Renovating a Pola depot,finished!?

[Riograndad]

I have gone back to this little project and started on the office interior as the last post on it was in January,the problem is that the model shops all shut down on me so having to use what I have in reserve,the clock I made using a couple of washers for the basis and covered with various thickness plasticard and painted the face,one also made for the waiting room,the furniture is all plastic strip as are the books,folders with a thin wrap to make the spines,pens are heat pulled rod and the old antique phone and telegraph are made from odds and sods of strip and rod as are the chairs,the material situation is getting a little bleak to say the least.The pics show a rough placing through the bay window

 

[Bill Barnwell]

Looks great

 

[Riograndad]

Looks great

Thanks Bill.

 

[beavercreek]

Very nice Rio..as is usual with your projects.
There is one bit of advice about detailed interiors etc that I would like to pass on.... (you may already be doing this so apologies if I am teaching to suck eggs !)
About those darn messy spiders......
Now they are really useful creatures who tuck away a plethora of insects but... they also love the inside of our buildings. If the buildings have detailed interiors it seems they like them even better!

1) have a base which is sealed to the walls, don't have open windows or doors (or if a window/door is open put a clear sheet behind it which seals the opening)
2) I have tried various things (without killing them) to also keep them away and have found these solutions do actually work.....
......... 'No More Spiders' spray (peppermint type) for the inside and outside (about every three weeks or so on the outside... its effect will last longer if inside a sealed building). it is available on ebay in multi packs ..it really does work and we also use it in our conservatory roof beams and in the roof crannies..
......... A chestnut tree conker in each void (or room) inside the model building...it works in our own house (in hidden corners, behind kitched kickboards etc ) and it works outdoors too..trust me! The effect can last for years without replacing when sealed in a building but I replace each year (I make my roofs removable with clips or screws to keep them in place).

 

[idlemarvel]

......... A chestnut tree conker in each void (or room) inside the model building...it works in our own house (in hidden corners, behind kitched kickboards etc ) and it works outdoors too..trust me! The effect can last for years without replacing when sealed in a building but I replace each year (I make my roofs removable with clips or screws to keep them in place).

Yes I can vouch for conkers as a spider deterrent. I have no idea what the "active ingredient" is or why it lasts so long but it does. We have them in our house and caravan.

 

[Riograndad]

Very nice Rio..as is usual with your projects.
There is one bit of advice about detailed interiors etc that I would like to pass on.... (you may already be doing this so apologies if I am teaching to suck eggs !)
About those darn messy spiders......
Now they are really useful creatures who tuck away a plethora of insects but... they also love the inside of our buildings. If the buildings have detailed interiors it seems they like them even better!

1) have a base which is sealed to the walls, don't have open windows or doors (or if a window/door is open put a clear sheet behind it which seals the opening)
2) I have tried various things (without killing them) to also keep them away and have found these solutions do actually work.....
......... 'No More Spiders' spray (peppermint type) for the inside and outside (about every three weeks or so on the outside... its effect will last longer if inside a sealed building). it is available on ebay in multi packs ..it really does work and we also use it in our conservatory roof beams and in the roof crannies..
......... A chestnut tree conker in each void (or room) inside the model building...it works in our own house (in hidden corners, behind kitched kickboards etc ) and it works outdoors too..trust me! The effect can last for years without replacing when sealed in a building but I replace each year (I make my roofs removable with clips or screws to keep them in place).

I don`t have a problem with spiders on the railroad Mike although thanks for the tip,woodlice like mine,on this build all the windows are sealed and the doors also,the freight doors on the side wall will remain closed anyway.The floor void is covered with a false floor and is glued in and the roof will be removable to allow the 6v battery for the town lights so at least I can keep an eye on the little critters!!!!!I will get some of the spray as they like the inside of my garage and thanks again for the tip.

 

[Riograndad]

Yes I can vouch for conkers as a spider deterrent. I have no idea what the "active ingredient" is or why it lasts so long but it does. We have them in our house and caravan.

I have heard of the conker solution but never tried it,as I replied to Mike I don`t really have a problem with spiders on the railroad but I am going to try the spray in the garage and may try the conkers in our caravan as its in storage in a field and may just help there,thanks for the tip Dave.

 

[casey jones snr]

Great modelling, the interior looks better and better.

 

[dunnyrail]

Yes I can vouch for conkers as a spider deterrent. I have no idea what the "active ingredient" is or why it lasts so long but it does. We have them in our house and caravan.

Yup can recommend conkers, not entirely foolproof but certainly deter the little blighters.

 

[Eaglecliff]

Yup can recommend conkers, not entirely foolproof but certainly deter the little blighters.

I have heard this idea rubbished on scientific grounds, but it certainly seems to work for me.

 

[beavercreek]

In an earlier post in the thread, I mentioned that the conkers really work as does 'No More Spider' spray which is now a peppermint formula but was a solution with camphor oil. Both types work.
A conker obviously gives off an aroma that spiders prefer not to be around with the same effect as camphor or peppermint...
The conker definitely works as I have tested it in our wooden built conservatory over fiver years using them one year, not the next and then using them again etc.
The years where the conkers were in place severely limited and in places completely deterred the little blighters.
The years when I didn't use them, caused the conservatory to become the home to a plethora of the web builders.
This was also the same case, in the railway buildings.

 

[Riograndad]

Great modelling, the interior looks better and better.

Thanks Casey,

 

[Riograndad]

The conkers seem to get an all round thumbs up,so I think it just may be the case I will give them a try,thanks all

 

[Riograndad]

Some more done to exterior as the interior is just about done,all the roof support "A" frames now repainted and attached,weigh machine now back in place,when I went to repair the fire bucket brackets the assembly on the wall just broke up so a new bracket and bucket added but needs toning down with another coat,I managed to save the old station nameboards and the waiting room sign from the old depot and spruced those up and now fitted,the freight docks inside and out now back in and the train information board has a chalked message but no time,god knows when the next train will be,the last one ran in AugustNow just really only the roof to sort out and fit the interior in to finish.

 

[dunnyrail]

I have heard this idea rubbished on scientific grounds, but it certainly seems to work for me.

What do scientists know? They rubbish all sorts of things that old housewives know are the right thing and do work!

 

[PhilP]

I still think the general idea of this building would make a great garden building..

Have had a doodle, but here in the UK, we have a 2.4m overall height limit. - If you want to avoid 'planning'.

Only way I can get a 2.3m maximum, is to make the roof 'half-relief'. - Obviously, a lot shallower, as well..
Still pondering this one.

 

[Riograndad]

So fine weather and a few days off last weekend saw the depot and tower located in their positions on the railroad but before they got there the roof needed a lot of sorting out,I hadn`t paid much attention to the apex during the renovation but on close inspection there was a large gap at one end so carefully did it and the roof was dismantled and a re glue of the roof sections was tried,no luck as it seemed the sections were out of shape so all glued back together and then resorted to some filler to fill the gap and some angled plasticard on the inside to strengthen the whole thing up,the buildings in this area of the layout have to be quite strong as our cats tend to walk over them to exit the rear of the garden(picture shows what I mean as one just leaving!)
The roof colour was too uniform,just a pale light gray so a wash of dark gray added with the odd brush load of various browns thrown on in a random way to give a colour variation and just brushed in and allowed to dry,it`ll do!The chimney also a black wash around the top to resemble a little soot.
The layout baseboard was another problem as its not quite level(6years old) as some settlement there,I used stripwood along the front and baseboard level as the rear to get the tower in place after finding the correct position for the dropped spout to center track and clearance of rolling stock for the depot which meant getting the first train of the season going as nothing had graced the rails since August last year and with luck all ran well..To finish completely,some station staff,luggage and freight to go in and the lighting /battery to be sorted out,then the base can be finished off and its done.
The last pic is of the old depot that this replaces and it certainly has seen better days,not discarding it and will be a future project,a bungalow or small office springs to mind>

 

[ColinK]

So fine weather and a few days off last weekend saw the depot and tower located in their positions on the railroad but before they got there the roof needed a lot of sorting out,I hadn`t paid much attention to the apex during the renovation but on close inspection there was a large gap at one end so carefully did it and the roof was dismantled and a re glue of the roof sections was tried,no luck as it seemed the sections were out of shape so all glued back together and then resorted to some filler to fill the gap and some angled plasticard on the inside to strengthen the whole thing up,the buildings in this area of the layout have to be quite strong as our cats tend to walk over them to exit the rear of the garden(picture shows what I mean as one just leaving!)
The roof colour was too uniform,just a pale light gray so a wash of dark gray added with the odd brush load of various browns thrown on in a random way to give a colour variation and just brushed in and allowed to dry,it`ll do!The chimney also a black wash around the top to resemble a little soot.
The layout baseboard was another problem as its not quite level(6years old) as some settlement there,I used stripwood along the front and baseboard level as the rear to get the tower in place after finding the correct position for the dropped spout to center track and clearance of rolling stock for the depot which meant getting the first train of the season going as nothing had graced the rails since August last year and with luck all ran well..To finish completely,some station staff,luggage and freight to go in and the lighting /battery to be sorted out,then the base can be finished off and its done.
The last pic is of the old depot that this replaces and it certainly has seen better days,not discarding it and will be a future project,a bungalow or small office springs to mind>View attachment 264196View attachment 264198

superb modelling.

 

[Riograndad]

The depot has finally got staff,a couple of figures on the platform,LGB starter set pair with their bases cut off,need another coat of paint though as just testing them to see if they would stand up without bases,the small handcart on the platform came with the depot and had 4 wheels on 2 axles but due to too long in store in a plastic bag the 2 larger rear wheels were damaged beyond repair so I knocked up a smaller version to salvage the parts,the luggage and freight items that could be reused ended up on the cart and the outside deck by the freight doors,just the lighting to go in now but as all the town has to be done as everything moved about for the depot to fit in,another round to it on the list I suppose?I took the pics after the winds so all the small leaves scattered about so a little untidy