Remember that wall I goofed up and had to reject? Well, I used the top of it to make this piece, and laminated it to the rear of the south wall:
BTW, I’ve moved my site to a new web host, and this update is only on the new host. So if you can’t see the above photo please let me know.
Amazing work Ray. Thanks for sharing your method . The results of it are truly incredible. That’s going to be a terrific station. Your picture shows up fine for me. It’s nice when you get to recover and use some work you thought was lost. Keep up the great work.
I guess there goes my chance at getting the rejects. Sure looks good.
I’ve been working on blending together the joints at the corners of the building. In the past, I used an epoxy putty made by JB Weld, sold under the name Kwik Plastik. Apparently this is no longer available, at least under that name. So I’ve had to do some experimenting…
First I tried a product called Magic Sculpt. This is a two-part epoxy putty available from art and craft suppliers, and commonly used for sculpting. It’s light gray. I applied some to a couple of corners, and after it cured I scribed mortar lines into it. It’s a bit harder than the Kwik Plastik, and was a little tricky to scribe. In thin areas in sometimes flaked off during scribing:
Next I tried a JB Weld product called “Water Weld”. This turns out to be very similar to Kwik Plastik, and may even be the same product under a new name. It too is a two-part putty. It is almost white when cured. It’s a bit softer than Magic Sculpt, making it slightly easier to sand and scribe. It also flaked off in some spots, but not quite as badly:
The results of both products in this particular application were very similar, but I’d say Water Weld has a slight edge. Neither one is ideal for use on a semi-soft material like Sintra. But considering that these are supposed to be rough, random stones, the defects are not significant and will be pretty well hidden when painted.
I wanted some of the stones to stand out from the wall, to give it more dimension. To do this, I start by gluing thin slices of Sintra to a few random stones. Then I use a hobby knife with a new, sharp #11 blade to carve them. Here are a couple before and after shots:
Here’s the finished wall:
I won’t do this to the rest of the walls until after I’ve added on the east wing.
Ray,
I only wish I had your eye for detail. Just outstanding! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
It’s such a pleasure to watch the progress of a great project… (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
Because this depot will sit so close to the “edge” of the layout, a detailed interior is a necessity! However, this is the first building I’ve made with an interior that is also visible from all four sides. Previous structures had the rear wall against a cliff, allowing me to make that wall removable. (It also cut down on the amount of exterior detailing!) The interiors could be built into a box that slides out the back of the building.
On the depot, the interior box has to be accessible from below. Not a big deal but it does complicate things a bit. For one thing, the way I make and install the windows, they extend into the building slightly. So the box has to clear the windows and avoid damaging the shades/curtains.
I built a recessed rim and spacers in the main structure. The rim creates an overlapping seal to help keep out moisture, as well as giving me something to put the screws into that will be used to secure the interior. Here’s a view from the underside:
And here’s a view from the top. I haven’t installed the spacer on the wall at right yet, because I’m debating whether or not to add a window to that wall:
Here’s the box which will contain the interior. The ceiling is removable and held in place with small screws:
Here’s a shot of the underside of the building, with the box temporarily installed. For this shot I only used two screws, instead of the six that will eventually be used:
Note that the floor of the west wing (baggage/freight area) is also removable. This room will not have interior details.
Here’s a shot looking down from the top. The second floor windows will have closed curtains, eliminating the need for detailing the second floor. Only a light will be installed there, to shine through the curtains:
As you can see, I’ve also installed the bracing for the roof of the west wing, and will soon add bracing for the main roof:
The depot sits between two tracks, and one of the tracks curves inward a bit. To accommodate the reduced clearance, I had to taper the east wing on the south side:
Because the east wing is an odd shape, I decided to go with a flat roof and parapet, rather than a peaked roof. I feel this will also give the building more visual interest, and I’ve seen photos of a couple prototype, mission-style depots that had a flat roof on one end. I put together a mockup of the east wing and taped it to the model to see how it will look:
Before I start cutting up Sintra, I’d like to hear what others think of this design for the east wing.
Will that be an open air shelter? Either way, I like the design.
Yes, the west wing will be a shaded, open-air shelter.
i would rethink it.
the brick colums at the top of the corners of the building and the upper corners of the eastwing do not “correspond” with each other.
i would give it one of these forms:
Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!
Korm, yeah I’m not very satisfied with the current shape, and will definitely give it some more thought.
Ray,
Stellar work, and good progression to show how you planed, tested concepts, and textured the depot.
I didn’t see what glue you use to join the corners. If I missed it, please post it again.
Thanks!
Thanks Jim! I use Weld-on 16. It may also be sold under the name “SciGrip”
I’m finally making progress on this again, after taking a short break.
About a year ago I found a sheet of 13mm Sintra in the cutoff bin at a local plastics dealer, and I’ve been holding onto it ever since. I decided to use this to make the arched walls of the passenger waiting area. I don’t know if it’s because this stuff was old, or what, but it was quite a bit harder than the 6mm stuff I’ve been using, and was kind of a pain to work with. I had to use a jigsaw to cut it. I also found it more difficult to scribe. It might have been easier if I’d just laminated two sheets of 6mm Sintra together, to get the required thickness. Anyway…
After cutting it out, I taped the plugs from the arches in place temporarily, to hold a pushpin marking the center of the arch. Then I scribed the stones around the arch, using a small metal ruler as a guide:
When I’d finished scribing the stones on the face of the wall, I used a special tool to continue the mortar lines around the corners onto the edges of the arches. This was just an X-Acto knife, with the edge of the blade ground flat:
Here is the exterior side of the wall. It is complete except for some details that will be added after assembly. As you can see, I have changed the shape of the wall’s top edge from the original design:
Here’s the interior side of the same wall. When I shot this photo, I still had to scribe a few more lines near the top. On the left end, there was no need to include all the scribing since that is where the adjoining wall will be glued to this one:
That’s all for now. I still have two more walls to do for this part of the depot.
Ray as usual you are an inspiration
I forgot to mention something in my previous post… When I designed the walls of the waiting area, I used a drawing program to create simple templates. These were printed onto paper, cut out, and then traced onto the Sintra:
After texturing both sides of the north and south walls, I glued them to the main structure. The joint was not perfect, especially on the angled, south, wall, so there was an uneven gap at the joints. I filled these gaps with JB Weld’s “Water Weld” epoxy putty, taking care to press it firmly into the gap. After it set, I sanded it down, and then scribed it to match the walls. Here are before and after shots of the north wall, followed by the south wall:
Here’s how the whole thing looks so far:
The base of the waiting area is removable. I scribed 1/2" squares on the floor to represent terra cotta tiles:
Small stainless steel screws hold the base of the waiting area in place. The base can be removed for painting, and for easy access to the waiting area interior:
Here’s a shot of the end wall in progress. I have to align the stone courses to match those at the corners of the north and south walls:
That’s all for now. Hope you’re all having a great Thanksgiving!
