New Warehouse

It had become apparent that the Gnome Valley Barley Sugar Pudding Factory was in need of  a larger warehouse with distribution facilities. So a suitable site was looked for and we settled for a small overgrown area that because of its position was very difficult to keep tidy.

So measurements where taken and a design came up with. A two road siding was decided on with a long 2 story building so designed as to be able to be used as a storage shed for unused stock when not in us

 

Now I must say at this point that I am not a very accomplished modeler and not very interested in fine detail, all I want is a reasonable looking structure. So here I go to route through the workshop material store to see what might turn up that could be  suitable for this project.

Finding several pieces of 2” thick high density foam board and a decent sized left over off cut of 10mm twin wall roofing sheet a plan of action started to take shape in my head. Thinking further on from this I thought perhaps I could use home made doors and a few left over windows that I found in my spare                                                                        parts box.

         What came next was like putting together a large jig saw as I don’t work from drawing etc so I just played about with chunk's of foam until I thought I had what I thought would fit the space available.

Following several experiments with gluing dense foam I finally settled on UHU POR expanded polystyrene glue.

Hopefully a balcony will be added with a hoist to help with unloading, but several after conversations with club member it was suggested that individual platforms lowered by chains would look better and then following my first assemble it was suggested that the chains should be taught as they would have been pulled up from inside.

Now as for painting, again I looked for quick and easy. By mixing kiln dried sand with exterior masonry paint I came up with what looks like a Tyrolean type render . I applied several coats of this mix so as to be sure of a good waterproof coverage. 

Corner stones, window sills, lintels and side stones are all made from hard wood flat beading cut to size and fixed on after the main paint was applied. This of course made fitting difficult as areas had to be scraped and cleaned before they could be successfully glued in place.

The roof was easy as it is just a board laid on top. I glued small tabs of off cut hard wood inside so as to keep it’s position and it was painted with industrial grade machinery paint, (scrounged from a friend). The edges were sealed by securing hard wood pegs into the open weave of the twin wall and then inserting recessed tiny screws. 

So when finally put in place I think it looks pretty good, all it needs now I think is a few more bits and pieces on and around to finish of the illusion of a busy warehouse.

Now that’s what I call basic modelling.

Modelling made simple.

As I am not an in depth or indeed a detailed modeler, I look for the simple and quick way to producing what I need. So, when it became time to construct the main station for Barrowbridge on the Gnome Valley Railway a search round in the material store in my workshop uncovered several off cuts of once used 1” thick blue high-density foam, and 2 decent sized pieces of 10mm twin wall poly carbonate. Following some thought an idea started to take shape. So, armed with no drawing or indeed much else I made a start construction jig saw fashion, and this is what I came up with.

Playing about with this high-density board, a hacksaw blade and UHU Por glue for expanded polystyrene foam I started to put together a basic shell. 

Doors and windows are the products of Jackson’s Miniatures recessed and glued in place. Before fitting in place, the whole structure was given several coats of paint, which I made by mixing a small quantity of kiln dried sand with cream coloured exterior masonry paint.

This sand was left over from when we had the drive block paved, so came in handy. Now it’s on to the roof, this is basically two sheets of 10mm twin wall clear sheeting. Again, this was left over from repaired made last year to the green house.







 

The two sides of the roof were fastened together by shaping a length of timber to the correct angle and securing with hidden recessed long screws and loads of No Nails.

 The barge boards are made from hardwood strip secured by recessed screws inserted into hardwood plugs glued into several recesses in the twin wall sheet    

Exterior masonry paint was again used to finish the roof

So, there you have it, you don’t have to be that skilled to produce acceptable looking buildings for your railway

What a shock.

Well, what a shock.
After several long months of inactivity, I ventured out to look round my workshop, modelling room and train room. What a shock, remind me never to let family and friends use these sacred places unaccompanied in the future. Just look at what I found in the workshop.  Not a happy chap I can tell you. Tools all over the place, nothing put back and just left on bench. How on earth can anyone come in here and do a job, it would take an hour or more just to make some room to work.

Now my little corner seems to have stayed tidy, I wonder why, perhaps because no one goes in here unaccompanied.

And guess what, I can make another start on the Oily Rag.

Damage Found

Here we have a couple of pictures of some of the damage.

Making a start

A dear friend had 6 x 22ft lengths of 40mm x 40mm box section steel going spare so negotiations on price took place and finally a start has been made. By replacing sections with box section and then pop riveting salvaged galvanised sheet on top it is presumed that this will indeed live me out.