Hey guys. I thought I would share my build of the AMW Boiler House. I purchased this kit over a year ago and it sat on the shelf while I worked on my new layout. It took me about (3) weeks of off and on days to build the model as shown.
This is my first kit I built from AMW. The kit was without some faults. I should have inspected it on delivery but just parked it on the shelf. All but (2) of the plastic castings around the cathedral windows were broken in 2 pieces. The lower plastic wall castings on the short walls were too short, the same for the top cap pieces. I would have preferred to have them longer than short, I could have cut or sanded them to fit. I attempted to fill in some of the gaps with Squadron Green putty and then sand. Overall, I decided to space the wall evenly and just have slightly uneven corners. The main casting with the mitered corners fit together perfect so I am not sure what caused the problem. In all fairness to Bob, I did send him an email over two weeks ago with pics about the window trim pieces but I never got a response. I know he is busy but I should have inspected the kit upon receipt. So I take the blame.
Anyway, all is good. I think the building came out great. The optional smokestack adds to the overall industrial look.
When I purchased the kit, I also wanted to purchase the boilers for the interior but they were not available. I came up with my own interior and like it a lot. It provides a lot of detail and looks good when the lights are on. Instead of a boiler house to provide steam…I jumped forward a few decades and added (2) diesel powered generators and also a mezzanine floor. On the mezzanine, I added (2) fans and a backup generator. The mezzanine is accessed with a caged ladder. I also added a cage ladder for roof access.
On the roof, I reinforced the supplied plastic sheet with another laminate. I built a roof access hatch, a water tower and also an air handling unit.
The illumination is provided by (4) Woodland Scenic’s LED’s. I did not use the provided roof trusses but supported the roof with 6mm by 6mm wood strips around the perimeter.
Finally, I built an access well and steps to the “basement” using an idea I owe to Norm C. I will add railings a little later.
I still need to add a few more details but that will happen when the rest of the area is finished. If you guys are familiar with my style of modeling, I do not use a lot of weathering on structures or the trains. I like things clean. However, I did dust the bottom concrete joints with some weathering powders.
In the engine service peninsula, I still need to build a Control House from TWtrainWorx (to house the Millhouse control pad for the transfer table) and also the massive AMW engine house that you can see the base on a few pics. And then add in all the details!
Enjoy the pics.
Donald
