, then bombed matte clear over the spackle. This keeps too much of the color bleeding into the mortar and then preserves a bit more of the mortar color when doing the acrylic washes and final weathering. Hope that makes sense - it goes color, clear, spackle, clear, final wash, highlights, drybrushing, etc.
Thank you Norm for sharing your technique. I hope someday you give serious thought to writing a book so that all your techniques will live on for generations. It would be a best seller in this hobby world.
Norm, thank you for sharing the information. I would have never thought to use those steps in a hundred years. Good job and again, thanks for sharing.
Great work there Norm! I agree with everyone else, thanks for sharing!
Seems like I haven't had much time lately, but I've managed to get this project set in its location. I still have quite a bit of detailing to do here. I ended up with an odd shaped lot to fill so I made a building to fit it. The poles were inspired by some Pittsburgh prototypes.
Norm, Your work looks incredible! I have some buildings I want to change the names on. How did you do your sign or lettering for the building?
-Eric
Eric, thx. I use MS Word and cruise the free font websites for industrial looking fonts. I just print the signs out on regular printer paper.
Outstanding work as usual Norm, especially for the poles. What parts are you using these days to build them?
Thx Stephen. I am using Berkshire Valley and San Juan Car Co. insulators, Keil Line (now Scale City) transformers and spool insulators, and sometimes Keil or BV lampshades. I have some Wiseman parts that are very similar to PSC that I used on other poles. BV makes some smaller transformers that are pretty nice too. Someday I will model those square transformers that are still common in Pittsburgh. I wish there were more detail parts for utility pole modeling such as larger insulators.
Here's a neat photo gallery of Duquesne Light poles:
Beautiful Norm. I assume you used your hardboard sidewalk technique after removing the original base?
Thx Don, yes this one got mounted to 1/4" hardboard/MDF.
Norm
Thank you for sharing and explaining this project. Appreciate you taking the time to explain how to use the items you mention in this thread and the resources for them.
Are all your signs printed on paper? They look like they have been painted on the building sides.
Tom
Seriously well done!
PCRR/Dave
I dunno Norm...?. Looks like one or two wires on that pole might short out..... and that brown isn't perfect..... and one leaf near the curb isn't..... 
you capture the look of the era to me very well. Thanks for sharing your work.
I'm still leary of my own comments about you!
Norm, incredible transformation ! The building, the scene, the details all are exceptional. Thanks for sharing some of the techniques and supplies you use. You have a gift for making these models and scenes as real as any I have ever seen. It' inspiring, and fortunately motivating.. makes me keep changing and improving my methods to try to achieve ever better results.
Norm absolutely stunning work who makes the Rea Warehouse was that a train Dame product
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