Sand House for the Facility

Here is the latest structure for my engine service facility.  It is a sand storage and dryer building.  It depicts a building built from an obsoleted twenty eight foot boxcar.  To follow along with it's construction see the page titled Sand House Build in this blog.  Next is the ash pit.

Engine Facilities

Now that I have the engine underway I needed to build some support structures to go with it.

This engine house is based upon C&NW prototype practices.  I used information from the book "Locomotive Facilities C&NW and CStPM&O" by A. Joseph Follmar.  The model is constructed from basswood b&b siding, the windows are modified Grandt castings.  The interior is lined with brick between the studs as was the prototype practice.  Doors are built up from styrene.  Now that I have a place for the engine to be protected from the elements I needed a way to load the tender with coal.

This coal loader is patterned after the DSS&A loader at Michigamme Michigan.  Plans and a photo were presented in "The Soo" Fall 2011 issue (Vol 35, No 4).  I need to find the right materials to build the buckets and of course it needs to be heavily weathered with coal dust.  Little did I realize 51 years ago when I took apart a watch and saved the parts that they would find there way to this model!

Painting of the American

Here is the model after the first painting and weathering attempt.  I was not satisfied with the effect as it was quite a bit more aged than I had intended.  This would be great for a 1920's lumbering operation but not for what I have in mind for a late 1890's engine.

I used some Testors stripper to remove the paint and took another shot at it.  I brush painted Polly Scale Engine black.  Two lightly thinned coats of black followed by two coats of Future floor wax.  This is how it looks at this point.  I had it down at the club yesterday and put in four hours of break in time on it.  It ran okay at moderate speed but is a little sluggish at slow speed, maybe I will need to replace the motor with a more efficient one. 

As you can see I have not lettered the engine.  I have no idea of what to name my railroad.  I intend it to be an imaginary Wisconsin branch line in the late 1890's interchanging with the C&NW and CM&StP but a name truly eludes me.  Maybe the best bet is to letter it for the CM&StP and then I won't have to spend any more time not building a railroad because I cannot think of a name!

Phase One of American Rebuild Complete

The addition of parts is complete.  Here are some pictures of the model at this point.  It is pretty easy to tell what has been changed and added before the model is painted. The majority of parts are from Precision Scale with a smattering from Cal Scale.

Fireman's side of engine.  Domes, stack, headlight, bell and check valve are PSC.  Whistle and globe valve are Cal Scale. The cab roof vent is also built up from styrene.  The tender has had the coal bunker sides extended (styrene) and re-railing frogs have been added to both sides.

Engineers side of engine.  The air pump, regulator and control valves are Cal Scale.  I added an air tank under the boiler between the cross heads.  I used the large tank from a Cal Scale express reefer casting set.

Front of engine.  The signal lamps are PSC castings and the air hose is a Cal Scale part. The pilot is built up from brass strip material.  The coupler is a Sargent.  I was an early adopter of this line of couplers.  Shortly after these hit the market I recall bringing some freight cars to the Naperville meet with the couplers installed.  Unfortunately, none of the attendees paid much attention to them or even seemed to appreciate there significance.  Oh well, that's what happens on the bleeding edge.  

Tender rear.  Built up pilot, Cal Scale brake hose and Sargent coupler.

Here are a couple of "rods down" three quarter views. 

Something For Me

I started this on Sunday Feb 10, as I had nothing to work on for NAPM.  This is a Bachmann American lettered for the B&O.  After disassembling the model I stripped off the domes, stack, light and bell and then removed the cast on piping.  I have a supply of brass details so over the last few days (between work on tenement) I added the details and plumbed up the engine.  I am working from some photos of some early DSS&A 4-4-0 engines.  One has a neat drop step pilot as would be seen in switching service, I think that is the direction I will head.  

NAPM Backdrop ELA Tenements

The next section of the backdrop, eight to ten feet, will be a series of tenements.  The inhabitants of East LaSalle need a place to live.  It seems appropriate to include them in this retail, light manufacturing environment.  To maintaining the consistency of the background these buildings will be angled to the backdrop with the side of the structures being the primary exposure.

Finding appropriate models will be a challenge.  On Monday I purchased a Scale Structures Victorian Townhouse kit as a starter.  I have found from past experience that building these kits is a challenge, nothing fits very well, and this one proved to be consistent with this experience.  I took the kit to the club on Tuesday and got an idea of how the angles would work out.  At home that afternoon I got started.

 I plotted the angle on the roof section and then sliced the two sections apart.

Next I cut the angle.  It does take some courage to attack an $80 model with a hack saw!

Next I tacked the three wall sections together with CA.  When the glue hardened I then added a substantial bead of five minute epoxy to the joints.

I added the second rear wall segment and then fitted the roof.  The roof is shorter than the side walls so I butted the front edges to keep the side wall step downs even.

These photos show the mismatch on the rear and slight gap in the front.

I filled the gap in the back with some 1/4 x 1/8 basswood strip material.  Luckily it was an exact fit.  I also used some of the same strips to continue the side walls.  An 1/8 sq strip was used to fill in the top of the right rear wall.

These are the other two sections assembled.

Again a filler strip was added at the rear to fill the gap in the roof.

 On Wednesday I spent some time painting the right hand building.  I spray the interior black in the event that someone at some time might want to install lighting.  That is not my bag, I just build models! The next step will be weathering.


 
 

NAPM East LaSalle Backdrop

 This is the block of buildings in there positions along the backdrop.  The yard seen in the foreground is the Seeboth St coach yard.

 The above photo is of the block east of the prior one.  

This is the east end of the above block. 

Today I worked on contouring the edge of the engine pocket track.  I cut back the Homasote to match the height of the pink foam.

This is how it worked out.

I found some wall casting in the storeroom.  I reduced their height to 2 1/4 inches and cut them for a matched fit.  It looks like they will work out so next week I will bond them in place.

Repositioned foreground buildings.