Some recent work on the In-ko-pah RR

[Ray Dunakin]

Ray, All the "invisible" infrastructure improvements you did look good
Definitely do not rely on anchoring any kind of handrail to the vinyl. Could a railing be mounted to pipe posts between the vinyl fence and stone steps?

Thanks. I'll have to look into that.

[Ray Dunakin]

Last year I got kind of burned out on the railroad stuff, plus had a lot of other things going on. So I took a break from it that lasted over a year. In October I finally got started on a new project for the railroad. I'm building a new structure to replace one of the oldest buildings on the layout. Unfortunately I'm having some bad tendonitis in my right arm which has slowed my progress considerably, but here's a look at what I've done so far...

The bakery building in Dos Manos built ten years ago. A decade of constant exposure to the elements has taken a toll on the structure:




The biggest issues were due to the materials and methods I was using at the time. The windows were glazed with thin polycarbonate plastic which has yellowed and fogged. The second story windows were built so that they could actually be opened, which made them very flimsy and subject to warping, for a feature I never used.

The false front was too thin, and made of styrene. It warped, creating a gap that allowed water into the building. The roof and second story were both removable to provide access to the interior, but this also caused problems with gaps, leakage, and fit:






The new building will be made using Sintra PVC board for walls and other major structural components, with styrene details. Access will be via removable rear walls which will be secured with stainless steel screws. All windows will be permanently closed, and glazed with real glass. The design will be basically the same but with a few changes.

I started with the frames for the second story windows, building them up from various strips of styrene. I lightly scribed each strip with simulated wood grain:




The walls were cut from a sheet of 6mm Sintra. The exterior sides of the walls were scribed with grooves and wood grain, and then I began assembly:








The storefront features lots of windows and a recessed doorway. I built this entire assembly a section at a time using styrene strips. I used steel machinist's blocks to keep everything square. (I didn't have those when I built the original structure, and as a result the storefront was slightly off-square.)








When I tried to fit the storefront assembly to the structure, I found that I had made an error in that portion of the structure. So I had to tear out a section of the wall and overhang. Then I rebuilt it to correctly fit the storefront assembly:








That's all for now, more later.

.

[finescalerr]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to rebuild parts of a model. In fact, I need to rethink, re-engineer, and rebuild the ENTIRE caboose I started last year. -- Russ

[1-32]

good job there Ray rebuilds are great it is amazing how one's ideas can change in a year.
all the best for the new year.
cheers kim

[Chuck Doan]

Nice to see you back at it. You have unique challenges building for outdoor use.

[Ray Dunakin]

Thanks guys. I forgot to mention that I used strips of .005" and .010" styrene to make a few of the boards stand out like they're coming loose.

[Design-HSB]

Hello Ray, another masterpiece from you. All I have to do is convert the inch dimensions to mm in order to realize the dimensions.

[Bill Gill]

Ray, Your new bakery is looking terrific, as do all your structures, and it sounds like the new one will take care of a number of issues that the first one developed over time, but I gotta say that the original bakery held up really well overall despite a decade of exposure to real weathering. Good stuff!

[Ray Dunakin]

Time for an update...

Here's a look at the removable rear walls. The lower wall has an opening for a door which will only be visible when looking through the front windows -- giving the illusion that there is more to the building:




I glued styrene strips around the top of the interior walls to support the ceiling. The ceiling will be removable for access:




Here's the ceiling. I was able to salvage the light fixture from the old building. They were made from two different types of fancy buttons. The two eyelets are for recessed lighting over the window displays:




There are two more "recessed" lights in the overhang in front of the store:






I decided to make the false front taller, and also thicker. I added this piece of 3mm Sintra to the rear, after scribing boards and wood grain onto it:




Then I added a 3/4" strip of 6mm Sintra to the front, at the top. Next I built up the decorative elements using some 1mm Sintra and various strips of styrene. The corbels were salvaged from the old structure:




I also added a sloped and angled section to the roof, because it will be up against a taller building with a sloped roof:




In progress:




I used Evergreen V-groove siding to make the wooden sidewalk, and scribed woodgrain into it. I also glued the roof onto the storefront and finished adding a few bits of trim:




Next I built the two pillars that support the overhang. I wanted them to be a little fancier than the originals. I used .188" square styrene strips, and built up the details using various widths of .020" styrene:




Now for some paint! I started with the exterior side door and the second story windows. I sprayed them with white primer, then used house paint thinned with water to give them a dark, weathered wood color. I built up the color a little at a time, beginning with a lighter brown, letting it dry, then adding additional layers of color until I had the effect I wanted:




That gave me a base over which I would apply the final colors, which will be white with blue trim. On the original building I had used maroon for the trim, but it quickly faded and turned brown. I think the blue stands out better and may last longer. As with the base colors, the white and blue were applied in thin layers until the desired look was achieved:




That's all for now, more later. Enjoy!

.

[finescalerr]

How are your buildings holding up to assault from moisture, heat, and UV rays? POLA structures only seemed to last about five years outdoors. -- Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

So far all my structures are holding up quite well. Even the all-styrene structures, are doing well. The exceptions are parts that should have been thicker or better reinforced, such as the false front; and areas where I should have used different methods, such as interior access -- my current method of removable rear walls secured by screws is far superior to lift-off roof, etc. And of course the early use of transparent plastic instead of real glass was a mistake.

If the original bakery building had used my current techniques, leaving aside the different in material (styrene vs Sintra), I could have simply repainted this building and gotten many more years of good use out of it.

[1-32]

Hi Ray .
your storefront looks great very nice glazing bars on the doors.
cheers

[Ray Dunakin]

Progress continues...

The two post that support the overhang were painted in the same manner as the windows:






Before I get any further, I want to explain a little about how I design and paint a freelanced structure such as this. If I were replicating a prototype, I would simply copy what I see. This building has no specific prototype, so I imagine what the building's history might have been, based on what I know of prototypical mining town structures that have survived into the modern era.

As I imagine it, this structure was built during the town's first boom period. It was probably just a single-story building, painted with cheap whitewash. At some point there was a need to expand the business, and with no room on either side, the building was remodeled with a second story. The building has housed many different kinds of businesses over the years.

The town went through many periods of boom and bust, depending on the success and failures of the mines as well as larger economic factors (stock panics, etc.) This structure saw long periods of neglect, resulting in the loss of original paint and heavy weathering of the wood. In later years it was repainted now and then, with varying degrees of weathering between each coat of paint. The blue accents were adding during the most recent refurbishing. Currently the structure is once again showing its age. This is not such a bad thing, since the increasing tourist trade finds it charming.

Now, on to the painting...

The building was sprayed inside and out with white primer. Then I started painting the base "weathered wood" color, once again starting with a lighter brown and gradually adding more layers of color. I want the "wood" to show some variety of coloration, but there's no need to get detailed with it:






Reaching into the recessed entryway was tricky. I finally bent a cheap craft paint brush and reinforced the joint with glue, to make a brush that could get around corners:




The lower section of the east wall, and almost the entire west wall, will be hidden by neighboring structures. So these were just given a simple coat of undiluted brown house paint:




After the base color had dried, I began work on the finish colors. As usual, I start with a light application of paint, and gradually add more. The white paint is applied using the dry-brush technique. Here's an in-progress shot:




The storefront is sheltered by the overhang and neighboring buildings, so I will make the paint look less weathered in this area:




Here's the finished appearance after going over the white and blue a few more times. (The wooden sidewalk has also been painted.)




Here's a closer look at the false front, after the first application of color:




And here it is finished. Note that the white paint is more solid directly below the fancy details at the top of the wall. I figured that overhanging structure would shelter the top of the wall a little bit:




The top surface bears the brunt of the weather, so I painted it to look very worn. Layers of blue and white paint are visible as well as some bare "wood":




This side wall is also less weathered under the shelter of the eaves:




Here are a couple shots of the building after painting was finished:







There is still much to be done. I have to add signs to the exterior, I have put glass in the windows, install the upstairs windows and the side door, complete the interior, etc.

.

[finescalerr]

That is just far too good for an outdoor structure. Satisfactory. -- Russ

[Mr Potato Head]

I agree Russ, it is too nice to be outside, but if I were somehow Rick Moraines kids, I would want to live at Cora's cakes, seeing as I love cake! and it's such a beautiful establishment...
Also it's in  "two Hands" city, and I'm a big fan of "Slow hands" Clapton, 
it's in the Sunny California desert, always nice weather...
I'm sure the crime is low...
I think there's a watering hole...
Great little town
when can I move in?
Gil Flores
in exile in Florida