In-ko-pah RR: Brick building

Chuck Doan · October 18, 2013, 06:29:35 PM

Nicely done.

kneighbarger · October 18, 2013, 06:56:58 PM

Very well done, Ray...
Ken

artizen · October 18, 2013, 11:45:33 PM

I always enjoy watching the buildings come to life on this line.

So I had a problem with a stone wall I have designed into my current diorama (the main feature no less) and was having all sorts of hassles getting a suitable "look" to the stones so I came across yesterday's update and read it again backwards including the blog and realised I could use some of the techniques here to solve my problem. And it did. So thanks.

finescalerr · October 19, 2013, 12:36:17 AM

Well, I guess that came out okay, didn't it? And it is completely scratchbuilt for extra credit. Satisfactory. -- Russ

Malachi Constant · October 19, 2013, 12:04:47 PM

Beautiful! Thanks for all the great photos and notes along the way ... I've picked up lots of good ideas here! -- Dallas

Junior · October 20, 2013, 09:42:24 AM

Superb work and very useful SBS for the signs!

Anders

michael mott · October 22, 2013, 07:41:56 PM

Very Nicely done sir!

Michael

Ray Dunakin · November 24, 2013, 07:49:15 PM

It's been quite a while since I posted an update on this project. The building itself is on hold for a bit... I threw my hip out somehow, and for a while if I sat down for more than a few minutes, I would have difficulty walking. Fortunately I just needed to exercise it a bit, so I started doing some work outdoors on the layout and in a few days I was back to normal. But by then I'd gotten so involved with the layout that I stayed with it and haven't done much model-making!

Anyway, I thought I'd show you what I've been up to. It's not as "glamorous" as making models and it's certainly not finescale, but it might be of some interest...

In the town of Dos Manos, the foundation for the buildings was incomplete, and I was running out of space for more buildings. So I began extending the foundation. I had to dig out a little of the slope behind the town, up to the base of the trestle. I built forms out of foam core art board and hot glue, and poured in the high-strength mortar:

I still need to do a little more work on the end of the foundation. I also need to extend the road. I'm going to make it curve down into the canyon. It won't actually go anywhere but at least it will look like it does.

In the town of Mineral Ridge, where the brick building will be, I added foundations for a fourth and fifth building:

Then I put in a pad and foundation for the future Mineral Ridge depot and boarding area:

Next I started building a foundation for a mill:

I still have to add a bit more to the top level of the foundation. Here's a simple drawing to give you a rough idea of how the mill building will look, and how it will fit into the scene:

Eventually there will be a mine tram on the rock wall above the town. It will cross a bridge over the sloped road, to reach the ore dump at the top level of the mill.

artizen · November 24, 2013, 10:48:47 PM

Whoever buys this house after you gets a bonus work of art!

finescalerr · November 25, 2013, 12:23:59 AM

On top of everything else you are a structural engineer. -- Russ

Ray Dunakin · May 23, 2014, 11:48:53 PM

This project has been on hold for a very long time. Because it was unfinished, I hadn't even given it a UV-protective coat, so I've been putting it outside only for photos or shows, and storing it indoors the rest of the time. Now I've finally got it "finished". Not quite completely finished, because eventually I will have to put in the lights, interior details, and window signs, etc. But for now it's done...

First off, way back in October I added the sheet metal flashing over the top of the brick wall. This was made from .010" shim brass, painted with zinc paint. I also added chimneys, one on each side wall:

Later the building was weathered, particularly the roof and window ledges.

More recently, I built the removable "drawers" for the interior. There are two, one for the ground floor, and one for the second floor. However, the second floor interior ended up being used only as a light block and to fill the space. (more on this later).

Anyway, here are some shots of the ground floor interior structure. Since this is supposed to be an old hardware store, I went with an unfinished style ceiling. The walls and floor are photographic textures printed onto self-adhesive vinyl and "weathered" slightly with thin washes of craft acrylics. I still need to add a door to the rear wall. This is all I'm doing on the interior for now, but later it will be fully detailed and lighted :

Already the exterior looks better with the interior installed. I also finished painting the doors, installing glass, and adding the door knobs. The key plates/door knobs are scratch built from styrene, because I wanted something a little fancier than usual:

The second story windows are blocked, which is why I didn't do anything with the interior there. Two of the windows have old sheets loosely draped across them. These were made from thin silk cloth. For each piece, I glued the upper corners to a brass rod, then coated the material liberally with artist's acrylic matte medium and hung it up to dry. Once dry, they were painted off-white. BTW, note the bird poop on the window ledges:

The third window was already partially blocked by the air conditioner. I covered the upper sash with "old cardboard". To create this effect, I found a photo online of a vintage cardboard box and used it to make a photographic texture. This was printed onto self-adhesive vinyl, retouched with craft acrylics, and applied to a thin brass sheet: