Blackwater Canyon Line - September 8, 2024 - Town and Scratchbuild Planning

Myles, I am going to start doing what you are doing.  As you can see, I didn’t type a lot and there was only one photograph.  I didn't have to think about it as much and I condense it a bit on the second go round.

For those who may not have seen what he is referring to, I had a couple sentences where I described what happened.  On my original attempt to post, the Crowdstack application OGR uses, timed out when I tried to post, then refreshed with none of that post saved.  I’m not complaining, I just have to be aware and save my typing every so often like Myles suggested.  Thank you!

Gary, thank you for sharing the method you used.  Yes, we have to adapt how we do things as we age!

Mark,

Had to catch up. The firehouse is a nice kit. You are doing some nice work with your building placement. Can't wait to see them when you finalize the locations.

Dave

Morning Mark, you are doing an outstanding job on the fire house! I think it is a smart idea to keep going and setting the roof aside for when you get the shingles you need! Sorry I haven't commented more but my new job is kicking my rear and by the time I get home it dinner, shower, and bed.

I haven't even made it to the train room yet! LOL

Always here to help my friends out of jams...

Thank you, Dave, Mike, Myles!

Dave, as you have shown, building placement is something to be worked on to get a look we like.  The manufacturer of the kit makes mostly HO, but offered this one in O scale.  There are some minor variations between the kits as is evidenced by the HO photographs in the instructions, but there are no glaring issues.  I did email the manufacturer with a question early on, and he responded almost immediately.  It is a good kit for a building with minimal details.

Mike, I knew you started the new job, and was wondering how it was working out for you.  Your reply sounds like what I felt the first job I had right after I graduated from high school at age 17.  I was whipped for a week or two.  I hope you can bounce back quickly.  At 66 and with my back and nerve issues, I couldn’t possibly do it.  I hope you get some time in the train room this weekend!

Myles, you certainly have been helping friends out of jams for a long time!!

I pealed off the shingles that didn’t work well and sanded the roof surface smooth.  I also took photographs of three built-up and one kit-built buildings that I will list for sale maybe tomorrow.  I still need to research what would be fair asking prices.  I’m going to go with smaller/narrower kits for buildings in town.  The ones I picked to sell take up too much valuable real estate.  Besides, I want to build instead of just plopping down a pre-fab building.  😄

Mark, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your parents.
The firehouse kit is coming along nicely and looks great. Thanks for the progress as you go. I enjoy your problem solving as you work through an issue.

Andy

Andy, thank you very much!!

I hope to be able to share some things that worked for me.  Hopefully others are helped or encouraged.

Hey Mark, I hope your parents are making out okay. It can be rough at times, and really trying for everyone. Models giving you trouble, me too. I think my issue is just me being clumsy. I may have messed up what I was doing, resulting in a repair. Building looks okay though Mark. Pretty soon the fire company will be parking their truck indoors.

Thank you, Dave!  I’ve tried to not mention much off topic about my mum and dad.  They are both back at the personal care home.  We will see how well they perk up.

Clumsy is my middle name!

I cut, glued, and painted a strip of styrene at the top of each side wall.  They look passable, especially since the eaves will mostly block the view anyway.  I added the little roof over the man door.  I’ll leave it set until the shingles arrive.

Here’s how it looks now, Dave.  I think it will work okay.

That kit looks great Mark!

Andy

@Mark Boyce posted:

Here’s how it looks now, Dave.  I think it will work okay.

Looks great from what I can see Mark. The styrene could pass as a piece of fascia board.

Gene

@Mark Boyce posted:

Here’s how it looks now, Dave.  I think it will work okay.

That looks excellent Mark. Just wait till when it is done. The firemen will have to have a breakfast buffet to celebrate(and help for the cost of it).

Thank you, Andy, Gene, Dave!

I just put the roof back on, and it even fits correctly!!!

Breakfast buffet, chicken barbecue, carnival, Bingo…I’ve heard of all kinds of things to raise funds! 😊

The building is looking great Mark!!! I’ve been away and I’m finally getting caught back up on several threads. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your parents.

Catching up on your progress - looking good, and I'm impressed by the quality and amount of work you're getting done.  Sorry to hear about your parents - it's sad, but it's nice that you are able to look after them.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Breakfast buffet, chicken barbecue, carnival, Bingo…I’ve heard of all kinds of things to raise funds! 😊

How about a train show?

Hall rentals too. Our local firehouse has had receptions there, sandwich sales, breakfast's, dinner's, and a whole host of other things. Come harvest time I don't exactly recall what they do, but pumpkins could be involved.

Thank you, Rich, Mallard, Joe, Dave!!

For some reason it seems I am slow at progress, but a few minutes a day add up fast!  Thank you!

Joe, You got me there!  How could I forget the train show held several times a year at the West Kittanning Fire Department just 27 miles over US 422 from my home?  I know the VFD at least gets money from rent and concessions.  😄 🚂 🚒

Dave, good deal!!  A local VFD makes a good bit on hunting rifle raffles.  Boy do they have a sweet activities hall!  Another local one sponsors an annual carnival in a large lot behind the fire station!

The ideas are endless!

Hey Mark, catching up on your progress. Sorry I've been MIA. Our move-in ready house was not so move-in ready! The move has been a total uphill battle! I'm still completing house projects. We had to move quite a bit of our stuff into the basement - where the layout is planned to go. Slowly but surely making space and might have a layout started in a few months.

I have missed you, RJ.  Thank you for writing!  We bought a house that sounds like that.  In fact after the movie “Money Pit” came out, I didn’t enjoy it because I had lived it!  
Our older daughter and son-in-law had to move everything out of their basement because of problems.  We have had some of their furniture in our basement for a couple years.  

I hope your work pays off and we can see you starting your layout before long!

Mark, the firehouse looks awesome. Have you done any more work on the fruit stand and any idea on placement?

RJ, Thank you!

No, I haven't finished up any more detailing on the fruit stand.  I don't have a particular placement yet.  I am thinking of it as a roadside stand that would make a point of interest along a road without other buildings around it.  That will come as I get farther along with the scenery.

Sorry to hear about your mom and dad, my prayers go out to you during this time.   The firehouse is coming along nicely and your solution to the gaps will solve this common problem encountered with plastic models.  The Mack pumper will be a good fit and compliment your finished building.                                                                                                                                   Gerry

Growing older equals clumsy, don't I know it.

Gerry, thank you very much!  I was clumsy to start with!  😢

@Mark Boyce posted:

Thank you, Rich, Mallard, Joe, Dave!!

For some reason it seems I am slow at progress, but a few minutes a day add up fast!  Thank you!

Joe, You got me there!  How could I forget the train show held several times a year at the West Kittanning Fire Department just 27 miles over US 422 from my home?  I know the VFD at least gets money from rent and concessions.  😄 🚂 🚒

Dave, good deal!!  A local VFD makes a good bit on hunting rifle raffles.  Boy do they have a sweet activities hall!  Another local one sponsors an annual carnival in a large lot behind the fire station!

The ideas are endless!

Yes, so true! Our volunteer fire dept does several fund raisers each year to help our bottom line. We have hosted a Golf Tournament in May for over 20 years, we had 30 - 4 person teams this year with steak dinner back at the firehouse afterwards, awards, raffles, door prizes, trophies, and cash prizes.

We just did our 2nd annual Classic Car Show last week with 97 entrants, cars, pickups, motorcycles, and even tractors. Same with awards, raffles, door prizes, trophies, and cash prizes.

We have an outside food auction company rent our firehall once a month, we get to run a concession stand in our kitchen, with the company doing a public auction. Just some ideas for your local volunteer fire department to do for fundraising.

We do firehall, kitchen, tables, and chairs rentals. Others functions too many to try to mention here.

We haven't tried a train show yet but who knows, anything is possible!😁

Mark, I owe you an apology. I've been so focused on my Saga, that I neglected to read yours. You're at 92 pages so you're not sitting still. I pledge to be more supportive of my #1 reader. Also, I had missed your note about you dad having to go to the hospital. How did that resolve itself. Also, thank you immensely for all the nice things you've said about me and my wife.

My parents are long gone, Dad in 1995 at 85 and mom in 1999 at 89. But I have a sister, a sister in law and two brothers in law who are in their 80s. Modern medicine is keeping them all alive and reasonably functional. In fact, it's keeping almost every body I know alive. In my parents generation by the time my parents were in their mid-70s, most of the husbands were gone… almost all due to heart attacks. Now, you have an attack, you get a stent or bypass and you're good to good for another 10 to 15 years.

BTW: the building is look'n great. You can also use Plastruct I-Beam or H-Beam structural members instead of brass to straighten the warped walls. Depends on what you have hanging around the shop. What kind of adhesive was that you used to glue metal to the wall?

Looks great, Mark!

George

Thank you, Myles and George!

Myles, Apology graciously accepted.  Please don't feel bad.  You spend a lot of time on this Forum just documenting what you build and the thought process that goes into it.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have been overwhelmed by the interest and discussions that have contributed to 92 pages.  Without all the folks who have replied, this topic wouldn't be so much.

Thank you for asking about my dad.  It was determined that he didn't have pneumonia, but that food was getting into one lung.  This was because a vertebra has arthritis and is pushing forward narrowing his esophagus.  He is back at the personal care home with Mum, and close to back to his normal self.  He will have to eat finely chopped food from now on, but the nurse says he is eating.  He has always been very compliant; a good role model for me.  I'm the oldest of three.  Dad had just turned 26, and Mum was almost 26 when I was born.  They are doing well for being almost 93.

Our older daughter, Heidi, got me onto using E6000 for gluing parts of different materials together.  It is kind of hard to keep too much from coming out of the tube, but by putting a puddle on a surface and picking a little at a time up with a toothpick, I am able to manage to not get it everywhere.  I did not have any stock that was stiff enough, but small enough to do the job straightening the warp.  Fortunately, there is a handy hobby shop just a couple miles beyond Mum and Dad's personal care home.  They had some Plastruct I-beams that I thought about getting, but I think I would have needed some a little thicker than what they had in stock.  Metal was not my first choice.

The sticky-back diamond shingles arrived today from Bolinger-Edgerly Scale Trains.  They are very close to the same color as the thin stock that came with the fire house kit.  Maybe I will get started roofing tomorrow.  In the meantime, I have been doing some basic steam engine maintenance.  One had a side rod that had come lose locking up the mechanism.  Another had a burnt out headlight.  I still want to open the tenders on both and see if they have BCRs.  I installed some before I started labeling the undersides of the tenders, so I foolishly don't have a record.  That is being corrected.

Mark, just looked up E6000 on Amazon. Never heard of it, but I like that it's high strength AND flexible. Flexibility and strength are not often found together. What's it's drying time? Does it need clamping? Do you know what it's based on? I think I'll get some to add to my very-full glue drawer. I think I have at least 10 different kinds of adhesives. I have some many I created a matrix for the modeling club's newsletter.

Thanks for telling us about your dad's challenges. It's surprising all the stuff that starts going wrong when you're really old. Speaking of old, my mom used to say that "old was anyone ten years older than she was." When she was in her late 80s I suggested she re-calibrate her "old scale". My wife turned 78 in April. It's my turn next month. It's getting weird when you read obituaries about people dying in their 80s (many of them) and realize that your own life may end in less than a decade. Looking back, the last decade went by really fast. That doesn't bode well looking forward. At least I can't pass in my early to middle 70s. That milestone is past.

Happy Father's Day!

Thank you, Myles!  Happy Father's Day!  Here's to good health for you and your wife!!

Yes, you have to clamp E6000.  It takes a while to dry.  It is one of those that you glue, clamp, and go do something else until tomorrow.  Eclectic Products Inc. says, "E6000 starts getting tacky in approximately 2 minutes and begins setting in approximately 10 minutes. A full cure takes between 24 and 72 hours. Remember, temperature and humidity will affect dry time."

https://eclecticproducts.com/p...0affect%20dry%20time.

You shared your glue matrix on your "Saga" thread, because I saved it.  Quite handy, although I do not have nearly 10 glues here.

Today, I cut some 90-degree triangles of thick styrene to give the roof some support and ensure a 90-degree fit on the wall tabs.  I could have done that while waiting for the shingles, since I had tried using the shingles that came with the kit on the roof section flat on the table.  I used E6000 again.  So, in keeping with what I wrote above, I did not start shingling.

I did a little more engine maintenance.  The nicer H9 had burnt bulbs in the headlight and firebox.  I noticed the headlight out when I bought the engine used about 4 or 5 years ago, but didn't do anything about it.  I removed the good bulbs with leads from the not-as-nice H9 and got everything on the nicer one up to snuff.  I gave both engines a quick test, but will need to do some more test running of them and the B&O Mike.  All three engines are PS2 Premier from 2002 and 2003.  As of now, all my engines are fixed, except I need to order lights for the not-as-nice H9.  Maybe by saying that exception, I don't have to knock on wood! 

Evening Mark, The fire house looks great! I am sure it will fit right in on your layout! Your fire engine will really make it stand out as a focal point!

I am glad about your dad being back with his wife! I hate to say it, but were all getting older, it is just how you chose to live it that really matters! As for me with a loving CEO and a Amazing hobby like model trains I am just fine with getting older! LOL

@mike g. posted:

As for me with a loving CEO and an Amazing hobby like model trains I am just fine with getting older! LOL

Well said Mike, my feelings exactly!

Gene

Thank you, Mike, Gene!

Getting older is good.  No one wants me to work for them anymore!  😆

Mike, I am hoping the job is working out well.  I’m sure Robin will take it easy on you!  👍🏻

I haven't made much progress on the shingles, but did finish the first side of the the main roof and a bit of the hose drying tower.  The diamond shingles are the same dimension so I could use the lines already scribed on the roof for a guide.  They stick quite well.  I did cut a hole in the roof before gluing the tower on permanently.  Though it wasn't readily seen, I thought it better than being able to look in the window and see the roof right below.

Tedious I'm sure, but the finished product looks great Mark.

Bob

Bob, thank you.  It is tedious, and there are flaws in my work, but when it sits on the layout I have to look for the flaws, so I’m happy.  Theses sticky backs do allow you to gently skooch them into position.  After a few minutes they adhere more tightly, but you can peel them back off without too much trouble.  I started three rows, and didn’t like it, so I pealed them back off and started over.  Once they adhere well to each other they stick together when pealed off.

I wised up for the second side of the roof.  I started cutting the shingles with the Northwest Short Lines Chopper.  I got nice right angles that I didn’t always get with a sharp XActo blade.  Here is an hour and a half’s worth of work.  Much better looking up close, except that lowest row of diamonds isn’t seated down good on the wider strip I used at the roof edge.  Maybe it actually will look fine.

Mark, the roof looks great! You made the right call on the tower. I’m with Bob, tedious but worth it. This model is coming together nicely.

Andy