Building buildings

Rhinochugger

Rhinochugger

Retired Oik
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Yes, well, sometimes impatience takes over, and you want some instant results.

So a few weeks ago I bought a couple of LGB Wild West building kits from Ebay Mike, and then SWMBO bought me a Piko building kit for my birthday the ACME liqour store, which I'd like to re-name if poss.

Interestingly, and possibly unsurprisingly, the Piko building is of exactly the same manufacture, construction details, size, etc as the LGB two.

They are quite simple kits, and I'll post a piccy or two, but there are two main challenges:

  1. to fix everything down so that it doesn't blow away
  2. to fix two of the buildings closely together side-by-side
All of the LGB/Piko/Pola pictures of these and similar buildings show them scattered randomly around the place, but looking at my photos of Skagway, the buildings nestle together. OK, given that I've only got three buildings :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: and probably only room to put two side by side, we're not going to end up with a massive township like Mike (Beavercreek); however, even if the concept is slightly tongue in cheek, I do want it to look essentially credible :cool::cool::cool:

Watch this space :wait::wait::wait::wait::wait::wait:
 
Will also be watching this develop, with regards to anchoring the building I have 2 ideas for you:

Make the building really heavy- dollop of concrete or metal weight inside

Anchor the building to a mall concrete slab that is just smaller than the base of the buliding,

I've tried the heavy building idea and it seems to work ok

Dan
 
As for weight - wait for it - I've been fixing the buildings to timber bases which, so far, have either been fixed to small mounting stakes driven in, or fixed with galvanised strap under the track, so that their distance from the track is also determined.

However, for the houses, it will be easy to add some weight inside on the timber base - I like the idea :nod::nod::nod:
 
Hi Rhino
I have a few buildings on me layout as you may have noticed. (in fact getting on for three townships at last count....)

The buildings are either scratch-built from wood, plastic sheets, built from plastic kit, kitbashed kit etc etc.

For ones that are open to battering from wind and terrorist animals, I have used metal stakes (cemented into two opposing corners with exterior non-solvent mastic). The stakes, with about 6 inches showing below the buildings, can then be driven into the ground... has worked for ten years now.
For ones that are mounted on bases I drilled the bases to let the stakes pass through (The stakes are a bit longer if they are going through bases).

To get a row of the Piko wild west buildings to sit side by side nicely (with roofs just touching) I used a square of layered foam board stuck between them at a mid point. I painted the foam board so that it did not show when the buildings are viewed (it looks like some type of slim sheddy thing). This has also lasted for about ten years.

This is the Arrowhead old up-town (a bit shabby and now overdue for a total revamp like the new down-town mining part has had).
The Arrowhead up-town is the part of my layout that has a preponderance of plastic buildings.

The three buildings on the top right are fixed together with the layered foam-board squares|:

arrowhead township general 3.jpg
 
MMM.......still thinking

But here are the two buildings to be joined at the hip.

As you can see, there are some minor projections :eek::eek::eek:

PICT0002.JPG

Oh, and the violent purple building is the liqor store - in case you hadn't guessed.

So we've got three options:

  1. Mike's filler piece - it has its attractions
  2. Cut/file off the projections and joint them together flat
  3. Do it the difficult way - which is also tempting, to slightly stagger them in plan and height, and only minimally cut off any odd projection.
Still thinking, and listening to the voices.

I've ordered some Piko sidewalk sections, so I may wait for those to arrive - well in reality I will, because I'm off down south on Monday morning to visit the parents for Christmas - Mother in a Brighton home, and Father in Chailey.

This may not get much father 'til after Christmas o_Oo_O
 
I think I would look at two options:

1. remove one of the front verticals/finial, and butt-joint level. - I guess this would have been easier at the kit construction phase, so a lot of hassle and work.
2. stagger the buildings.. If you could do this both back-to-front (so the verticals/finials miss, and perhaps step each building up a little (to make sure they don't foul at the eaves).

Just my two-penneth..
 
Watching with intrest
 
PhilP said:
I think I would look at two options:

1. remove one of the front verticals/finial, and butt-joint level. - I guess this would have been easier at the kit construction phase, so a lot of hassle and work.
2. stagger the buildings.. If you could do this both back-to-front (so the verticals/finials miss, and perhaps step each building up a little (to make sure they don't foul at the eaves).

Just my two-penneth..
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm going to try a stagger - I was pretty good at that last night :devil::devil:

I'm also extremely tempted to try a bit of vertical stagger as well.

As we all know (well 99% of us anyway) the earth isn't flat, and as a result of my 46 years in the construction industry, I can't help looking at the way things are put together.

The only difficulty I have is the total opposite of Mike (Beavercreak) in that I need to introduce a slope in a flat area - pass a bit of slope please :emo::emo:
 
Rhinochugger said:
Yep, I'm going to try a stagger - I was pretty good at that last night :devil::devil:

I'm also extremely tempted to try a bit of vertical stagger as well.

As we all know (well 99% of us anyway) the earth isn't flat, and as a result of my 46 years in the construction industry, I can't help looking at the way things are put together.

The only difficulty I have is the total opposite of Mike (Beavercreak) in that I need to introduce a slope in a flat area - pass a bit of slope please :emo::emo:
Click to expand...


It would certainly put a different slant on things....

David
 
Looking good , its an up hill challenge Ian
 
The second building that I bought from Ebay Mike was a school, which is also labelled in other boxes as a church.

As Green River shanty town is unlikely to need a school, a mission building was much more appropriate.

So, the name?

Well, it will sit by the diamond crossing on the railway, but the first constructon site that I worked on involved the re-building of Crossways Mission on the New Kent Road, near the Elephant & Castle :nod::nod:

PICT0001.JPG
 
The pics below shows my way of mounting buildings to a secure base, though I can see no reason why this could not be a couple of bricks or big concrete blob inside but at ground level. Ally angle with pins passing through the buildings to secure them. Secured to the base with REAL BRASS screws.
image.jpeg
image.jpeg
Note the curved edges to allow easier fitting into place. Ideal if you wish to light up your buildings, but you would probably need to disguise the ally or perhaps use it at the front and rear with an internal wall to block out the rear one. I so far have not got round to bothering with lighted buildings, but with this method I can remove them in a flash to do so.
JonD
 
The Mission church has now been sited - on a timber base and filled up to window cill level with pea shingle.

It's sat on sand - to help get it level - ish :nod::nod::nod::nod:

It's a bit nippy for more technical solutions just now :eek::eek::eek:
 
Rhinochugger said:
The Mission church has now been sited - on a timber base and filled up to window cill level with pea shingle.

It's sat on sand - to help get it level - ish :nod::nod::nod::nod:

It's a bit nippy for more technical solutions just now :eek::eek::eek:
Click to expand...

Is it wise to level a religious building on sand? :wondering:

;):p:giggle::giggle::giggle:
 
Nope, the top's only been chopped off in the photo - too bloomin' cold to take a second shot :D:D

PICT0001.JPG
PhilP said:
Is it wise to level a religious building on sand? :wondering:

;):p:giggle::giggle::giggle:
Click to expand...
.........and the rain came down and the floods came up...:devil::devil:
 
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