REAL SHELL STATIONS FOR INSPIRATION

Here are some pictures form a few stations I have taken for inspiration for my LEGO model. 

SHELL STATION #1

This first station was one I was impressed with, and matched some of the criteria I was looking for. This is station is located on the corner of Ann Arbor-Saline Road and Eisenhower in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is busy most of the time, and has a car wash that can fit my Suburban in!!!

I took most of these pictures in late 1999 / 2000, when there was a snowstorm in Ann Arbor. I bet the attednant thought my big, black, Suburban was stocking the store or something. "No, officer, I was just taking pictures for my future LEGO project."

As always, click on the picture for a bigger shot. 

	A Canopy shot, nothing too fancy here.		Another canopy shot, this shows the support and the pumps.
	Here is the canopy and the Shell logo.		Other side of the canopy.
	A good shot of the pump placements and canopy.		Here is the entrance to the car wash, it is pretty plain, but easy to build. I went with the fancier version.
	The exit of the car wash, this one is in the back of the shop, and it loops around to the general driving around area.		Another shot of the exit, a little more defined.
	Here is a shot of the menu for the car wash. It is more detailed then I put into my design.		Here is the shop. Notice how the canopy doesn't even get close.
	There is a close up view of the shop.		Here is a pump, mine are about the same.
	Another pump shot.		A little better shot, you can see some detailsw better.
	Here is the sign that tells you the prices, this is on a busy corner, and it is a rather low key signs then mine. I aqssume that Ann Arbor has strict regulations regarding Gas Station signs,		Here is a better shot of the sign and some lovely Ann Arbor traffic.
	Here is the dumpster area, mine is close.

SHELL STATION #2

The second station is being built on US 12, Michigan Avenue, near I-94. I saw this one and was immediately inspired, mostly because it was mostly all right angles! It is the newer pattern of Shell Stations as well, and I decided to go with this one instead.

Click on the thumbnails for a larger view, hit the back button on your browser to proceed to this page again.

Here is a pretty good picture of the canopy, and the shop as well. I think I will be adding a part to the canopy so it will meet the shop, I don't like the open area up front. Skylights, perhaps?
Here is another view of the shop and the canopy, I think I might have to do some selective compression on the canopy and building, or I will have to make it as big as 6 Light Gray baseplates, which is too large. I am thinking of 4. I don't like the white top of the shop either, I might make it match the canopy of red and yellow trim.
Here is a shot of the car wash, I decided to just center the car exit and entrance, since the LEGO car wash was big to begin with. I deviated with the roof as well, it actually slopes back all the way.
Another view of the car wash.
Here is picture of the completed station, taken a few months after these were,after I moved down to Indiana. I was lucky enough to find some of the newer Shell sets on sale here. : ) As you can see, the Car Wash has the slopes going all the way back. I can fix that easily enough on the LEGO version.
Here is a shot of the completed Shell Station's Store. I think I liked my canopy better. From what Amy Hughes tells me, it leaks! Fire the architects! What in the world were they thinking?!?!?!?!?!

SHELL STATION #3

The third station isn't really used by me, but I did see it in route to Contraption. It is in Marshall, Michigan. It looks a lot like mine, it was cool! And a Coffee Beanery in it,even! : )

A tall thank you goes out to Todd Lehman for this background, you can find it at:

Fibblesnork Backgrounds

© 2002 Scott E. Sanburn  E-Mail Me!