It's been a while, so I thought I'd post a quick update on the depot construction. You may have already seen this on my blog - if so, apologies for the duplicate content. The siding is finished on three sides of the structure, and 9 of the 13 windows are installed. I haven't started on the doors yet. I've been struggling with the bay window. I started out trying to build the entire thing as a single assembly. After a few failed efforts, I decided to try something different. I built three individual double-hung windows, then glued those together side-by-side to form half of a hexagon. The siding underneath the bay window looks a little rough in the photo, but I think getting the vertical trim installed will clean it up nicely. The next challenge will be the roof over the bay window, and then I want to figure out how to build movable freight doors.
Siding Done! It's been 44 days since my last post here. Included in those 44 days were six weekends, two weeks without the wife around, plus 5 vacation days. You would think I'd have made some progress on the depot during that time. Sadly, you'd be wrong. I haven't really touched it much until this week. I am a pathetic excuse for a model railroader. Aside from that, I've made some progress over the last couple of days. The biggest achievement is finishing the clapboard siding. It's DONE! I've also finished building and installing all of the windows, including the bay window, and I've measured and cut the panels for the roof. Obviously, I won't be permanently attaching that until I've decided what I'm going to do with the interior.
Your threads always give me scratchbuilding ideas. One of these days I'm gunna have to actually get up and build something.
From what I understand, and from the looks of some photos that I've seen of this style/era depot, "modern" asphalt shingles were common. That's probably what I'll aim for, using paper strips.
thanks Tracy i have found this to be a really great thread to follow and your scratch building is super learned much and will continue to follow much appreciated respectfully, Gary L Lake Dillensnyder
It's What's Inside That Counts Wrapping up another four-day weekend, minus the work-related interruptions on three of those days. I had high hopes of getting a lot done on the depot, but didn't get quite as far as I'd hoped. I did, however, manage to get the interior roughed in, and some lighting wired in place. Using wallpaper patterns that I downloaded from http://www.cgtextures.com/, I finished the interior walls on the second floor, and most of the downstairs lobby. There is still a lot of interior detail to add, and a few "leaks" to plug, but this is a good start. The lights that I'm using are wide-angle white 5mm LED's, running on a 9V battery just to allow me to take these photos. I may swap them out, as I'm not entirely happy with the blue light that they produce. I really wanted something "warmer", more yellow. That'll come later - for now, progress is progress!
Looking at this, I can recall the sights and even those smells of what a wood depot was like, after long years of use.
Movable Freight Doors Apologies for just posting a link this time, but I'm in a rush and really wanted to share what I finished up today. I figured out how to build working freight doors! http://dmirhillcitysub.blogspot.com/2012/11/an-open-and-shut-door.html
A Little Holiday Trimming The doors were all hung in the doorways with care, In hopes that the passengers soon would be there. The knobs were installed all snug in their holes, Ummm, uhhhh, something, something... OK, that's as far as I can take this. Seriously though, the front and rear entry doors are installed, including door knobs! The door is actually a photo of a door, printed with my inkjet printer, then glued to a piece of cereal box cardboard. The knob is the head of a tiny wire brad, snipped off and poked through a hole in the door. Not exactly to scale, but the larger size sort of emphasizes that "this door has a door knob!". But wait, there's more! I also started on the trim around the doors and windows. All of the pieces have been cut, from scale 1"x4" stock. Here they are, stuck to the sticky side of a lint roller sheet, waiting to be painted. The sticky paper holds them still so that I can paint them all at once, and helps to keep them from warping. After painting, installation is a simple matter of gluing the pieces in place around the various windows and doors. Looking at that last photo, you may be asking yourself "Is that trim really painted?". Yes, it is, and yes, I purposely chose a color that is very much the same color as the bare wood. Why? Because I realized well into the installation of the windows that I had forgotten to paint the window frames before installing the window glass. Knowing that it would be impossible to paint them without getting paint on the glass, I chose to hide my mistake in plain sight. Once the weathering has been done, you won't be able to tell that the frames are unpainted.
The Weather Outside Is Frightful All of the window and door trim is installed, basic structure is complete, and the walls are sporting a shiny new coat of paint. Looks good, right? Well, anybody who has ever painted their own house knows that it doesn't last long enough. Sooner or later, the weather takes a toll, and that flawless finish starts looking a little tired, something like this: As I mentioned earlier, with the weathering applied, it's impossible to tell that I forgot to paint the window frames. It's also very difficult to tell that the door is actually printed on paper. The weathering does a beautiful job of tying it all together. Up next, finishing the (moveable!) freight doors, then on to the roof. It's coming together!
I "invented" it yesterday after getting frustrated trying to paint and hold tweezers and the same time... ;-)
The Lights Are On, and Somebody's Home The wallpaper has been hung, the carpet's installed, and the lights are permanently wired up. Looks like the railway agent and his family have moved in - somebody's peeking out of an upstairs window. As you can see, I used warm yellow LED's throughout the structure, upstairs, downstairs, and in the freight area. Five bulbs in total, each with its own resistor, soldered and heat-shrinked, held in place with hot glue in case I ever need to replace one. The upstairs ceiling lifts out to give me access to the first floor bulbs. The upstairs windows are covered with curtains made from toilet paper (clean, I think). They're just transparent enough to allow some colors and shadows to be visible. The one window with the open curtain, the one shown above, allows just enough to be seen to create the illusion of a fully detailed upstairs. All it needs now is a finished roof, some crates in the freight room, and a few people to make it complete.
