PRR Panhandle 2.0

That’s a really nice porch railing.

Updated 4/24/2021:

In my best Popeye voice: "That's all I can stands, cause I can't stands no more!"  I declare this house finished. 

I hit the house with another India ink wash and then sprayed it with DullCote.  In doing so, I noticed that the front gutter above the porch droops a bit in the corner.  Looks like the prototype to me.  Yeah, that's it.    Yup.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.   

Next stop, layout.  And then another of Tillman Farm House.

More when I know it. 

George

It looks great!

@G3750 posted:

Updated 4/24/2021:

In my best Popeye voice: "That's all I can stands, cause I can't stands no more!"  I declare this house finished. 

I hit the house with another India ink wash and then sprayed it with DullCote.  In doing so, I noticed that the front gutter above the porch droops a bit in the corner.  Looks like the prototype to me.  Yeah, that's it.    Yup.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.   

Next stop, layout.  And then another of Tillman Farm House.

More when I know it. 

George

I do a great Popeye impersonation. "Well blow me down!!!!" Looks fantastic George.

The house looks great!! Have you set it up in its final home to see how it looks? And by that, I mean can you take a picture for us?

George,

Great work on the house. The Tillman House you will do next was actually my childhood friend Anthony's home. In the days when my mother was a child the Owens family owned and lived there.

Dave

Updated 4/25/2021:

Thanks, guys!!

Last night I tried to start on the 2nd Tillman Farm House.  I started by identifying the walls that would be used.  Since this was going to be lit, I decided to paint the interior walls black to prevent that "glow" that sometimes happens with plastic structures.  Unfortunately, the paint can nozzles (a bunch of them) were clogged and uncooperative.  I watched a couple of YouTube videos on how to clean them.  Today, I bought some lacquer thinner, soaked a few nozzles, and was able to paint the backs a flat black.

A few hours later, I flipped them over and hit them with the flat white for the exterior.

I'll try painting the roof sections tomorrow.

More when I know it. 

George

Updated 4/26/2021:

"Trouble.  That's right, trouble.  We've got trouble right here in River City".

Trouble's real name is Maggie.  She's a 1.5 year old British short-hair we adopted last week.  It's not where she's sitting that's the problem.  It's that she jumps down a hillside, pulling out trees as she goes.

We're going to have to figure out a way to block off the basement from her.

George

Welcome Maggie!  My sister's calico used to jump on my layout growing up.  I'm glad our 5-year old rescue dog doesn't jump that high.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Welcome Maggie!  My sister's calico used to jump on my layout growing up.  I'm glad our 5-year old rescue dog doesn't jump that high.

I'm not sure what we are going to do about this.  The of the basement steps are open (no door).  We are considering a number of options:

1. Chemical deterrent - moth balls or something else that smells bad that will prevent her from climbing on the layout
2. Adding a folding (accordion) door to the top of the stairs (I really don't want to go that route).  It would have to be removable, I think.

George

@G3750 posted:

I'm not sure what we are going to do about this.  The of the basement steps are open (no door). 

I bet Maggie will LOVE chasing trains around!

Updated 4/29/2021:

Between grading Python programs I managed to get the roof and walls painted for the 2nd Tillman Farm House.  The backs of the walls have been painted black to aid in keeping them from "glowing" when lit from within.  The roof got its Aged Iron texture paint followed by an India ink wash.

Still need to do the foundation.  Windows are done.

More when I know it.

George

Updated 4/30/2021:

Hard to believe that April is over!!  Today I added the painted windows and window frames to the house.  I also cut the foundation in half (only using 1/2 of the house split along the mid-line).

More when I know it. 

George

Updated 5/4/2021:

We may have solved the feline visitor to the layout problem.

I think the gate will work.  Time will ultimately tell the tale.

George

Looks like a worthy solution George, hope it does indeed keep that cat occupied.

That looks like a good solution, George!

Updated 5/5/2021:

Classes are over!  Final exams have been given, and grades recorded!  Only some paperwork remains! 

So I began assembling two walls for the 3rd house (the second Tillman Farm House) on the hillside behind the Steubenville PRR Station.

Here's the front gable end and the right side wall.  I had to touch up the corner with some white paint.

In this next photo, I have clamped and glued two different walls where they form an inward corner.  Only their backs (painted black and with curtains applied) are visible.

More when I know it.

George

I trust you gave everyone an 'A'!    I didn't finish my Bachelors at night until I was 48.  You only get an A if you give the professor what he or she wants.

I'm not sure I see how that clamp holds in 2 directions, though I know it does for holding a 90-degree corner.

@Mark Boyce posted:

I trust you gave everyone an 'A'!    I didn't finish my Bachelors at night until I was 48.  You only get an A if you give the professor what he or she wants.

I'm not sure I see how that clamp holds in 2 directions, though I know it does for holding a 90-degree corner.

Mark,

No, I didn't give everyone an "A".     But a few got the benefit of the doubt (and more than they truly deserved).

The clamp is only a 90 degree one.  Maybe these 2 photos will explain how it works.  On the left, you can see the black rubber cushions holding the walls.  On the right is the "backside" of the clamp.  The right-angle corner is up against the backs of the walls.  The thumbscrews apply pressure.

Does that help?  It's a very handy clamp for exactly this sort of thing.  I bought it a very long time ago in anticipation of constructing a large number of buildings.  Haven't had the occasion to use it much until now.

George

George, I like how you tighten it at one end, but it gives support several inches away even when you build O scale buildings.  

I didn’t expect you would ‘hand out’ ‘A’ s.  I was amazed how adults would complain about getting a lower grade when it was obvious to me, another student, that they didn’t deserve it.

I sure don't miss the stress of finals and what not. Tests made me nervous. Application was/is where I am at my best. I would like to get my masters in something one day.

What are the fancy clamps you're using it? Are they intended for model building? I don't think I've ran across them at hardware stores.

Looking good George. And now you are almost up to 30 pages on this thread! It's about time for us to see each other's pandemic progress in person!

@Mark Boyce posted:

George, I like how you tighten it at one end, but it gives support several inches away even when you build O scale buildings.  

I didn’t expect you would ‘hand out’ ‘A’ s.  I was amazed how adults would complain about getting a lower grade when it was obvious to me, another student, that they didn’t deserve it.

Thanks Mark.  You'd be surprised (or perhaps not) at how coddled students are these days.  We even have a director of "retention" (I think nearly all schools do).  I can remember being told "Hey, if you can't cut it we've got lots of people waiting for your spot." 

"What a world.  What a world."  (To quote the Wicked Witch of the West). 

George

@BillYo414 posted:

I sure don't miss the stress of finals and what not. Tests made me nervous. Application was/is where I am at my best. I would like to get my masters in something one day.

What are the fancy clamps you're using it? Are they intended for model building? I don't think I've ran across them at hardware stores.

The clamp is definitely for modeling.  I doubt you'll see it at a hardware store.  I can't even remember where or when (15+ years ago) I got it.

George

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

Looking good George. And now you are almost up to 30 pages on this thread! It's about time for us to see each other's pandemic progress in person!

Thank you!  Agreed!!!!

Updated 5/7/2021:

Work on the 3rd house progresses!  Here we have clamped together and glued the final wall assemblies.

More photos of my favorite structure-building clamp.

As you can see, we have curtains hanging in the windows.  These are made by City Classics.  I wish we had them for O scale.

And for all that effort, the CA failed and the walls came apart as I removed them from the clamp.  I ended up gluing everything together after positioning it on the house's foundation.  Fortunately, holding things together for 10 seconds worked.

Also today, I managed to complete and print out 2 sets of decals for some buses.  I applied GlossCote to the decals.

More when I know it.

George

George,

Really steady progress lately. Looks like Highland is nearing completion.

Dave

@luvindemtrains posted:

George,

Really steady progress lately. Looks like Highland is nearing completion.

Dave

Thanks Dave!

So far, so good.  We're probably about 40% done.

The problem looming up is finding enough of the Albion catalog houses (Laser-Art kit #621).  That kit seems to be somewhat scarce.  As far as I know, the company is still in business.

George

I'll keep an eye out or build my own clamps then. I'm sure I'll find some eventually!

The houses look great! Are you putting them on the hill as you go?

@BillYo414 posted:

I'll keep an eye out or build my own clamps then. I'm sure I'll find some eventually!

The houses look great! Are you putting them on the hill as you go?

I'd try Micro-Mark for the clamps.  I don't recall where I bought them, but I'd be surprised if they didn't have them or something equivalent.

I will not put the houses on the hill until we are much closer to the end.  I have a good idea of their position, but still need to work out the exact slope(s) and the places for the sidewalks and stairs.  The street (Highland Avenue) is on a single piece of 1" styrofoam; it's the base.  I'll install that and then place styrofoam sections to prop the houses at the correct elevation.  Finally, I will use that Great Stuff / quilt batting technique to create the hillside itself.  Once built, I'll put the houses on it.  I do have to be careful to allow the lighting wires a route to the buses below.  The cross-section plan shows the concept (I hope).

George

I admire your patience haha I'm always test fitting models as I go and then regretting that as I bump assembled parts and so on.

George,

I'll keep a lookout for the Laser-Art house. Yes, I too, believe the company is still in business.

Dave

Updated 5/9/2021:

I made a determined effort today to get most of the 3rd house assembled.  I didn't get there, but I have managed to mask off the upper story (lighting only the bottom floor), get the roof on, and paint the trim (to be installed either later tonight or tomorrow).

I still have the roof vent and chimney to paint and the porch needs to be assembled.

More when I know it. 

George

Updated 5/10/2021:

More progress today!  Got the roof vent painted and installed along with roof trim and the chimney.  The gutter got installed as well.

The porch is in the process of being assembled.

More when I know it. 

George

Nice! I'm enjoying these high frequency posts...WITH PICTURES

Looking great!

Updated 5/11/2021:

Needs a (India ink) wash and some DullCote, but we're pretty much declaring victory on this house.

More when I know it. 

George

Take that, cat!!!

So far, so good!

George

George, the building looks great.

I'm glad the gate is working to keep the cat upstairs.

@Mark Boyce posted:

George, the building looks great.

I'm glad the gate is working to keep the cat upstairs.

There have been some developments with the cat gate.  Maggie pulled the goalie and scored with seconds left in the 3rd period.  We are now in sudden death overtime. 

George