Sunday Scenic Showcase September 1, 2024

Started putting up the fire escapes this week…..

Have a great week, everyone!

Peter

I saw this cool house in Jim Thorpe a couple weeks ago and I am using it for inspiration for a new build:

I wanted to make the ‘box build’ using my 3D printer but had some issues trying to make the main walls. The turret came out ok but the box failed 3 hours into what was to be a 25 hour (!) print. It was then that I decided to upgrade my tech and ordered a Creality K1c. The second project after making a quick Benchy was the main box build which it made in about 4 hours! Here’s my progress so far. I also resin printed my own door and window designs. Everything was designed in Tinkercad:

Alan, is that a steam turbine generating power for the facility?

Peter, that's an awful lot of fire escapes, but I guess once you add one you've got to add them to similar buildings otherwise it won't look right.

Norm that was a quick 4 hours.

Here's my contribution this week.  You may recall my 4x8 layout is in an intermodal phase for now.  This was the entrance posted several Sundays ago.

A Plasticville Turnpike interchange, pretty much straight out of the box but with a new sign.  I decided it needed lights, luckily the snap fit on the booths was good so I didn't need to glue them together and I used rubber cement to keep the bases and the roof affixed to the booths. I found a battery operated string of Christmas lights and the upgrade began.  I removed the roof and planning began. I was originally going to hide the battery box in on of the booths but when I saw how close the color of the box was to the green booths I decided it would make a proper looking air handling unit atop the roof to provide heating and cooling for the security staff.  Preliminary layout and testing revealed tremendous light bleed  through the white plastic  roof and light fixtures.  I affixed metallic duct tape to the underside of the roof to limit the bleed through and direct the light downward.

The traffic lights all appear white in the photos but in person the appropriate red a green lenses show their true colors. There's still some bleed through but that's the lip on the underside of the roof that the booth fit into.  While it was I thought I had some HO roof duct work to deliver the conditioned air to each booth but I have yet to find it.  I believe I'll try some square dowels like Peter was working with last week.  Since the roof was off I decided to go ahead and glaze the windows, add some personal and make the stop signs a little more noticeable.

The gates are from one of my son's Hot Wheels type playsets.  He turns 30 later this month so you know how long I've been holding onto them just knowing I'll use them SOMEDAY.

The previous kit I worked on was laser cut with tab and slot construction. Very little was needed for inside bracing as the kit also featured a floor to keep everything square and in line. This is a Bar Mills kit. Bulls Salvage. It’s meant to look pretty run down with the exposed 2x4’s. Although everything is cut it required some work to get it together with the multiple walls which are thin and prone to warping without some bracing. Also because everything is thin. There really isn’t a lot of glue surface. Even the roof is just card stock.  I got most of it done. I never seem to quite finish anything before Sunday. The chimney needs paint, the building needs a few spots touched up and I have to decide to use the signs in the kit or come up with my own.

This shows the bracing I added. Seeing the doors are closed. None of this can be seen. I may have got a bit carried away. But I like to build at least the main structure with the capability of playing catch with it. I have a bin of scrap and cut off basswood by my side during any build. Whatever looks like it will do the job. The large blocks along the roof line are balsa. Plenty robust for attaching the roof as well as giving the sides some stability. With no weight.
One feature I’ve never seen in a kit. Is the rafter detail. In the lower right of the photo. It slips right in some slots and gives you something to glue the roof to. I’ve done this detail on some models cutting strips into small pieces and gluing them to the roof.

Coach

i like your main entrance to the intermodal yard.
as far as the power plant goes, you could say it is a steam turbine or gas or oil fired one. I knew you would not be able to see too much of it. I remember going into power plants and seeing these things. They were always do nice and clean.

Thank you Alan.

I am working on ballasting my track and adding details along the ROW. Here is a small section I just finished with battery box, wood crossing for my maintenance crew to cross the tracks, dirt, grass, etc.