<font face="Times New Roman">Hi,
</font><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">I am extending (weather & bad back (getting better now) permitting) the railroad. This will include a custom built 90 degree crossing (I use Peco code 250 rail) so naturally a custom built hut for the keeper was needed. </font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Made from Korrofulute and plasticard, with underlayment (a new word for cheap roofing felt!) for the shingles it will be located on a small piece of roofing tile, which was kept after some extensions a while ago.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The windows were made first from my own jigs, from 2 layers of .020 strips, with .030 sides and .040 front frames, when complete the holes for them in the walls can be cut out. The door was built up 'in situ'</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The usual drinking straw is used for the very necessary(in Colorado where the line is supposedly set) stove pipe. I double these adding another straw internally, cut it lengthwise to get it inside with a thin layer of glue and feed it inside, on both portions. Add a fixing wire to keep it still, and add paper bands for the fixing bands. The top is also a section of another straw glued over a piece of scrap that fills the top of the pipe, also close off the inner end of the horizontal section to deny bugs a home there!.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Paint to suit - and varnish it for protection with Johnson’s Klear, the roof will have a layer of Thompsons' Water Seal . </font><font size="3"> </font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Here are some photos of the little building</font>
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</font><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">I am extending (weather & bad back (getting better now) permitting) the railroad. This will include a custom built 90 degree crossing (I use Peco code 250 rail) so naturally a custom built hut for the keeper was needed. </font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Made from Korrofulute and plasticard, with underlayment (a new word for cheap roofing felt!) for the shingles it will be located on a small piece of roofing tile, which was kept after some extensions a while ago.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The windows were made first from my own jigs, from 2 layers of .020 strips, with .030 sides and .040 front frames, when complete the holes for them in the walls can be cut out. The door was built up 'in situ'</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The usual drinking straw is used for the very necessary(in Colorado where the line is supposedly set) stove pipe. I double these adding another straw internally, cut it lengthwise to get it inside with a thin layer of glue and feed it inside, on both portions. Add a fixing wire to keep it still, and add paper bands for the fixing bands. The top is also a section of another straw glued over a piece of scrap that fills the top of the pipe, also close off the inner end of the horizontal section to deny bugs a home there!.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Paint to suit - and varnish it for protection with Johnson’s Klear, the roof will have a layer of Thompsons' Water Seal . </font><font size="3"> </font></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Here are some photos of the little building</font>
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I think Costa Coffee used to have black straws. If not they can be painted: it will just save time and effort in the re-painting later on.</font></p><p><font size="3">I use the scale 4 inch, ( a bit larger in 1/22.5 scale ) for houses sheds etc., and the larger versions for commercial buildings. All are a bit weak - expectedly so, as they are meant to be single use and throw away. </font></p><p><font size="3">To alleviate that add another one inside the one that you have used, cut one into sections the bendy bit can be discarded, slit the pieces vertically, and allow the edges to ride over each other then add a sliver of (Evo-stik) glue along it and slide the bits in each side of the bendy bit - that adds quite a lot of extra strength, (and in my garden makes the stove pipes better able to deal with fast moving (along the tracks) squirrels).</font></p><p><font size="3">I add a piece of 1/2mm wire as a stay, a plate where the pipe goes through the wall, and a top. The top can be a small piece of another straw, glued on roughly horizontally: the cone shaped top of some kids drink bottles, (fill the hole with a piece of plastic cocktail stick, and a bit of filler to produce a smooth edge), the pull out bit of some drinks ( that is a very flattened cone shape) - the last one will also need 3 or 4 stays from the bottom edge to the pipe as it is quite large, and will look much better with the fitted. All are virtually scrap (or useful junk!) and with a bit 'lateral' thinking, very useful, and time saving!</font></p><p><font size="3">They are held in the top of the pipe with a plastic filler tube, glued onto the cocktail stick mentioned above - try some kids plastic lolly tubes, which will then need a small wrapper added, I have a selection of sizes of all sorts of bits of tubes in my infamous 'bits box' that come in useful here. </font> </p><p><font size="3">I make a lot of stove pipes, the largest of which are on my boiler shop, and those are from (approx 1") cold water pipe, these needed 3 stiffening stays each. I always fit a cap top & bottom to keep bugs and weather out, and use plenty of glue when fitting them through the roof of your building: the big ones can also have an internal brace fitted as well to keep them protected from knocks and such like.</font> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><font size="3"> </font></p>