New Gas Station Project – Based on the OLD BARN

Right after publishing the OLD BARN book, I told Seb I wanted to build the OLD BARN myself. He suggested I could try to make something different, based on the OLD BARN book – there is not much use of having the same barn twice, right? I thought making an old wooden Gas Station diorama could be a good idea.

So we came up with two paintings from Dale Klee as inspiration, as you can see above. Although the final project will not look just the same, the idea is to make a wooden gas station, with white painted planks on the walls and that “shack feeling”.

The main structure will basically remamin the same way. The main gate is going to be the side gate now – to access the workshop with tools and parts inside.

The side structure is going to be the front shop. Here’s where most of the modifications will take place –  and there isn’t much to modify. First of all, I’ll extend the roof to make it also the roof for the Gas Pumps. I guess I’ll change the angle a bit – don’t know yet. The side structure will now be the front office of the Gas Station, where people go in to pay. It will have a door inside to access the workshop too. I will use our Gas Pump blue prints for to make two Tokheim 39 Pumps.

I try to picture the finished project already! I’m very exited about this! I try to imagine the white exterior walls,with the paint faded out or maybe somehow cracked. I’m not sure how the scene will be, though. On the one hand I imagine a completely abandoned gas station diorama. On the other hand, I think of a vintage, closed Gas Station, being now the meeting point for some car nut hot rod club in the garage. Building is surely one of the more exiting parts of such a project. You imagine the stories, and seeing the pictures coming together in my head is like “discovering this abandoned place” in the middle of nowhere…

Tagged as: diorama, gas station, old barn, tokheim 39 gas pump