I’ve been watching these challenges since Mik started them here years ago, but I’ve not participated except to comment and vote. This year, however, the concept fits perfectly with a simple structure I have been meaning to build ever since I finished Wall Station last spring. Recall that Wall Station was bashed from a wooden birdhouse (with many suggestions from Mik) to which I added a stone base and some plastic details…

Since this structure is so small, my little plastic people need additional space to wait for the train out of the weather. A free-standing roof type passenger shelter is what I had in mind but other than to research how it might be built I never started the project. Mik 2016 is the perfect opportunity as the corrugated roofing will complement the standing seam roofing on Wall Station.

For prototype inspiration I visited the Danbury Railroad Museum and took some pictures and notes on the re-created shelter attached to the Union Station that houses the museum. I studied the pictures to get an idea of how to use the construction techniques of the prototype on my model. This will not be a model of the existing structure, but a free lance model using some of the same framing techniques.

Lacking a suitable napkin on which to draw my plan, I quickly sketched the concept. I’ve yet to work out exact size and details so this sketch will be added to as I do. That is, unless I just wing it and build from my head

So here is what I have so far…

Interestingly enough something inspired me to find my work bench last weekend, before I had any idea I would join this circus…

Can’t wait to get started, but I will.

In a third world country that piece of paper could be quite a fancy napkin and in a 4th world country a table cloth. So I say its a damn fine napkin, welcome to the challenge.

Here is the prototype that inspired the design. These pictures were taken the first day I had this camera and it was set wrong, so the quality is a bit odd, but you can see enough to understand the framing detail…

Boy that’s gonna take a lot of Popsicle sticks!

Sure is a neat design.

This one will be fun to watch.

John

That’s such a cool prototype. Too bad you don’t have any real napkins in your house, but it looks to be a neat build.

Nice architecture. Looking forward to watching the progress.

John’s comment about the Popsicle sticks reminds me of a question. I’ll post it on the main build thread so I don’t clutter up Daktah’s space.

That’s very nice! So is the original birdhouse station & its foundation. I’m looking forward to following along as you build this, John.

Thanks guys. Too bad Popsicle ™ sticks are a little too thin to represent a 2 x 6 in Fn3. I’m sure not going to hand round a bunch of stick lumber just because I like the look. I’ll need to see what a few sticks laminated together might look like when sanded and painted. Chances are that the prototypes rafter detail might get eliminated completely or pushed to very wide centers.

Round the end of a board and slice off what you need. Best way to get uniformity too.

John

Winter has yet to arrive in CT, so I took advantage to above freezing temps to survey the location where the shelter will be placed. Looks like the maximum length will be about 18 inches. Wall Station is positioned at he 24" mark next to the shrub I killed this year…

Hopefully this is enough width…

Nice little space, poor shrub(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif)

Suppose I should pull back a little so you can see the area in context…

That’s a great little spot for a stop

Life has been getting in the way of getting started, but I did manage to sit down at the computer today and work on some measured drawings. I think I need to head down to the museum and confirm some dimensions. These measurements are guesses based on a door that’s cropped off the picture. I think they are reasonable but the height above the walk may be all wrong…

I’ll probably need to make it about 50 inches narrower for most efficient use of the sheets. That’s about 30% smaller. In order to maintain the proportions I would also need to reduce the height, but I can’t see lowering the eves past 8 foot above grade. I need to measure my station to too keep things in perspective.

Another delay (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cry.gif)Some idiot missed the turn on the main road near my house and crashed his car into a power pole. Snapped it off, caused a crazy surge when the 22KV primaries shorted - my whole house hummed at 60 cycles for 10 seconds then the power went out and stayed out for 5 hours. I had a Visio file open creating measured drawings and of course that file is now corrupt. So it’s back to square one on the drawing front. At least I got the picture measured and posted before the crash.

John, isn’t that the way. At least your computer didn’t get fried like mine did.

Don’t you just hate it when that happens. I hope you weren’t far along in the drawing. Pop open another bee … I mean coke and get back at it.

Got back to the drawing program tonight. Luckily I had exported that measured picture and remembered most of what i drew. I had about 2-3 hours into it when it was lost, but I got back to that point in less than an hour at the computer. First I drew the end profile out using a simple triangle and plain angled truss supports. Alas, I suffer from Rosteritis as I just can’t dismiss how muck better it looks with two different angles on the roof line and the truss supports with a curved side and detailed ends. It’s going to take a lot more work than I had originally planned (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Here is the drawing so far. I still need to figure out the framing detail so I can start cutting parts this weekend…

Plan is coming along quite nicely. I am interested in seeing how you cut some of the small intricate details.

John Caughey said:

Round the end of a board and slice off what you need. Best way to get uniformity too.

John

Basically what John suggested. The ends of the braces can cut on a block with a bull-nose bit on the router. The concave curve will be a challenge though! Probably easy with the right tools, which I don’t have. The round end rafters will be done the same way. The little 10 degree wedge will be a challenge too.