Harry Heike GCT Base Unit-See New Thread and Photos Started Today

That looks very nice Brian.  I will not be at York and won't be able to ask questions.  Could you please ask Harry what would be the time frame for ordering one of these?  Also, I have never worked with a cast resin base.  Is it possible to modify cast resin?  Could I cut it and modify the base to fit my space allocation?  Or is it possible to order one with a specific dimensional layout?

Thanks,

Wood, Harry's phone number is (856)625-5506. I am sure he will be happy to answer your questions and is certainly more qualified than I am.

He did say it would not be long after the York Meet that he will finish this project. For the first cut, sure looks good to me. He also mentioned the possibility of making top- quality replacement windows for the GCT itself.

Thank you Brian...

Resin is not difficult to work with, and i have modified resin building fronts to fit specific applications. It is easily cut on a radial arm saw or with a hand or jig saw. If using a hand saw, a hacksaw seems to be best due to the high number of teeth. If using a jig saw a metal cutting blade works well, again due to the high number of teeth.

I suggest cutting resin with the non finished side facing up as this seems to help prevent chipping on the finished side while sawing.

If you are purchasing one of these bases from Harry and want to modify it I believe he would be willing to give you a piece of "scrap" resin to practice on .

CA adhesive seems to work okay with resin although I usually use construction adhesive since it permits some flexibility for movement of parts while setting up.

That is sweat! Brian, thanks for posting the photos.

Brad

That looks pretty good to me.  I'm sure everyone that has one of these stations or plans to get one are interested in this project.  Thanks to you for instigating this and to Harry for providing options for this very popular station.  Team work like this makes this hobby so special.

Art

A very nice compliment to the original structure.  Harry did good...as always.

Thanks to Emile for planting the seed that a base for the GCT would be a good thing and would really add to the beauty of this terminal.

Having worked with Harry before on a very neat project, I knew he was just the one who could produce a high quality base for my GCT. I suggested to him that I believed there was a good market also for a base for the smaller version of the GCT. Looks like I was correct. 

As most of you know, Harry has a reputation for producing high quality O-Gauge structures for our layouts. The GCT base will be no exception. I am as anxious to see Harry's model at the York Meet as are many of you.

Following up on Bob's inverted jig saw cutting.  If you need to cut from a finished side of any project with a jig saw consider using a Bosch T101BR 10 tooth blade.

This has a reverse down ward facing tooth pattern and will cut clean on the down stroke.

We use this blade on expensive plywoods & laminate surfaces like click floors and any situation where you can only cut from the finished face.

You will need to practice a bit in holding the jig saw down firmly.  It wants to climb out of the fresh cut slot.  Sweet finished edges.

Tom,

Thanks for the info on that blade. Good to know.

That's a fine looking compliment to the station.

--Greg

Re cutting Harry's products.  One of the nice things about Harry's stuff is that you don't really have to buy something and custom cut it.  Harry has offered to make any configuration I needed.  His work is truly one of a kind.

AWESOME! I cant wait to order one!

Brian

That is just beautiful!! Almost makes me wish I hadn't traded in my GCT for

Chicago's Union Station...... almost..

You will need a bit of real estate for the full size version.. it is really cool that he will offer the condensed model also.

"You will need a bit of real estate for the full size version.."

Sure will, but it will be a beauty when installed. Should take the original GCT model to a new level (figurative and literally speaking). 

Here is a picture of Harry Heike's finished GCT Base for the smaller version. I think you will all like what you see. It is available for the larger version of the GCT as well. 

Wow!  That is a beautiful, highly detailed base. 

I like both this one and TW's.  Based on the additional detailing on Harry's I would guess it would probably cost as much as 50% more than TW's?

Very nice job.

Art