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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.
.
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.
.
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