Rotating Coupler

Special Announcement: New "N Scale Limited" Web Site

2009-03-27T20:42:00.001-07:00

You have most likely noticed a significant decrease in activity here at Rotating Coupler. That's only because the down time was necessary to complete a project that has been in the works for some time.

Many of you are probably familiar with Frank Giacobbe, author of the N Scale Modeling blog. He and I have not only been writing and sharing information with the readers of our blogs, but with each other. We began collaborating on projects behind the scenes and found that we have surprisingly common interests in modeling -- specifically big cities in the 1940s. It was just a matter of time before we started working on a project together officially. And that time has come.

Frank and I are very pleased to announce a brand new Web site called N Scale Limited which is dedicated to the N scale model railroader. It will have all of the same information and discussion you've been getting from our separate blogs -- just bigger and better than ever. Our individual blogs, Rotating Coupler and N Scale Modeling will be discontinued but will remain available for your convenience.

Please join us at N Scale Limited and we look forward to building a great new community of modelers there.

www.nscalelimited.com

Where have I gone to?

2009-03-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, it has been quiet around here for the past few weeks and I apologize greatly about that, but don't worry, I will make it all up to everyone very soon. So just sit tight and be patient cause you wont see anymore posts till then, but you will like what you see.

Dominion Building - The Results are In.

2009-03-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

I am home from the show and I am here to tell you how the Dominion Building fared in the contest.

Results

Best of Show

1st place in Structure category

3rd in peoples choice

What really made me happy was I had competition at this show unlike the last show I entered in. The HO victorian building was really good, it had a few minor issues, but still was a great model, a few of the other structures were good but not great. There were a other models in different categories that were great, such as a S-scale caboose and a amazing N-scale SD70mac. One thing that I was a little disappointed with was this wasn't a NMRA judged show, so no points unfortunately. Also note the colors of the ribbons, Red is first and Blue is second??? When I walked up I thought I only took second but then I read the ribbon, sort of strange. Another thing, I entered my building a day after most of the other models so I lost out on many votes, and I knew this would happen but I needed the time to touch up a few things, or maybe I am just making excuses.

Again I want to thank you guys for the input and suggestions with this building, it really helped me to build a better model.

Thank you,

Chris

Dominion Update - IT IS DONE!!!

2009-03-06T18:39:00.001-08:00

This will be quick because I still have a few things to get ready for the show tomorrow, which actually started tonight but I don't need to enter it till noon tomorrow. For the last week I have been rushing to finish off all the last little tasks on the building, and I just realized I knocked off a sprinkle and so I need to fix it.

I will post more into detail on the things that I did such as the Uncle Sam sign created by the sign master Frank and the smoke stack going up the back. Also I will give a better farewell to the Dominion as well on Sunday night after I find out how I faired at the show. Then we will finish of the Gordon and another incomplete building soon, then I will begin a few new ones.

Let me give an informal Thank You! to all of you who have been following this build, your comments, emails and support are priceless to me and mean so much, you keep me motivated.

Most of all I want to thank Frank, Jeff (my brother), and my wife for the never ending support.

Thank You,

Christopher Brimley

A Cute Little Break

2009-02-28T09:53:00.001-08:00

As most of you know it has been rather quiet lately, going from daily Gordon posts, to almost nothing. The reason behind this is I am hurrying to get the Dominion done for the Ogden show on Friday, I will post Thursday night if I have time on the finished building. As I have been slaving away on it I regularly had my oldest daughter watching and asking question after question after question (she's three). But a few days ago I was doing some painting and she was determined to help, but that wasn't going to happen, so to calm her down I told her I would get her very own building to work on and that defused the situation.

So yesterday after I came home we went to the local hobby store to pick one out. There wasn't anything "cheap" enough in N-scale so I dug around in the HO structures and found her a little Bachman house for five dollars.

Later that night we began work on her very own building. Under my close supervision I let her cut the parts off of the sprues with my Xuron cutters. Once we had all the parts removed, we began assembly. I let her figure out what parts went next and she did a very good job with that, I then assembled it for her. On the box in big bold letters it states NO GLUE REQUIRED, ha what a joke, without glue it was nothing more than a rickety shanty, so I glued it up. Today she wants to paint it, so we'll see how that goes. On a side note, it is very strange working in HO after doing N for so long, it felt huge, and seems like it would be a cakewalk to scratch build in.

I was proud of her, with the items she did, she did a great job. In the new issue of Nscale Railroading, there is an article by Danica Kempinski daughter of the amazing Bernie Kempinski, where she makes a very good apple orchard, so this means I can groom my daughters to build all of my trees for me, ah that will be nice:) These are a few pictures of her working on her building and one with her and the finished building.

A Great Link and Free Signs to Boot.

2009-02-23T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I just rediscovered a website that I haven't been to in years, in is called the Triveno Circle, and is run by James A. Powell. The layout that he has been building is in HO but ideas, styles and basic construction is generally universal in all scales, so I don't discriminate against the other scales except TT, right now it looks silly, but so did N when it first arrived. But anyway his layout is called the Wiscsasset Trivino & Western, it is an excellent layout with many great structures. He has a style that is a little unique, he weathers the pants off of everything and the layout has a very dark undertone. I highly suggest checking it out.

But one of the bonuses of his site is he has many great free signs to download. I have a few examples down below that are from his site. I have had these signs for many years but had forgotten where I had gotten them from, you may notice on a few of my structures I have used these signs, most recently on the Gordon. Just click on the free signs tab on his site for many more to download. Just one note, the signs are at a high resolution so the quality is excellent, you will need to shrink them down so they will be appropriate for N-scale.

So don't just take the signs from here and his site, spend some time looking at his amazing layout and get some great ideas.

http://www.trevinocircle.net/wtw.asp

Gordon Building - Inspiration

2009-02-21T16:43:00.001-08:00

I have had a number of people ask if the Gordon is based on a prototype or if it is my own design, the short answer is yes!

There have been many that I have taken ideas from, but the two main influencers are the two buildings bellow. I don't know the names of either but I will tell you the little info that I do know.

The first I do know it resides in mid town Manhattan among the thousands of nameless mid-block mid-rises. I initially was going to use this design at the reduced height of where the Gordon currently sits. I decided to change it up when I found the photo of the other building and I decided to make it into a okay example of art-deco. That building is in Europe, but I forget what country.

Gordon Building Update - Davids Delicatessen

2009-02-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

Building this little delicatessen took me considerably longer than I originally expected. I also fought with it more than any other part of the this building, but it seems to have worked out.

Like the entrance I built the door first and work out from it, I find this helps to keep things proportionate. The door is a standard 36 x 72" and I built it from .020 x .020", .040" and .080" strip. Then I began to build up the deli from the bottom up. I use primarily .010 x 040" and .020" square strip. Sorry I am not to terribly descriptive on how it was built.

I painted the door with a mix I had made up a while ago and the painted the rest of the structure an olive drab. I swear that everything in New York was painted olive drab in mid 20th century.

The signs are mix of some that I through together and some that I have had for awhile. The bit of tile in the entry was another texture that I printed from CG Textures. I will be adding an awning once the rest of the structure is together, I also will add many more details on and in the windows at a later stage as well. The front is essentially done now, so I will be moving on to the right side, other than that side the roof is the only other part that will be finished, the back and left will be forever unfinished, why waste time and materials on them.

So what going to end up on the left? Well it is going to be another structure on the scale of the Steven's, but I don't know for sure, what I do know is it will be a challenge to build and if I pull it off it should be rather neat. But as always I could change my mind, stay tuned.

Chris

Gordon Building Update - Entry

2009-02-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

I finished the main entry to the Gordon today. I built the doors first so the whole thing would grow out from that. The doors are built from .020 x .040" and .100" strip styrene and they stand at seven scale feet tall. The side windows are made from the same stock as the doors and then some .020" square strip for the mullions.

I then used the same trick for the blocks as I did for the top, used some scrap siding that I used up on the windows and then built the lintel over the door. I used the same trick for painting as before and it matched perfect, I am glad I have this all typed here incase I need to do all of this again. Next I made two little sconces from .010 x .020" and .040" strip and then used a silver prisma color marker to color it, I used the same thing on the door. Then last I used some Woodland Scenics dry transfer lettering for the address.

Tomorrow I hope to have the other side at least started, I am planning a Delicatessen, but I may change that, I also want to do a small radio station but I may wait on that, we'll see.

Favorite Buildings - Sun Tower

2009-02-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

Sun Tower

Vancouver, Canada -1912-

The Sun Tower was an structure that I almost built instead of the Dominion. I debated between the two for a few days and we all know what route I took. The funny thing is I don't know where I got the confidence to even consider either, I had only scratch built one structure and must have felt invincible. But by doing so I forced myself to learn so much. The funny thing about this building is that it is only about a block away from the real Dominion and was the building that past up the Dominion in height to become the tallest building in the British Empire. I still would like to build this structure someday but I don't need too may Vancouver landmarks in my eastern U.S layout.

Favorite Buildings - Newhouse & Boston Buildings

2009-02-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Newhouse & Boston Buildings

Salt Lake City, UT -1908-

This pair of eleven story buildings has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember, one reason for that is because they are so close to home. The buildings are actually fraternal twins, each has slightly different ornamentation, but basically the same. I think it was the Boston went through a renovation last year and the other had one done a few years earlier. These two are structures that I definitely model (in a few years), those curves will be a bear.

On a side note, a few of you have introduced to some amazing buildings that I have never seen or heard of before, and I love it. So some of the others that are visiting, please share with me some of your favorites, I really would like to know.

Gordon Building Update - Windows

2009-02-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

I said I wasn't going to post on the Gordon tonight but my plans fell through and so I built windows. I used a technique that I have been wanting to try ever sense I designed a warehouse a few years ago. What I use is a etched brass mesh to kill all the mullions but it looked to flat so I added some .020" square strip styrene on top of the mesh.

I then sprayed on a primer after I masked the windows off so the brass would hold the paint. I wanted a darker color in the windows so I used a flat dark grey, in the photos it looks textured but in-person it looks fine.

Some of you are probably scratching your head in confusion because of the way I am building this, I wanted to try finishing the front facade before adding the rest of the structure. On other projects I felt I fought with it more as an assembled structure, and caused damage as I went along, so far I am really enjoying this method and will try it more in the future, but it may depend on the structure as well. At the rate I have been going I hope the have the front done by the weekend so I can start the rest of the structure.

Gordon Building Update - Paint

2009-02-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

Yes I went ahead and painted the front shell, I have been having fun with this, it really feels nice going to a smaller project, its like a vacation. So because of this excitement I have been moving at a steady pace, and so the Sunday only update wont work on a smaller project.

I gave it a base coat of Polly Scale ????, most of the label is gone. I got it for free (not five finger free) from my local hobby shop, I wanted some empty mixing bottles and he was out so he gave me a bunch of old paint he had, but this one was still good. Once dry I attacked with india ink/alcohol wash and that made it a little darker than I wanted. So when all was dry I came after the wash with another wash of Polly Scale Dust, as I reworked over a few spots I noticed the paint was stripping the india ink wash and it looked AMAZING! What happened was the brush removed the wash on the surfaces but not in the corners and cracks and I must say is one of the best paint jobs I have ever done, or as Bob Ross would say "A happy accident". The pictures do a horrid job showing my paint job on the building, the blocks turned out better than I hoped for and now I really regret not adding them to the rest of the building.

Next up I will build the windows and there are ONLY TWELVE!, unlike the 160 that I had on the Dominion, and the way I am going to do them will be a breeze. I doubt I will post tomorrow on the Gordon cause I have other things to do but I will update when I get the windows done.

Favorite Buildings - Chicago Board of Trade

2009-02-17T12:17:00.001-08:00

Chicago Board of Trade

Chicago, IL -1930-

If you are a fan of the New York Central (like myself) you will undoubtedly know this building, also if you are a fan of Batman Begins, this is the Wayne Enterprises building, they changed the building for the Dark Knight. The LaSalle Street station that was served by the NYC and Rock Island railroads was across from this, but was raised for and expansion of the Board of Trade in 1983.

Outside of New York this is the tallest Art Deco building in the world, it was also the tallest building in Chicago till 1965. At the top of the building rests Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. Also there are numerous sculptures relating to Native Americans and the Harvest.

Gordon Pilaster Plans

2009-02-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Here are by request the plans and dimensions of the pilasters on the front of the Gordon that I built yesterday. Click on the image to view it better. Also the plans are scaled 3:1 so you could view them better, but all of the dimensions are accurate.

If anyone has requests like this I am more then happy to help out and supply the info.

Gordon Building Update - Facade Takes Shape

2009-02-16T18:52:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the surprise but I got a large amount of work done on the facade of the Gordon.

I had to add a .010" layer to start on the frame work, across the top 1/2" I cut strips of .010 x .125" a 1/4" long and made individual blocks. It turned out extremely well and I should have done it all the way down, ah well. I then built the tiny cornice on top and the slightly larger one above the first floor from various dimensions of strip.

The three vertical parts have a core of .040 x .250" strip, then I added three layers of .080, .100 and .125 strip that is .010" thick each. Then I built the little decorative parts up at the top floor from .010 x .060" and .040" strip stock.

In the first photo you can see my cement of choice, it is Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. I used to use Ambroid Pro Weld, but the Tamiya has a tiny brush, so I don't flood my parts with too much cement and end up with finger prints. Another bonus is the Tamiya is in a short squat bottle so it is less prone to being tipped over, but I have still managed to tip it.

This was just a quick update and I may not have explained some parts very well, please ask for clarification if needed.

Favorite Buildings - Helsinki Station

2009-02-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

Helsinki Central Station

Helsinki Finland -1919-

I don't have very much info on this building but it is one of my all time favorite art deco buildings in the world. The two pairs of granite statues are very striking and stylized and wouldn't mind one as my porch light on my home. The clock tower is the other feature that I love on this building and yes more of that patina I love.

Gordon Building Update - The Beginnings

2009-02-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

Hello again, as I said here is the first Gordon Building update. Lets get to business. First off I cut three .060 x .250 and .188 strips, I cut them about a 1/4" too long just in case. Then I cut a few strips off of a sheet of .030" spacing metal siding from evergreen for the areas between the windows and I also cut a .020 x .060" strip for the sills. Last I needed some .060 x .250 cut for the top and bottom.

I then glued the basic frame work up in my magnetic gluing jig, that way everything stayed good and square, this is the critical point cause if the beginning is out of square then from here on out nothing will go right. I also cut a little spacer so the spacing for the windows would be perfect.

Once the frame work is dry I popped it out, flipped it over and added .040 x .060" strip to the back for added strength and support. Then I cut the tops of the vertical parts flush with the top horizontal pieces. This building might move quickly so I may post a little more often than the Dominion, but we shall see.

Dominion Building Update - Trying to Find a Good Interior Designer

2009-02-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks! Well here it is the last Sunday update on the Dominion Trust Building, and I must apologize about the bittersweet end. I am very burned out on this project, but don't worry, I still need to finish it for the March 6th show at Ogden Union Station. I have a few little jobs left to do, but I need to shelve it for a couple weeks so I can start on the Gordon and finally start on some other major stuff. I wont say too much about the gordon yet cause after all this is the Dominion show.

I began work in side and I hate to admit it but I don't like doing interiors for some strange reason. I think it is because it is usually one of the last tasks and when it is time to do it, I am mentally on my next project. The basically all but the furniture is photo textures that are free to down load at cgtextures. I then sized and pieced them together on Adobe Illustrator and then printed them out on a nice glossy brochure paper on a laser copier.

The few pieces of furniture I built from strip styrene, then painted appropriately. The table at the entryway, I added some pamphlets and a vase with flowers. The pamphlets are paper cut to size and the vase was cut from aluminum tube. The flowers are made from tiny squares of red paper and the stems are, he he he, hair:) The few shrubbery's are 1/8" square tube and clump foliage. The paintings I got from the same site as the other textures, I them added a .020" plastic back, then colored the edges with a brown Sharpie. I still need to build more furniture but that will come later.

I also added a black card stock view blocks on the upper floors but the windows are too lifeless and so I have a few things that I will try out to see if they will look better. I have most of the glazing in, I just have a few windows left. I also have curtains to hang as well on a few windows and have a few more signs and other details as well.

So I will post finished pictures of the Dominion before the show and have a better farewell but other than that we move to the Gordon. I have built the Gordon about a dozen times in my head, trying to figure out the best route to take it. I still have gobs of time today so I may post on it late tonight. That reminds me, do you guys like the Sunday updates or would you prefer I post more often with smaller updates as I go? If I don't hear anything I will stick with the Sunday posts.

Favorite Buildings - McGraw-Hill Building

2009-02-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

-New York Public Library-

McGraw-Hill Building

New York City -1931-

The McGraw-Hill Building or aka "Jolly Green Giant" for the era that it was built was a very radical choice in colors. It is clad in a turquoise green terra cotta, the same color is used on a smaller Art Deco building in Los Angeles that I may also post on. Art Deco is one of my favorite styles of architecture and I will finally use it on my next structure.

McGraw-Hill no longer resides in this building but like the Chrysler Building it still carries the moniker it was born with.

Favorite Buildings - Book Tower

2009-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

Book Tower

For the next building we go to the depressed city of Detroit. Because of Detroit being down on its luck for so many years, it has some of the greatest examples of early 20th century architecture in North America. The Book Tower was built in 1926 and was an addition to the Book Building built in 1916.

The buildings last tenants moved out on January 5th of this year and so it has been shuttered. The company that owned it was unable to pay the back utility bills and that is why it is now abandoned.

This building was the inspiration of how I was taking the Dominion Building. This is why I did the patina on the roof, the detail between the windows comes from this and whole color scheme was to be modeled after this building, but some of you talked me out of it and now that is why the Dominion looks the way she does now. I still want to use this color pallet on another structure, but hey, I maybe dumb enough to try to build this building in the future.

-by statlerhotel on Flickr-

Favorite Buildings - Hoboken Terminal

2009-02-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hoboken Terminal

This terminal is located in Hoboken New Jersey, just across the Hudson from New York. It had fallen in to disrepair but has been going through a restoration. Most of the work was finished for its 100th birthday in 2007, including the waiting room and a new clock tower being erected. The original clock tower was dismantled in the 50's because it had become structurally unstable. It was originally run by the Lackawanna Railroad but is now under New Jersey Transit control.

Along with serving rail it has six ferry slips, but they haven't been used for years, last I had heard they were going to dredge out the slips and begin operation again out of a few of them. It is a gorgeous example of Beaux Arts architecture and as some of you know I am a fan of that patina color, the clock tower I believe is also copper and will eventually weather to match the rest of the terminal.

-wallyg on flickr-

-geekninja on flickr-

Favorite Buildings - Singer Building

2009-02-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

In this time of transition, the Dominion running home and the Gordon warming up, I am going to do a little daily series of a few of my favorite buildings. This may give you a idea of what inspires me to obtain the detail that I demand of myself. I hope you enjoy.

Speaking of the Dominion this Sunday will probably be the last update, I know its kind of sad but we all knew that this day would come.

-picture taken from flickr courtisy of Olde New York-

The Singer Building

Our first building is a sad example of "progress", Im all for progress but not at the expense of a icon of the early 20th century. Because of it being narrow is the main reason it was demolished, it had been deemed "obsolete & unprofitable". Up till the World Trade Center disaster it was the tallest building demolished. It was demolished about the same time Penn Station was raised and the loss of the two lead directly to the strengthened move for historic preservation.

It was built between 1906 & 1908 and was the tallest building in the world for about a year, passing up the Philadelphia City Hall, then being surpassed by the Metropolitan Life Tower. It was designed by architect Ernest Flagg and he had done other buildings for the Singer company as well.

Question About . . . . . Birds?

2009-02-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

Today I had two very similar comments made about my building. The first came from the greatscaper saying that I should add birds to the sign. Then a few hours later my brother came over and said if I was going to add pigeons and pigeon poop on some of the ledges. So I think I want to add birds to the building.

I haven't looked yet but I don't believe any are available in N-scale, so like everything else I must create them.

So my first question is: Have any of you ever made birds or have you seen some one make them in N-scale?

Question #2 is: Do you have any suggestions for making them?

So let me know your thoughts and ideas on this I would like to know.

Dominion Building Update - Rooftop Sign & Columns

2009-02-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

You guys probably wont listen to me anymore, I tell you todays post will be arriving later than usual but here it is earlier than usual. I was able to finish the few things I wanted done for todays post faster than expected and I have a busy day ahead of me so I decided to get it out of the way.

After the poll and a few persuading emails and posts I decided to forge ahead and erect the rooftop sign. I had been hesitant to build it because I thought it would be a long and difficult trek the build it and the results wouldn't justify it. But I've got to say, it went together rather easy and painless. The 3D mockup I had done stood at 24' tall, I cut a piece of styrene to see how this looked and it felt too short, so I upped it to 30' or about 2 1/4".

I needed to build six uprights, four would be identical and the other two would need to be custom to fit it with the rooftop building. I built the uprights from .030" square strip, I wanted to use .020" square strip but felt that it wouldn't be strong enough, but the .030" worked well.

I was surprised how strong the uprights were after the glue had cured.

The letters had been a dilemma from the beginning, how was I going to get the font I wanted and have the not look like I cut them out by hand. I am not a fan of those 3/4" white sign letters and so those were out. So I started to get a file ready to send and have them laser cut for me, but then I discovered something very cool. My wife loves to scrapbook and I heavily encourage her to do it because I feel guilty about spending so much time and money on my hobby. I had been a supporting husband and tagged along to a few scrapbook stores with her, I started looking at die cuts to possibly use to cut the the letters, but everything was too big or "too cute". I did a little research and for fairly decent price you can get machines to hook up to your computer and cut any font or clipart you want. My wife had been wanting a die cutter but just a cheep one that you bought the shapes and manually rolled the paper through. So to my luck Tuesday was her birthday and I went out and bought her the Quickutz Silhouette (with the intention of using it for my sign). So the letters are cut from a heavy card stock cause that is about the thickest it could handle, some of the more expensive ones out there can handle .010" sheet styrene. video at the end of the post of it in action

So after the machine cut out the letters I then glued on two .025" rods while the letters were still semi part of the scrap so all the letters would stay evenly spaced and level. I then glued on the up rights put it on top for a dry fit and . . . . its way too tall!!! After some consulting with people I trust I chopped 10' off or 3/4". That fortunately worked and it felt much better. I then added the lateral X-bracing in three of the sections and then painted and weathered in the usual fashion.

The other thing I finished was the columns at the main entry, this was another area that I kept putting off cause I couldn't decide on what I wanted. But I settled on HO scale columns made from Scale Structures LTD. (pt. # 2137). I had to shorten them very slightly to fit but they worked very well.

I have a open week coming up, so I hope to have most of the left overs done for next week, if I finish what I want next week will be the last Dominion Update (sniff). I have a few new structures that I scratch build and I have a few old projects that I need to finish. So what ever I do next it will be smaller than the Dominion, but don't worry they will be fun.

Chris

initial upright size

this is a very bad video of the Silhouette in action

Photo of the Day/Note on the Dominion

2009-02-04T17:41:00.001-08:00

So what are we looking at? First off I am fairly certain this is the Illinois Central yards in Chicago. The two incredible landmark buildings are the Wrigley Building (left) and the Tribune Tower.

Just a little note for everyone on the Sunday Dominion update, I am trying to get a few things done, so I have something to post on, the first part is small but made a large difference. The other isn't huge but six out of eight of you will like it, that is if I can get it done. Also Sunday like the rest of the week is going to be busy, so the update wont come till latter than usual.

My Copper Patina Mix REVILED!

2009-02-02T19:37:00.001-08:00

The most common question I have had since I began the Dominion Building over a year ago is "what did you use or how did you get the patina on your roof?" I even had one person ask if I was using "reindeer piss", he was joking of course.

I feel like everyone thinks I am using some kind of secret formula, but I guess I come forward and revile the smoke and mirrors I use to create the magic. So here it goes . . .

I just mixed three colors of paint!

Kind of disappointing huh? Now here comes the real disappointing part, I don't know what the exact mixture is! My guess is 1/2 green, 1/4 blue and 1/4 white, the reason I don't know is I just kept adding blue or white to the green till it felt right. The key is the blue and I would add it first, then lighten it up with the white.

Now here comes the next trick to making it look real. Once you have the paint down and you have given it ample time to cure, attack it with a very liberal coat of india ink/alcohol, but do it fast and then don't touch it because the alcohol will wash away the paint. When it dries you can add further coats if needed but the first is good enough, I will usually touch up spots and add shadowing later. Then after it is dry add highlights and some texture by dry brushing with white paint. But remember you NEED to weather it for it to look right, just the paint mix alone wont work.

But thats about it, sorry if I disappointed you. If you still have further questions please ask me and I will try to answer it.

These are the exact paint colors I used to make the patina and the resulting color (I think my mix could use a little more blue), any other brand should work just fine as well.

Dominion Building Update - Sidewalks

2009-02-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

This Sundays update is coming to you early for obvious reasons (Go Steelers!). I also need to apologize that I did not get anywhere as much work done as I wanted to. It has been a busy week and a very nasty cold has swept through my family, I am just now getting it.

So the few things that I did manage to complete are the billboard on the one end that I posted about a few days ago. The other is a plate for the building to rest-upon, and make the building look a little more finished. It will be nice to display it on the plate because it will be a few years until it has a permanent home.

The plate was cast from plaster in a mold that I built from styrene. I sprayed a little Pam onto a paper towel and gave the mold a good rubdown. The Pam acts as a release agent because you cant flex plastic like a rubber mold. Also don't spray the Pam directly on the mold, rubbing it in with a paper towel is sufficient and gives you an even coat. If you are careful with the mold you can get a few pours out of it, which comes in handy when you don't mix enough plaster and by the time you get the next batch ready, the first has setup too far to work it (not like that has ever happened to me). I popped the casting out after just a few hours so I could easily add the expansion joints in the sidewalks by using a dull #11 X-acto blade.

Once the casting was mostly dry, I began staining (not painting) the plaster with washes of my favorite India ink/Alcohol mix, if have been following me you know that I love this stuff. I stained the sidewalks, curbing and gutters with a fairly light wash (test it first on the bottom or on an area that wont be visible). Make sure that you scribe in a line separating the street and the gutter, it helps to prevent the darker street wash from bleeding into the lighter. I was very liberal with my washes to ensure that it was getting into all of the seams. The street is simply a darker wash, I added a little more ink into the existing mix (a little india ink goes a very long way, so use it sparingly).

The storm drains were very easy to make but add allot detail. On the mold I had glued a 3/8" long strip of styrene. Later I painted some .010x.080" strip a dark grey, cut it to length and glued it in. The lamp I bought from Miniatronics (72-032-01), and it is very close to the bishops crook style that was used throughout New York. It was molded in black so I panted it a olive drab to match a few pictures. I made up the street signs from paper and styrene, they were a little more time consuming to make than I thought but I think they look okay. The fire call-box I built from styrene again, then painted. I used figures & benches from Woodland Scenics for the bus stop but I made the sign, I have a few more figures that I will add later as the building gets closer to being done. The mail box is from Period Miniatures, I think. Then I added a few things of garbage.

I still need to add a few fire hydrants and couple minor details, I don't want too much so the attention stays on the building. Unfortunately next week is looking grim for construction time, so we shall see what I can finish up. Please ask if you have any questions on something that I may have missed or didn't explain very well. Sometime this week I will post about how I created the patina on the roof, I have been getting many questions on this.

Sorry about the blurry pictures, I need to download that Helicon Focus program.

Billboard Frame #2

2009-01-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is the billboards and frames for the other side of the Dominion. I wont go into much detail on how I built this set because the construction is basically the same as before on the Lets Build a Billboard Frame post from a few weeks ago.

What I did change from before is first I simplified the design a bit, second I used a different paint scheme and third I used .060" I-beams for the vertical beams. I wanted this one to be different from the first set, originally I wanted to go more ornate but unfortunately once the building is place on a layout this side of the building will never be seen. I will reuse the signs in another location eventually because the are too good to be hidden.

I want to thank Frank Giacobbe for making these wonderful signs for me, he does a first class job.

Dominion Sign Mockup

2009-01-28T18:02:00.001-08:00

I have been messing around with doing the sign on top, I still am waiting to see what everybody thinks in the poll. I have had a few emails and posts on why I should build it but I have seen a few no's, and I would like to know why you feel that way. My mind isn't 100% made up but I am leaning to building it.

I threw this together today, it still has a bit of work left, but I felt it was worth the time to get a feel for it and I can make dimensioned plans right off the drawings fairly easily, (that is if I can remember how). I haven't used this program for about a year now and I am a little rustier than I thought I would be. If you are curious, the program I am using is called Inventor, it is made by Autodesk, the company that makes AutoCAD and 3DStudio Max.

The lettering on the sign will be a white if it gets built, I changed it to a light grey so it would show up a little better for your viewing pleasure. What you read on the sign is exactly how it reads in the picture, and this will be a very big sign as well, it will stand a scale 24' tall and 73' wide.

Dominion Sign Poll

2009-01-25T16:38:00.001-08:00

There is a sign on top of the Dominion in this picture and I don't know when it was taken down. My question is should I spend the time trying to reproduce it? Or don't worry about it? I want to know the opinion of everyone of you.

Thanks

Dominion Building Update - Doors, Windows and Roof's oh' my

2009-01-25T15:39:00.000-08:00

This little guy is getting so close to being done, but I am having mixed feelings. On one hand I cant wait to move onto other projects, and then on the other hand I am sad cause I haven't slaved away on one specific thing for so long sense, well, forever.

What I finished off first this week was the doors and entry on the bottom corner of the building. It was quite simple but I think I pulled it of okay. First I framed the two doors from .010x.040" strip, and cut a bar from .015" brass wire . After the glue dried I gave it a once over with a Prismacolor Metallic Silver (PM-117) marker. I built the box for the entry from some scrap .020" sheet styrene, then painted to match the outside. On the prototype I noticed there was a cast iron gate that is on the side walls when opened, so I used a section of Gold Medal Models iron fence painted flat black.

My next task was to finish off the roof, but before I could do that I needed to add the glazing and shades on the top five floors due to the fact the roof would be fixed and I couldn't reach the windows from the bottom very well. Not much to talk about in this step other than the glazing was cut from .010" acetate and the shades are a light grey card stock.

I was then able to begin work, I cut the sheet of .020" sheet to fit the alloted space and then glued it in. I than began work on the railing across the cap of the roof. The balusters are from Plastruct (BLAC-200) and the posts are cut from .080" square strip styrene, and the little ball on top is. . . a. . . its a sprinkle, you know for cupcakes, ice cream and toping off posts. I then painted the railing to match the grey on the bottom three floors. The railing on the prototype could only be done by etching metal and I don't yet have the power to do that.

I then built the little mechanical house on top from sheet and strip styrene. I also did a poor job at making a skylight, I want a few of these so I hope I can make less embarrassing ones soon. That is the water tower I built a few weeks ago and I will be putting it up, even though there isn't one on the prototype. My justification for this is that the prototype is in Vancouver, BC and there are mountains there so water pressure is not an issue. But as my building will be going into a fictional version of NYC, the water tower is justified. I wont do too much more to the roof because 95% of the rooftops I looked at during this era are quite clean and clutter free, but a little garbage looks good.

I finished most of the glazing and shades on the right side and will finish the left tonight. There is so very few big things left to do, it down to details now. Well see what gets done for next Sundays update, I don't even know.

Photo of the Day

2009-01-22T18:54:00.001-08:00

Ah PCC's, I love PCC's, its a shame that most are gone, but a few cities are still running these attractive trolly's. This picture is up in Toronto in 1964, and I love the meddle of subdued colors in this photo.

Photo of the Day

2009-01-20T19:16:00.001-08:00

I have been kicking around the idea of scrapping my current half built El and going with a more ornate station such as this one right above the very text you are reading (wow what are the chances of that) This station was I think on the 9th ave. El if memory serves me right. But don't hold your breath cause this may not happen for awhile.

I am very tired, hence the quirkiness.

Dominion Building Update - Part 2 - 011709

2009-01-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

Okay here on post #2 I have two things to talk about that have made me very excited.

#1 - ALL THE WINDOWS ARE DONE!!!!!!!!!

#2 - All faces are done.

Sorry but I couldn't help but over emphasize the fact that the windows are done and yes all faces (walls) are done. So now my list of to-do's is beginning to get short, What's left?

- Glazing and shades for windows

- Roof

- Mezzanine

- First floor interior

- Details and Signage

For the show I will be also making a little base for it to rest on. But that is the list in a nutshell.

These are a few more photos of the finished windows on the top two floors and a few other overviews.

Until next sunday.

Dominion Building Update - Part 1 - 011709

2009-01-18T15:08:00.000-08:00

Its Sunday, and that means it is time for your weekly Dominion Building update.

This week unlike last week I was able to plow through a few tasks, first off I have the back basically done, I just need to add details (my favorite part) but I wont do that till I have a few more tasks done so I don't snap stuff off from handling. On the back I have all the brick painted by using Polly Scale boxcar red and then added mortar lines by using the sludge in the bottom of one of my bottles of thinner. I have multiple bottles of thinner that I use to clean my brushes in, I keep the darker and lighter colors segregated because I like to use the sludge later for weathering.

After the brick was done I painted the windows and some of the trim work. I then began to add a little bit of detail that really began to finish off the back. First I wanted to run some electrical conduit up the side. I made this by simply using .015" brass wire and .010 x .030" strip styrene. I cut the wire a little long, bent one end at a 90 degree angle and inserted into a .015" hole I drilled with my pin vise. One the wire was at correct length I gave it a coat of a dark grey paint, the styrene brackets I painted a brown and glued them down. Once the paint dries add the conduit with a little CA.

The other item I added was a little duct work that went around the elevator shaft. I chose the location because I had a horrid seam in the brick, and so I disguised it. I first built the duct work from 1/8" styrene tube, then I fabricated the five brackets from .010 x .020" strip (the smallest evergreen makes). I eyeballed the brackets to whatever looked good, but I think their about 3/16". Then painted and attached the duct.

I also finished off the upper right corner to sort of mirror the other side. I admit that I cut a few corners and simplified it because it will mostly be covered by another set of billboards made by my friend Frank Giacobbe over at the N-scale Modeling Blog .

The Steven's Hotel

2009-01-17T10:52:00.001-08:00

As I said I would do a few day's ago here is a post about the Steven's Hotel.

This was a first in many ways for me, it was the first structure that I had built in about seven years, the first that I experimented with scratch building and the biggest structure that I built.

I came up with the idea of using DPM modular walls for the majority of the building and I think it worked for what I was going for.

The top floor was the beginning of scratch building for me. I wanted to use the same windows that I had used throughout the structure and so I flipped the modular wall so I could have a smooth surface to build the rest of the wall on. It was all built from styrene except the cove on top, that was made from 1/4" basswood cove molding.

The pharmacy on the bottom was scratch built from styrene and so was the entrance and stairs. I modeled the pharmacy from one in the movie The Sting. I still need to finish off the bottom floor of the hotel, I will most likely do a reconstruction of the windows on the pharmacy like I have been doing on the Dominion. There are many problems that drive me crazy on the first floor that need revision.

The little yellow building I haven't talked much about, it is called A.M.Stern Storage. It is named after the architect Robert A.M Stern, he is one of my personal favorite architects working today. This is my first truly scratch built structure that I have built, and it shows. If you are wondering about the windows, I followed a prototype in New York that had all of the windows boarded up and painted black, because it had been converted for storage.

Also on top was my first attempt at a water tower, it will pass as one in the back ground.

So that is the Steven's Hotel in a nutshell, it still has a little work left and needs a light face lift because of some things that I did poorly. But as usual if you have questions don't hesitate to ask.

The Man Behind The Curtain

2009-01-15T15:39:00.001-08:00

So who am I? To begin with my name is Christopher Brimley, I am 28, married and I have three girls that never stop entertaining me and bringing joy into my life. We currently reside in Utah and are about 45 minutes south of Salt Lake City. I found myself being sucked into the world of retail and was not happy where it was taking me, and so I decided to go back to school and pursue a degree in Industrial Design but I am good friends of a professor in the advertising department and is successfully wooing me away. So as of right now I am only working part time but I am a full time student as well and trying to take care of my family and squeeze as much work on my buildings as I can. Its a little overwhelming at times, but I am surviving.

So why trains? It all started with Lego's, I would spend weeks building cities and then tear them down and build another one. When I was about 13 my dad and I were on a fishing trip together, and at the lake we were fishing at had a spur that lead to a coal flood loader. Twice a day a Southern Pacific empty unit coal train would pull in and load up. It would be in the middle of the night and I would hear another train roaring up and I would jump out of the tent to watch it go by on the other side of the lake. It was absolutely fascinating to me.

So like most I started out in HO-scale, my first locomotive was a Denver & Rio Grande Western GP40-2. I had a 4x8 sheet of plywood that I had set up to run it on, but then I quickly realized I could do twice as much in the same space. I sold off my HO stuff and began on a small 2x8' layout in N-scale that I had in my bedroom, everything was modern and it was terrible. Then in about 1998 I sort of gave up, I dabbled now and then but I didn't really start back up until a few years ago when I was bored and I designed the Steven's Hotel and then built it a few months later.

Most people assume that because I am a younger modeler that I do modern, and they are surprised when I tell them that I am doing transition era, and then they are confused when I tell them I am modeling the New York Central. So why would I, a guy from the west be modeling the East in a era that I never knew. Well there are a few reasons, first my wife being ignorant to what I liked (DRGW) bought me a framed print of a painting that had a pair of Hudson's and a E or F-unit at LaSalle St. Station in Chicago with the imposing Board of Trade building looming in the distance. I accepted the gift and hung it up, but then I found myself constantly looking at it in a daze. I also liked the idea of modeling something that is totally foreign me, where I had to research everything and the increased challenge intrigued me.

So that is the short version about me, and I am having a great time getting to meet so many great people from around the world.

Thank You,

Christopher Brimley

Photo of the Day

2009-01-13T19:24:00.001-08:00

Today's picture is a sad one (and not a repeat). On Saturday at the monthly op-session on the UCW I was informed of another structure that needs to be built. What is needed is a single stall engine house with an open area for a second track on the side, so I was hunting for a few reference photos and I stumbled upon this sad scene.

It is engine #26 of the Virginia & Truckee in Reno Nevada, and what had happened was the engine was stored for the night on May 1 1950 and a half hour later this was the scene. Some believe that the death of #26 was suicide, because the line she ran on was scheduled to be abandoned in under a month.

To read the story in better detail go to the Western Nevada History site, they also have a good collection of photos of that locale from different era's that will prove beneficial when construction on my mining town module begins.

Like I said above this is a sad photo, It is also a haunting image as well, something from a nightmare. I just think there is a very strange look about the locomotive in the picture that looks ghostly. I don't think I am describing it very well and the average viewer would look at it and say "Meh. . . anybody die".

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed.

2009-01-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

The photo I posted yesterday had been posted on back in December. I was worried that I would pull a stunt like that, just didn't think it would be so soon.

Photo of the Day

2009-01-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

It has been a while that I did a photo of the day and so here is one for everyone.

What we have is a New York Central SW1 doing a little switching work in Chicago on Illinois Centrals south water street freight terminal. The date I have of the photo is 1943

HO scale music video

2009-01-11T19:35:00.001-08:00

I know that this isn't something I usually post about on my blog, but could not resist. Other than model trains, a few of my other loves are music and movies, and this combines all into a nice little package. The band is Tokyo Police Club and they are actually a group I like and the video is cleverly done, and was made in 1:87 or HO scale, it cracks me up every time I watch it. Just know that this is not something for kids to see. Enjoy

The Dark Side of The Dominion

2009-01-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

Its been a busy week for me, and so I have not been able to do much work. I was debating whither I should post an update or not but I figured it would not hurt. So here it goes.

My goal was to have the entire back done by today, and as you can see it is still unfinished, but thats okay. Now the backs and some times the sides don't resemble the front facade of the building, usually to save money. Many times a cheeper brick is used and many of the other materials change as well. Other items you usually see are electrical conduit running everywhere, and duct work, vents, down spouts and many other things that you don't want messing up the front of your building. The backs of some buildings are like the dark side of the moon (not the amazing Pink Floyd album) the suns light just never quite reaches it.

So now this brings me to what has changed and what my ramblings above pertain to. First what I did was to laminate brick styrene sheet to most of the surfaces. the panel with the windows required a little more work than the others. Originally the back was going to be left unfinished because it will never be seen, but when I decided to enter it in a judged show, I knew I could not leave it in that kind of condition.

I laid out how I wanted my windows to look first, I then made my cutting marks on the back and cut out the material. The windows I used are made by Tichy Train Group (the first commercial part used so far) and are a 44" x 66" double hung masonry window. I needed to give the illusion of thickness on the walls because this type of window are recessed in to the wall. So I just glued in strips of .060 x .080" strip on the back of the wall around the window. Because I was not going to finish the back I didn't leave openings for windows, so I had to brutally cut openings for the windows.

Next I built a basic loading dock and plopped in a little receiving door, the vender of the door I think is Period Miniatures, I purchased it a few years ago. I then built the wood addition from Northeastern Scale Lumber siding, and more Tichy windows. The structural supports are made from .060 and .080" I-beams from Evergreen.

That is about all that I have done as of yet, hopefully I can accomplish more this week, but we shall see on next Sunday.

before any work began

A HUGE Surprise!

2009-01-09T16:15:00.001-08:00

My wife today had to go run a few errands today, which happens often. But today she came home with a shocking treat that I was not expecting, a Kato GG1 and the Pennsylvania Broadway Limited 10 car set. I was a bit surprised to put it mildly. I have been teasing her that I wanted it sense it was announced but it was mostly just for fun. I never expected this.

I really lucked out with her, she is the one that believed that I could actually build the Dominion and then has convinced me not to give up on it when I was ready to toss it. She keeps pushing me to try harder and have confidence in my work and I owe her so much, thanks hun.

I was as giddy as a twelve year old and decided to see how it looks with the unfinished mess I call Hudson. Sorry for the street running set up but thats all I can do for the time being. The only negative thing about having the GG1 is now I need to run catenary where I want to run this, or I may pick up the E units that Kato has coming out soon.

I realized I have not posted much about the Steven's Hotel, in a little while I will talk about what I did to build it. There is still a little work left on the first floor, but nothing major.

The Beginnings of The Gordon

2009-01-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce what I will probably work on after I finish the Dominion Building. I have named it The Gordon and it is not based on a specific prototype but kind of a conglomeration of a few. This is what I have done as of yet on the elevations.

I don't think it should be to difficult of a structure to build, I need a little break after the Dominion is finished. It will be a 100% scratch build again, that means more windows YEAH!!! At least there are only a few unlike the 130ish on the Dominion.

I need to finish up the design on the main floor, on one half I will have a little delicatessen, the other will be a art deco entrance that will tie in with the rest of the structure. I will also need to do the elevations for the sides and back, those shouldn't take too long. I will repost when the plans are done.

I also have a few mini projects that I want to start on as well that are similar to the water tower and billboards. Hopefully I will have those build-a-long.'s done soon.

Rosenwach Wood Water Tanks

2009-01-06T11:44:00.001-08:00

This company has built over half of the thousands of tanks in New York City. Its a good video ruffly showing how they are built. The basic form of construction hasn't changed in over 80 years, they are still using some of the original equipment to mill the lumber.

Also if you can find it, this same company was on an episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. It is a little more informative than this news report, and Mike Rowe is more entertaining. I believe it was Season 4 episode 8 "Dirty Jobs of the Big Apple".

Water Tower Reference Photos

2009-01-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

These are a few photos I used as reference on my water tower. As you can see they are in different sizes, colors, bases, and condition.

Enjoy

Water Tower pt. 2

2009-01-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

This post has been moved to N Scale Limited

More Dominion Pictures

2009-01-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

Just a few more pictures of the progress.

I forgot to mention on the previous post, but on a few of the windows on the first floor I used textured dollhouse wallpaper for a little detail above the windows (click on 2nd picture for detail).

Now I am going to clean up my work space and get things ready for the next phase.

Dominion Building Update

2009-01-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

Here we are again with the Dominion Building, and again with the weekly update. . . . . again! No I am kidding I am still having fun working on the little giant, I still take a few breaks away from it and do other projects such as the water tower and billboards. I know a few professional painters that will work on as many as five paintings at a time, just so they don't burn themselves out, I like that philosophy.

So what's changed!

All attention was diverted to finishing up the bottom three floors. I first had to clean things up from the old windows that I had ripped out, then it was onto my favorite activity of making friggin windows. I must have sniffed a little to much plastic cement when I first built the skeleton for the bottom floors because no two windows were the same. I had to custom cut and file each part so they would fit, looking at it they seem to be even, which as Martha Stewart would say "is a Good Thing".

Once window torture was complete I gave the building a nose job. The entrance was rather. . . . Blah! It is very roughly based on the prototype, I mostly wanted to carry the arch windows theme from the top down to the bottom. The whole thing is made from styrene, but the half round design was not. It is a metal piece I found at a craft store, they came in a pack of ten and are for making your own jewelry, I just cut the thing in half. There were many thing that I found that I hope to use on other structures. I found many things at the craft store that could be used in many different situations, I was bored one day and walked every isle to see what I could find (I got some funny looks when I was looking at the designs on the lace to use for structure detail).

After the front was done I did some work in the mezzanine, but I am not proud of what has been done in there so until I like it, you cant see it. Then I painted everything and thats about it.

Before anyone says anything I already know that a piece is missing on the left up right, if you look in the second photo it was there, I think it was ripped off when I masked everything off for the windows.

Water Tower pt. 1

2009-01-04T09:23:00.001-08:00

This post has been moved to N Scale Limited

Swift Building Elevations

2008-12-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

This is a elevation for a background building that I drew a few years ago. I was going to have road run under the opening in the middle and install a mirror to give the illusion of depth. This was or is going to be a Swift meatpacking plant, but is based of off a former Navel warehouse that is in Brooklyn, it may be gone now but I haven't checked.

The plans don't have any dimensions but it should be to scale, if you want to plot it out it needs to be done on C size paper (24x36"). It may not look like it but this is a BIG building for Nscale. When I do build it for my layout I may scale it down a hair.

These are a few photos of the prototype below for a little reference.

Will You Be My Neighbor

2008-12-29T20:59:00.000-08:00

I realized a few days ago that when I finish the Dominion for the March show, I don't have another structure locked and loaded to go. I do have a few little things to knock out for the Junction City modules, but most I can build in a weekend.

There are a few larger structures that I want to build for the the city but, A: I don't know where or how they will be placed and B: My skill level is still lacking to attempt them.

So what do I do next? I build a neighbor for the Dominion building!

What needs to be built is a building of about 7-8 floors in height, it will be on the side of the billboards that are currently up and they will be separated by a small alleyway.

My first choice was to do a theater. I had found a few photos of an amazing Art Nouveau specimen in Manhattan, but I then felt I needed something a little more subtle. So I decided on a very basic Art Deco structure, that will largely be my own design. I began to get excited and wanted to start the plans and something new that I will be doing. . . . color studies. Then I realized I had a deadline of sorts and put it all on hold.

When I have my plans started I will be posting very quickly, but not till the Dominion is done.

Photo of the Day

2008-12-29T20:36:00.001-08:00

I posted photos of this area about a month ago, this is the former town of Bingham, UT. It was about a half hour away from where I currently reside. After I finish my Eastern city layout (in something like 20 years) I plan to recreate this lost era. We all say things like that but deep down you know that it may never happen. The mine is still very active today, but this area has been strip mined to the bone.

Photos of the Day; Sky-bridges

2008-12-28T18:15:00.001-08:00

Let me introduce to you three very different sky-bridges today. I find these a very fascinating aspect of architecture, they are usually built after the corresponding buildings and so the styles are different. All three are located in New York.

Our first example is gorgeous, I may design a pair of buildings just so I can implement it into my layout. This is located on the former NABISCO building.

The next one is also located on the former NABISCO building, but is only visible from the interior of the building, this is great reference for a more industrial structure.

This little one spanning an alleyway was part of a former hospital, a simple design, but would add much needed character to your structures.

Dominion Problems

2008-12-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

In my post yesterday, if you look carefully at the brick you can see mortar lines, I didn't want mortar lines! In all photos of the prototype, the brick is painted thus no mortar lines. Why would I do such a thing you may ask? It was a mistake and I think it may have been a chemical reaction. What I think happened is last Monday I applied a coat of dullcote to seal in what has been done. Yesterday I gave all the brick a wash of india ink/alcohol. When that was dried the black of the india ink went white???

So after that and not being a fan of the color I chose for the brick, I decided to repaint. . . . . . again! The color is a little brighter of a red, it is hard to tell from my crappy photos but it made a huge change.

The good thing that came from this is I think I stumbled across a really good way to do mortar lines in brick.

No Longer Homeless

2008-12-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

I attached the billboards to the side of the Dominion today. I used Woodland Scenics, Scenic Accents Glue because it has some properties that I like. Such as it can be removed if the reason arises. On the other set of billboards, they only need to be placed for the show in March. But they will never be seen once on the layout, and I don't like to waste material,time and money if at all possible. I will use them elsewhere later on.

This side is about done with paint, and now my attention will turn to the bottom two floors. I have some serious work ahead, like full interiors on the first floor and some added details on the outside, but all the long monotonous work is done. The end of this building is starting to look like a reality and you have know idea how that feels. I started this structure a little more than a year ago and have been working on it off and on depending on priorities. I have two months to have it done and I think I will make it.

Photo of the Day

2008-12-26T20:33:00.000-08:00

The New York Central highline that ran up Manhattan had some scenes that were about as unique as any as you could find anywhere in the world. When I eventually begin my beloved city of Hudson, this exact scenes is already planned to be implemented.

Merry Christmas/Photo of the Day

2008-12-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a merry and a safe Christmas this year.

Thank You,

Chris

Lets build a billboard frame.

2008-12-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

On my Dominion building I have a few billboards that will be applied in a few areas. There will be a total of four billboards, stacked in pairs, such as the photo above. The construction was very simple and requires minimal tools and material. I probably spent a whole $1 on this, the color copy cost half a buck and the rest maybe added up the rest. If you don't have the material on hand, it will obviously cost a little more.

To begin with I made a copy of the billboards. Something I will highly recommend is to go to Fedex Kinko's, Office Depot or a place that makes color copies and pay them to print it. If you have a color laser printer, that will work as well. DON'T use a inkjet, the ink will run if it gets wet and can smear by just handling it to much. Epson printers that use the Dura-Bright ink are the only exception to this. Also laser printers and copy machines lay down much crisper text than an inkjet.

The billboards that I am using were created by the moderator of the N Scale Modeling blog.

He has the Morton Salt sign and many other very useful signs to download for free.

After I had printed the signs I cut them out using an X-acto knife. I then cut out a back from .020" sheet styrene, cut it about a scale foot higher and wider then the paper sign. Use white glue to attach the sign to the back, making sure to be centered. I then lightly scored the sign to give the illusion of separate sheets. I had pre-painted some .020x.040" (for top and side) and .020x.060"(for bottom) strip for the frames, green is the most common for the style that I am going for. Now cut the strips to fit, the sides need to be precise but the top and bottom can be long, then just file flush with the sides. After touch up with same paint as used earlier, and you have the frames.

Next we cut the vertical mounts from .020x.040" strip, an I-beam would work

well in this situation. I spaced the mounts about a 1/2" from each other. After the glue setup I began attaching .020x.030" horizontal slats below each billboard.

Once all slats had been applied, I cut four 1/4" pieces of .010x.060" strip for the brackets to attach the platform. I then glued the the brackets to the vertical mounts. After the glue setup, I then added two planks for the platform made from .040x.060" strip styrene.

Once the glue has set up we need to finish painting. I first painted the vertical mounts a dark grey, don't paint the back side cause that will cause issues when you attach it to your building. I then paint everything else the same green that I used on the frames. Once that has setup I then dry-brushed on a little white to age and highlight. Then I added a little india ink wash to a few spots for further weathering.

I still need to build the second set of billboards and a little more prep work needs to be done to the building before I attach them.

I will post photos of the billboards once that happens. Until then keep watching.

Thanks,

Chris

Photo or Video of the day.

2008-12-22T20:36:00.001-08:00

This short film was made in the early 1950's and features the now gone Third Ave. El in Manhattan. You see some amazing shots of the city on our journey back in time. I had read that this was nominated for an Oscar in the short film category, but I am unaware how it did, also beware the harpsichord music throughout the film, it has now grown on me and I sort of enjoy it, (but I like different music).

Chris

Dominion Building Transformation

2008-12-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

I went ahead and bit the bullet and repainted the model to match the prototype postcard. First off, what has changed sense you last saw this? All of the older windows I decided to rip out, so all of the frames on the eleventh floor are new. I also framed in the windows around the right side (you cant see those in these pictures). I discovered awhile ago that there is brick on eleven, but I hadn't bothered with it cause I had it painted. But because it had been decided to repaint, I added the brick sheet in. Then I have done a little prep work for the windows on twelve and Thirteen.

After that and a few other little things, it was time to paint. Everything but floors four through eleven was masked off. I then sprayed a Coat of Testors Modern Desert Sand and let it dry over night. The next day I painted the brick between four & eight with Polly Scale Boxcar Red. It turned out good but I still think it is a hair dark, however I will let it slide. That then dried very quickly and so I began masking off around the windows. I debated this for awhile, I couldn't decide what would be faster, hand paint every window and touch up after, or mask off each window and spray. I chose the latter because I wanted a better coat and I felt masking would not take too long. I was right about the paint but I spent about five hours applying masking tape (I watched A Christmas Story and The French Connection during this). The arched windows were too difficult to mask, so those I painted by hand.

When I had all of this done, I must admit I was disappointed with the results. So I pulled out my two favorite weathering friends out. First I slathered on a very liberal wash of india Ink/Alcohol mix to the newly painted areas. Then applied a good coat of dullcote to seal in the progress thus far. Then I attacked by highlighting areas by dry-brushing with white paint. After doing these important steps it began to come alive.

The roof still needs to be darkened, but that will happen after I finish the windows (I don't like windows anymore). I still have a hefty amount of work on the bottom two floors, then an interior for the bottom floor. The back is still unfinished but that will be left for last.

I have enjoyed the comments this far and please don't hesitate to ask about anything, I am more than happy to answer. After this is done I will do a few smaller structures, then you know I must out do this.

Thanks,

Chris

Photo of the Day

2008-12-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Just a quick one today. This is the Dominion not long after its construction. The sign on top, I might add to my model when it is complete. I don't know when it was taken down, but I believe it was during the thirties. The era Im modeling is the fifties, however I kinda like it up there.

Tomorrow at about 6 p.m (MTN time) I will update on the progress of the Dominion Bldg. It is starting to look somewhat like a building.

Chris

Photo of the Day

2008-12-19T19:29:00.001-08:00

Just pretend that this is a photo taken on my layout, cause I know I do, sigh!..... some day. This is another Jack Delano photograph, he took this shot of I believe an NYC SW8 switching at the Water Street freight terminal, in Chicago 1943.

Photo of the Day

2008-12-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

I want to introduce you to one of my favorite railroad photographers, Jack Delano. Every time I look at at this photo I just stare in amazement, and am just in a daze. Not all of his photos are this great but he has some really good ones, mostly of midwestern subjects. My first Photo of the Day was also one of his and I can guarantee that I will shear more.

The photograph was taken inside of the Chicago & North Western roundhouse in December 1942 Chicago.

Chris

Photo of the Day/Potential Kitbash

2008-12-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

I actually found this photo today. It is a Swift & Company milk and butter fat receiving depot and creamery, located in Caldwell, Idaho (1940). I was looking at it and I thought "that looks like the Brach's Candy factory that Cornerstone makes!" and sure enough they are very similar.

It will take at least two kits to make it work, possibly three. First I would chop the top floor, then extend the upper floor about what looks like two window panes. Depending how close to the prototype you want to be, all the superficial concrete columns, windows and brick needs to be cut out and replaced on the outside sections.

The loading dock and awning will need to be scratch built but thats not a very big deal. The cornice on top of the fourth floor will need to be scratch built as well. The difficult part will be to match the brick on the kit. Then the raised brass or gold Swift & Co. sign could be a issue but something out there will work.

This isn't something I could do for awhile but I just thought it would look good on layout if anybody else wants to give it a go. The Brach's Candy factory is currently discontinued, but Walthers will be doing a limited production in March.

Chris

Photo of the Day

2008-12-15T13:57:00.001-08:00

Sorry I missed a few days of this but I am sure that will happen from time to time.

Okay to business.

If you look very carefully you will see a row of buildings just behind the tree that may look familiar. They are the same ones that I posted about earlier, the one with 3 1/2 floors. This is about two decades before the other photo, and about a decade before this, an El ran through here. The locale of the scene is called Peter Minuit Plaza, in lower Manhattan.

A photo like this one is a very valuable thing to have if you are working towards a specific era and feel. I love the signs on these buildings and plan to implement as much of them as possible into current or future projects. The other thing that if it wasn't here you couldn't date the photo mentally in your head as easy, is the cars and busses. Using period vehicles is a key element that will help date your layout, especially for the non railroader. They may not know that a SD70ACe wasn't around in the 50's but they will know that a 1996 Ford Taurus were nowhere to be found.

Also on a unrelated note, I have gobs of time this weekend and will be blitzing the Dominion Building, I need it done by the first of March so I can enter it for NMRA AP judging contest. So stay tuned for Sunday night as I will give a update then.

Chris

UCW Operating Session

2008-12-14T08:29:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had to drive about two hours in snowy weather (not fun) to get to my destination, the Utah Colorado Western Railroad. A few months ago a new acquaintance of mine (Kelly Newton) that I will be doing modules with, invited me to attend a op session. I had never attended one of these before and I was a little intimidated. But I was invited back so I must have done okay, because from what I here that most don't get invited back.

The layout is freelance western bridge route that runs between Denver and Salt Lake City. The layout resides in Lee Nicholas' basement, but was built by many of his friends. It has been on the cover of Model Railroader and featured in many other magazines as well. Something that I have learned by doing the op sessions with these guys is that I don't know anything. The guys that attend are some of the most knowledgeable about anything railroad related that I have ever met, and it is a humbling experience to be around them. I just have had more fun listening to them talk as I have playing trains up there.

I have a few photos that I took last night but for many many more go towww.ucwrr.com.

Enjoy,

Chris

I believe a crew house at Jiggs.

Overview of Hamilton.

Looking back at Hamilton on the left.

Looking down to Cobre.

Coal mine at Cobre.

Behind the Scenes

2008-12-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

I always like to see other modelers work space, some have some very nice setups that I envy and others use kitchen tables. I have always found it beneficial to have a dedicated work area, but I do realize that for some it is not a possibility. So today I give you a glimpse into the behind the scenes of my structures and how I try to keep things organized.

This is the overview of my work space. My work bench is technically a small drafting table, but it works fine for my current needs. I am a sucker for music and I must have something playing while I work, it helps me to focus on the project at hand. That is why I have my cheap turntable and head phones near by. Also this is about as messy as I allow it to get, I work better in a clean and organized environment.

A little closer view of the work bench. The black and green thing in the foreground is my favorite tool, if you don't have a Chopper, get one, and when you do, get the Chopper II. I had many issues with accuracy with the Chopper I, but it was better than nothing. I could not survive with out it.

For all of my strip and sheet styrene, brass, paper and other stuff I store in legal file folders inside of a plastic storage tote, letter file folders are too short for 12" long strips. I still don't have a good solution for my basswood, most of the stock is about 24" long.

For my windows and doors I love these little storage dividers. They are fairly cheep and do a great job. I try to have a good stock of parts on hand cause I cant run out and pick these up, I have to order them, so when I need them I have them.

This is another tote that I have my detail parts in, I need much much more of this stuff cause you can never have too much detail.

So thats all, in a bit I will post a few pictures of some of my dream work benches.

Photo of the Day

2008-12-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

Today we are back in Chicago, its the day after Christmas in 1967 and the CB&Q Empire Builder pulls out from Union Station. The station is out of view because of the massive post office (the large white building on the left) is right in font of it. Two other buildings that are of interest are the huge Pennsylvania Railroad warehouse on the right. Then the tallest building on the left is the Chicago Board of Trade, at the foot of this building is the LaSalle Street Station that is served by the Rock Island and New York Central Railroads.

Photo of the Day

2008-12-09T21:18:00.001-08:00

Again I got this photo from the LoC years ago so I don't have much data. I do know it is New York and it is near the Fulton Fish Market. I found this one when I was researching the area for a possible part of my fictional city of Hudson.

Photo of the Day

2008-12-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

This image I found on the Library of Congress site, if you've never been I highly recommend it. I know this scene is in New York City, during the late 60's or 70's, but beyond that I just don't know. The thing that is fascinating is the building second from the left, why do the floors progressively get shorter as you ascend. The windows on top I would say is just a second set of windows for the 3rd floor, but why is there is a fire escape on floor 3 1/2 ???

Chloe's Cafe

2008-12-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I pumped out a new little structure that I have named after my daughter Chloe. This little guy was a kit (this was the first kit i've made in about five years) made by Willmodels that you can only get off of ebay. I was introduced to these from a post on the very good N Scale Modeling Blog. As of yet there are only three kits available and I chose his Millie's Cafe kit that will go on my mining town module that I will start on soon.

I basically stuck to the instructions on the assemblage, but I did the painting and signs how I wanted so it would be somewhat unique. Kits are great but I wish more people would have some fun with them and stray from the picture on the box and make it their own. While I am up on my soap box I want to say how much I dislike the "built ups" or factory finished structures that are becoming more popular today. For the most part they look good, but you kill the creativity and uniqueness that is great about this hobby (okay off soap box).

If you are wondering why the front steps are missing it is because when this get planted on the layout the front door will be level with the side walk and the ground will slope away from the front. most of the signs I found online with exception to the yellow Chloe's Cafe sign, I made that one.

The Coke sign was forged from .010" sheet styrene, .015" brass wire and two copies of a Coke logo from the inter-web. The little light is .015" brass wire and a Titchy Train Group shade. I built the billboard from HO scale 3"x3" strip wood and .025" spacing siding from Northeastern Scale Lumber, and a add that I found ages ago.

I fiddled about with the paint on the brick to get a fairly realistic look. It turned out okay but next time around it should turn out better. I weathered it with a wash of india ink / alcohol mix, then I added some dirt and rust effects and then toned down the whole thing with a diluted white paint mixture. Between each coat I sealed it with Dullcote, if you don't you will be in a world of blah.

Chris

Photo of the Day

2008-12-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

Im going to try to get a photo up almost every day of something. I will try to keep them related to either of my two modeling locales or at least railroad or modeling related. What I want to do is share many of the pictures that I use for reference or inspiration.

To start of we will start of with one of my favorites. I don't know the year it was taken but it feels like the 40's. But what you are seeing is the Illinois Central yards at the foot of the amazing Chicago skyline. This photo is what my ultimate goal or vision looks like, I want to capture this feel, not necessarily the exact scene but the feel.

Dominion Bldg. Post Card from 1916

2008-12-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

I found this post card of the original building from 1916. I know there was a face lift on the building and some parts of the roof were changed, but I don't know if the colors were changed in the past as well. If those colors were right, I personally think a disservice was done by changing it to the monotony of the current version.

I had thought about changing my version to the colors in the post card, but I think that it will call to much attention to it. Believe it or not I actually want this building to blend in with the other buildings. I want it to be part of a scene, or make the scene, not some loud drunk causing the others to be uncomfortable and feel out of place.

Let me know your thoughts of the colors, should I change it to the post card or stay with my own color pallet?

Chris

Post card

How it stands today

I Do Windows

2008-12-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

I spent most of last weekend framing windows, and have survived to tell the tale. To begin with this little beast has 166 windows, I finished 88 of them, plus the 21 that I had done earlier on the 11th floor. Of the 88, 33 were ones that I redid from months ago because they were no good (I may redo the other 21 windows as well). The windows that are not done will be finished in stages, the ones in the top two floors are next.

Now each of the 88 windows had a grand total of 12 individual parts of strip styrene, that is 1056 parts for those windows. Most of the remaining windows will not require as many pieces as the others . . . . . . whew!

If I add the detail that I did under the windows that I did two weeks ago to the list of parts we get the tiny number of 1475 parts. I am sick and tired of windows for a bit, what I need to do is make molds and cast my windows . . . oh well there's always next time.

Next up after I finish the 16 windows on the top two floors is work on the bottom two floors. I need to add allot of detail and finish the mezzanine area then, gasp! . . . more windows!?

All the parts for the 88 windows precut.

I stuck in a sheet of black paper so the windows would show up.

Bingham Canyon

2008-11-29T21:18:00.000-08:00

Sometime in the future, if I have the space and I want to do a mountain theme, this is prototype railroad that I would love to model. I wish any of this was still around, but all is gone so more copper could be mined. From these photos the scenes are begging to be modeled, and as far as I know nobody has yet.

Dominion Building Update

2008-11-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

(click on image for full size)

If you glance briefly at the pictures it may look like I haven't done much work. But if you look close much has been done. First I have the beginnings of the back under way, but as of yet nothing worth showing. I also have added a strip of detail along the edge above the arched windows, it added some desperately needed detail to the top.

The most work I have done is on window frames and the detailing between floors on the facade. As of yet I have added 6 pieces of .020 x .040" and .020 x .030" strip styrene to the 65 windows on the 4th - 8th floors. That is 390 parts so far, I will have doubled that when the windows are done on those five floors. It is a mind numbing experience and I sort of go into a Zen state and the time fly's by.

The other long task is the detail that I am adding between the floors. It is done between floors 7 and 8 and 75% done on the next floor down. Each row will be a different from the others. The finished rows are made from .020 x .020", .010 x .020" and .010 x .080" strip. I will finish the rows before I finish of the windows so I don't risk breaking out anything, like I have done on the other floors.

Initially this building was to be placed at the back of my future city, and because of this I had skimped on the detail of the windows and the back. Now it will still be at the back but I have become more picky and am striving for a more detailed structure. Because of this I have cut out some of the windows that I had finished and will do them "correctly" because before they looked like I was cutting corners and not putting forth my full effort.

I still have quite a bit of work left and if anybody has questions or suggestions please leave a comment so I don't feel like I am talking to a wall.

Thanks,

Chris

close up of detail

(click on image for full size)

Dominion Building

2008-11-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

I started back up on the Dominion Building, and I am having a lot of fun. I am glad I took a few months off from it cause I learned much from the other little buildings that I built. I am hopping that the excitement continues till I finish it, but it is going to be hard when I start to build the 60-70 windows from scratch, I need to learn how to cast parts.

If you look at earlier pictures of the building I was experimenting with a paper brick pattern on the 4th thru 8th floors and thats about when I stopped. I have ripped off all of the paper due to the fact it looked like poo and wasn't giving me the results I desired. I have now laminated on textured brick plastic and added a little detail with strips of three rows of brick to add further dimension. The color has been difficult to decide on, (the first coat came out a nasty Dijon mustard color). I think I like the color of the brick now, its a bit of a kaki color. Now that the brick is done I am starting to finish off the back. Initially I was going to leave it unfinished because it will never be seen, but now that I will most likely be entering it in a show in March I needs to be finished.

I am sorry for the bad pictures I was using them to see if the colors work in natural light.

Small but very good N-Scale layout

2008-11-16T20:13:00.001-08:00

This is a small N-scale layout built on a 36"x80" door. For its small size it is done well and feels like a much larger setup.

Section Houses

2008-11-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

These little guys are section houses for the track gang to reside in. This is about as far as I take these until they have a final resting place. I knocked these out in about 8 hours, not used to structures going so fast.

The finished Co-op

2008-10-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well I blitzed the Co-op so it will be ready to be judged at the NMRA show tomorrow. I am a little scared to have them officially judged, if they do poor I will try not to take it personally and use it to better my self as a modeler. Enjoy the pictures and let me know what you think.

Farmer's Supply #2

2008-10-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures of the finished M.S Butler Farmer's Supply. This building along with the Newton County Co-op and Junction City Station will be entered in the NMRA show on November 1st and 2nd.

Please enjoy.

Farmer's Supply

2008-09-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

New little building that I am working on for the "A" module. We are going to start bench work in the very near future so these will all have homes soon.

Co-op #2

2008-08-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

Just adding a picture of the almost finished Co-op.

Co-op

2008-08-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

I put the coaling tower off to the sidelines for a bit so I can begin work on the Co-op. Not too much done as of yet, mostly the main structure and the base coat of paint with the initial weathering.

Coaling Tower

2008-08-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Im tired of waiting to start the co-op so I moved on for now and planted the seeds for the coaling tower. I decided the best way to make it look like concrete is to cast it out of plaster. This is a first for me but it seems to be moving okay. I reinforced the plaster in the same way you would concrete. I used strips of plastic styrene as re-bar and it worked well. So until I have more done.

The prototype

The first cast sections

Its Done! kinda

2008-07-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

The windows and doors for the other side finally decided to show up. I also added the glazing and the shades in the windows. The only thing not yet done is the steps on the passenger platform and the front of the depot. I cant decide what to do for the front steps. Here is some photos of the depot, but this is the front which hasn't been shown until now.

Depot Progress #3

2008-07-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

The depot is about 95% done. The windows for the other side should show up on Monday or Tuesday. After they are painted and in place I will spray with a good coat of dullcote. Then I can install the glazing and window shades. I have a little work to do on the chimney and a few other roof details and finally the steps off of the passenger platform and the main entry way. In total only about two to three hours left and it is done. Then its on to the Farmers Co-op / Grain Elevator.

Hotel Sign

2008-07-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

This is just a basic sign that I found while on vacation in Jackson Hole Wyoming. I simply love these old signs.

Depot Progress #2

2008-07-19T10:52:00.001-07:00

This little depot is flying along. I just need to finish some details under the roof and shingle the thing, but those are on order along withe rest of the doors and windows for the other side.

Depot Progress

2008-07-17T16:45:00.001-07:00

Just showing the progress of the depot.

Beginings of the Depot

2008-07-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the wood I ordered decided to show up, so I went ahead and started construction of the depot. So far everything is going smoothly. This is the first scratch built building I have done using wood and so far I really like it. When I start doing my module for the club most of the buildings will be wood, so I can't wait to start those. The walls to the main waiting area is all that is up as of yet, I hope to have the freight house up soon. Please enjoy the very pictures of the depot is it's infancy.

City of Hudson overview

2008-07-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

I have posted pictures of some of these buildings before, but I have not shown them together. Also the large red brick building is one that I have not had on here before. It is the Steven's Hotel, the yellow one to the right of it is Stern Storage. I just wanted to show how I hope to have these all come together in the future. I have started doing some work on the Dominion Bldg. until some things I ordered show up for the little station for the club layout.

Overview of Hudson

Steven's Hotel

Soon to be street view

Another shot of Hudson

Utah Rwy, 6 leading, 6 mid-train, making great speed

2008-07-05T15:34:00.001-07:00

Video of a Utah Railway IPP coal drag, in all about 26,000 hp. I unfortunately didn't shoot this.

The Plans

2008-06-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

I have become involved with a group of shadowy individuals, we call our selves the Junction City N-Scalers. We have been hashing out plans for our club layout that we are planning to begin construction on in August. In the meantime I have been given the task of designing and building the structures on one of the modules. So far I have the elevations done for the depot & the co-op/grain elevator. I hope you can click on them to view a larger version other wise you wont be able to see much.

EL Progress

2008-06-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

Just sharing some new pictures of the EL progress. The main station walls are done and the roof has a little more work left. The aqua on the roof is just overspray and will be a faded red when done. So enjoy

Project on Hold

2008-06-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

This is something else that I am working on, this is the Dominion Building. The prototype is in Vancouver British Columbia, I fell in love with this building about a year ago and wanted to model it. A few major changes that I did were first the obvious color, I like the original but I changed it because it doesn't look right for the feel that I want. Second I changed a few other elements of the building for space reasons. The building is currently in a holding pattern until I learn how to mass-produce windows, I have about 70 left to frame.

Corner view of the Dominion Bldg. Note the early stages of the EL to the left.

Similar view as above, the blocks on the third floor were hand laid.

(click on image for a exploded view)

Current Project

2008-06-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

This is just a few photos of my current project, it is based on the Bedford Park Station in New York, it was part of the 3rd ave. EL that was torn down in 1973. The prototype has three tracks but due to space constraints I took it down to two. Also the prototype is about 15' from street to bottom of girder clearance. I had to increase this to 26' so if I needed to have a double stack train roll under it.

View of frame work

Most of painting done on frame, wood decking laid and stained, and beginning of north station.

Start of platform wings of station, and beginning of details.

Track 95% finished, still need to add some more weathering and some random trash.

stay tuned for construction updates.

Desert Empire: Part 2 (ca. 1948)

2008-06-02T23:33:00.001-07:00

Documentary of Bingham in 1948, this amazing town is now gone, it was completely engulfed by Kennecott.