Planning for a station

[tramcar trev]

Should also add that the ridge and capping pieces are made from scrap lead. I use barrier cream and wash my hands thoroughly after working with the stuff! The same (Polyurethane) glue was used throughout, including the boards and the lead work.

Ahhhhhhhhh so that's how you do it, a little bit of lead......
Great idea, I have a roll of lead which is quite thin, now I know what I'll do with it.....
Thin aluminium would also be good but does not have the maleability of lead.....

 

[trammayo]

The effect (says he after seeing the results ) is of an old building that has been repainted after many years of neglect ....
Achieved brilliantly!!!

CheersTrev - all modelled from dozens of pictures of the real things (as in plural - a bit from that station, a bit from that, and a bit...... ).

 

[royale]

Great piece of work - I think I am officially jealous!

 

[trammayo]

Thanks John.

 

[trammayo]

Relanning for a station - job done.

Apart from further coats of varnish to signs, the station is complete enough for me. Any suggestions for further (practical) embellishments are welcomed.

The signs are ink-jet printed on photo paper, then given a coat of clear (Holts) laquer on both side before being cut to size. They will need more varnish to seal of course.

View from the 'mountain' ....

Freight depot end .....

Lead flashing on cantilever roof above windows made from Decralead (think that's how it's spelt!) as used for simulated 'leaded' windows .....

..... more

 

[trammayo]

Relanning for a station - job done.

Views of architectural and detail inspirations .....

Decrepit boarding .....

Cantilever roof, door details, and gable barge construction ......

The tower ........

.... and finally, an arc lamp (above the doors outside) .......

Glad that's done (or nearly at least)

 

[trammayo]

Relanning for a station - job done.

Job is done. Yesterday I sorted out the power supply for the lighting. I'm not going to keep the station out in really bad weather so I needed to protect the electrical connection when the station isn't in situ.

The wires were cast in the concrete plinth and just needed a socket. I could have used a smally poly bag and elastic band but I thought I'd make something more robust. SWMBO always washes out containers and bottles and, as I sort out the recycling, I get first pick.

A small (Vick's Vapour Rub?) container was spotted and kept for future use (no idea what use at the time). Somehow it had migrated to a table in the workshop so was easily spotted as I searched for something to encapuslate the 12v socket.

Hole drilled in the lid, a couple of Meccanno rubber grommets - one slid on the wire with the lid, heat shrink also slid down, S/H socket with tails soldered on and the heat shrink move up and shrunk. Small bag of Silica Gel (from box of tablets), lid moved down with grommet and secured. Just hold the lid and unscrew the jar.

Anyway, as the weather was improving, I put the station in position and waited several hours for dusk. The lights came on at 21.00hrs (with the lighthouse), so I took some pics.

My photographic skills haven't improved - due mainly to a propensity to forget everything my brother tells me about night-time photography - but here's a few. Only the arc lights and the clock backlighting remain as the white/blue and all other internal lights were toned down with yellow glass paint. ......

Finis!

 

[tramcar trev]

Relanning for a station - job done.

Once again superlatives fail me. Maybe you could immigrate and do some building for me?
That station has just so much atmosphere and positvely ooooooozes character. The lighting effects are spot on too....

 

[beavercreek]

Relanning for a station - job done.

Simply excellent Mick.......

 

[trammayo]

Relanning for a station - job done.

Thankyou both for your comments. Having installed lighting, it does reveal the inside of the building so, maybe, I should tidy up the interior - I'll see how it stands up to the weather before taking it in the shed for that.
I do like the idea of lighted buildings - having seen quite a few on the forum (including yours Mike ) - its many years since I ran anything at night but it has got me thinking about running trains in the dark.

 

[trammayo]

Relanning a station - P.S.

I thought I'd put up this little post script about the station. I have left it out for a few days at odd times and, of course, it has rained quite a lot.

I thought I'd allowed for the expansion and contraction of the wood by using the adhesive which was flexible. That idea worked in its own perverse way - the cumulative effect of dozens of lollipop/coffee stirrer sticks expanding was not quite what I anticipated.

Same with the roof. The shingles were cut from the tongue depressors across the grain and glued on that way. This results in lateral expansion which is OK providing there is somewhere top expand to!

The octagonal roof on the tower hasn't got anywhere to go other than to the edge of the next roof segment (which is also expanding). The results of the expansion mean that the edge of the shingles (on the joint) have then moved outward, lifting the lead 'ridge capping' in places.

The pic shows a curve on the roof which, given that it is now inside, will return to shape (the lead with a bit of a push ).

Conclusion?

Well, I should have left a bigger gap on each roof section for the shingles to expand. The lead would have covered this.

In future, I would only use shingles for a straightforward apex roof.

 

[beavercreek]

Relanning a station - P.S.

Hi Mick
I have not used 'lollypop' sticks for outside planking or shingles but tend to use red cedar wood for both or oak stripwood for planking. I have also had the expansion problem with the oak but the cedar-wood is great (and inherently rot proof) .
The oak, no matter how well it is sealed, will expand and if not fixed well, can even warp along its length. Oak way also not rot but it still is not as good as the red cedar-wood if it is going to get moist at all.
The only problem is the cedar wood is a wee bit more expensive than lollypop sticks!!

 

[trammayo]

Relanning a station - P.S.

Hi Mike. I won't use the lolly sticks in the same manner again (unless I create room in the shed for yet more stuff). Weatherboard style works as it allows expansion but close-boarding doesn't. Cedar is great and, if I could get hold of some, I could cut it down myself (althought the saw kerf is wider than the finished planks that I would want to end up with).

If I was to do the octagonal roof again (with hindsight), I'd use the reconstituted stone tiles from Minaco and paint them to match the shingles. The relative humidity here is in excess of 85% (worse in summer) and the construction method I used only partially allowed for this.

I also have a stock of the plastic slate and tile sheets which I could have used - I've been taught a lesson (which I won't forget) and that is simply; the sticks expand by around 8 - 10%! 12 sticks expand into, at least, the space that 13 dry ones would occupy!

The other type of boarding (that might work) is vertical boards with a cover lath. I also have some plastic sheets of weatherboarding. I'll know next time.

 

[beavercreek]

Relanning a station - P.S.

The other type of boarding (that might work) is vertical boards with a cover lath. I also have some plastic sheets of weatherboarding. I'll know next time.

Hi Mick
When I have used plastic boarding, shingles, flooring etc I use 'Precision Plastics' sheets as they are really good in detail/texture and do not repeat themselves as much as other makes. They also come in 15 inch squares so it gives a good length for walls etc. 'Back2bay6 had them but 'Ozark Miniatures now distribute the whole range.

I ran out of real cedar shingles when roofing the 'Pointrock Mercantile' store so used the 'PP' sheet and tried as best as I could to blend it with the shingles. You can see the join as the cedar shingles are in the centre area of the 'back' roof. The plastic sheet has nice deep impressions so it is great to weather.
The Feed and Seed' store is very much due for a total revamp. It was a quick jobbie at the beginning stages of my layout

 

[tramcar trev]

Relanning a station - P.S.

I had thoughts about "Real" weather boards and thought about the problems with the real weather causing failure so I got hold of some vac formed sheets of various styles. To avoid rot and all the other probs I took plaster casts of the sheets and will coat the plaster moulds created with a pva release agent and make up sheets of fibreglass "copies". I thought this would be far more stable for outside use. Likewise brickwork/stonework but I'll sift coloured sands onto a base coat of resin and then add the fibreglass cloth over that and create grout lines by painting and wiping off the excess... well that's the theory.....
You chaps who build using individual boards amaze me with your skill, I'm into instant gratification.....

 

[trammayo]

Relanning a station - P.S.

The other type of boarding (that might work) is vertical boards with a cover lath. I also have some plastic sheets of weatherboarding. I'll know next time.

Hi Mick
When I have used plastic boarding, shingles, flooring etc I use 'Precision Plastics' sheets as they are really good in detail/texture and do not repeat themselves as much as other makes. They also come in 15 inch squares so it gives a good length for walls etc. 'Back2bay6 had them but 'Ozark Miniatures now distribute the whole range.

I ran out of real cedar shingles when roofing the 'Pointrock Mercantile' store so used the 'PP' sheet and tried as best as I could to blend it with the shingles. You can see the join as the cedar shingles are in the centre area of the 'back' roof. The plastic sheet has nice deep impressions so it is great to weather.
The Feed and Seed' store is very much due for a total revamp. It was a quick jobbie at the beginning stages of my layout

The shingles look great Mike and you cannot tell if they are plastic or genuine wood. I haven't a problem (yet) with a straightforward roof as the wood can expand and contract because there are no physical stops to prevent it. What I have concerns with is the best means of applying the plastic sheeting.

On my trailer layout, on the buildings that have slates, I've used double-sided tape and this works well. However, with buildings left outside, I wonder if the plastic would expand and ripple or bubble - what do you use?

 

[trammayo]

Relanning a station - P.S.

I had thoughts about "Real" weather boards and thought about the problems with the real weather causing failure so I got hold of some vac formed sheets of various styles. To avoid rot and all the other probs I took plaster casts of the sheets and will coat the plaster moulds created with a pva release agent and make up sheets of fibreglass "copies". I thought this would be far more stable for outside use. Likewise brickwork/stonework but I'll sift coloured sands onto a base coat of resin and then add the fibreglass cloth over that and create grout lines by painting and wiping off the excess... well that's the theory.....
You chaps who build using individual boards amaze me with your skill, I'm into instant gratification.....

I think using fibreglass is a great idea Trev and should be very durable. And, you could always strengthen with plywood and more glassfibre to give "stand alone" self-supporting sections.

The first building I constructed for permanent outside use, was this little water mill. The weatherboarding is fastened to a 12mm plywood core and the roof is sheet lead. It has been outside for nearly five years and hasn't shown any signs of deterioration (fingers crossed!).

For me, using offcuts of timber (including old pallets) and ripping them into planks is a good form of recycling what otherwise would get burnt on the stove. There is also the added bonus of sawdust for the hen coup!

Although we don't enjoy (suffer?) the high postage costs that you have in Aus., we certainly get penalised because it all has to come from the UK - which means treble or quadruple UK internal postage costs!

 

[tramcar trev]

Relanning a station - P.S.

That's a great idea. I could do that i.e. back up the fibreglass onto 3/8 exterior ply. Yep good idea then the walls etc can be cut by bandsaw/circ saw to size and buildings made up self supporting.....