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Tractor repair shed-A mirror image

edited November 2012 in O Scale Builds
Having been inspired by Joel's build of this kit I wanted to get it started. I have a spot on my layout right up front to place this so all of the interior details can be easily seen. Putting it here required putting the blacksmith shop on the other side as you can see from the first pic. The large, non-descript structure behind it is approximately the size and shape of the Boiler and Welding shop from the Railroad Camp.

I started on the siding by brushing and adding knots then coloring with Rembrandt chalks # 408.3 and 253.3 then lightened with 100.5. A coat of IA with a dusting of 408.9 on 1 side only. Once this was dry I wiped down each board to blend in the 408.9 then gave a light brushing to re-define the grain.

I applied the siding and added nail holes. This was followed by a light brushing of IA on the outside only. Once dry I lightly sanded to weather then drybrushed with Folk Art "Barnwood". This is where I am at now.

The next step will be to add the battens and window frames and follow with another dry brushing and then an IA "creep" up the walls from the ground.imageimageimage
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Comments

  • your wood look great, color and detail... is the ai creep more noticeable in person as it is not really coming through in the pics
  • Haven't done the AI creep yet. Will wait until the battens are on.
  • I need some advice before I get too deep into this project. As I have been looking at the mockup for this structure combined with the boiler and welding shop a couple of things occurred to me. For starters a little background. This section of the layout was to be an area for MOW equipment and the end of the main camp and transition to the woods. I am confronted by 2 ideas that make this placement a potentially bad idea.

    1: creating an illusion of distance: for example by placing smaller trees behind larger ones makes the forest look deeper. With my proposed placement the larger building will be behind the smaller one.

    2: the idea of blending; for example when we paint we don't want hard lines, we blend our transitions of colors. If I use this placement there will be a hard line between the camp and the woods.

    If I choose to use a much smaller building behind the tractor repair I can accomplish both the illusion of distance and allow for some trees to give the smoother transition. This leaves me with the question of where to arrange my buildings.

    Attached here are a couple of photos of the main camp area. The first shows the area where I was planning for these structures to go...empty. It shows where the transition is to take place. The 2nd shows a long view of the entire camp area. I have a few choices for your consideration.

    1: leave as proposed with both large structures at the end of the camp
    2: leave the tractor repair and a smaller structure and move the welding shop...potentially to where the tool and rigging shed are located
    3: leave this area for the welding shop and move the tractor repair to where the tool and rigging shed are located...this would turn the tractor repair around and no longer be a mirror image.

    The space in the areas in question have 18" from rail to edge of layout at the proposed location and 14.5" from rail to edge where the tool/rigging shed are located.

    Thank you in advance for your input.
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  • edited November 2012
    I like the rear of the tool and rigging sheds at the front... they look great there. I also like the location of the repair shed - great visibility. Forced perspective is really tough to achieve in a small area. I have only seen it accomplished effectively one time at the late Bob Clarkes layout in San Antonio. Your arrangement looks good.
  • I agree with you Brett. The locations looked good on paper and are turning out just fine in real person. I am going to stick with plan 2 above making this the largest structure in the area to draw more attention to it and placing a much smaller support shed with it...think Lineside Shed.

    The main walls are just about done and the color here is very close to the real thing. I'm playing around with AK Interactive "slimy grime" for a possible moss growth at the very bottom.

    I cut out an area of homosote on the layout for placement. From there I traced this shape onto some Gatorboard and wala the diorama base is ready...with room for the shed on the other side of the tracks and I think a nice pipe rack behind the repair shed.

    I will be putting the rails in flush with the floor instead on top of the floor. The rail ties have been installed with extras installed around the perimeter of the main structure to support the floorboards. I am installing a 3x6 riser to the bottom of the wall frames to raise it to the proper height. These will be hidden once the landscape engineers put a grade in the dirt. Just in case they are visible in some spots I will color them to match the walls.

    This build is definitely much different than the other kits I have built in that the vast majority of the work and time will go on inside the building rather than outside. I'll start prepping the castings soon...there's only a gazillion and I was expecting a gazillion and three.imageimage
  • The floor has been installed. I brushed the boards heavily and washed with a brown/black IA then glued them down. from there I sanded to bring out the grain, gouged them randomly and gave another few IA brushed. Sanded again then sifted my standard dirt over the top and rubbed it in.

    You can see the 3x6 riser at the bottom of each wall to compensate for the ties underneath since I put the rails flush with the floor.

    I got the resin castings prepped and painted one up. It sure looks nice right in front of the main door.imageimageimageimageimage
  • Bryan

    Nice job so far. Castings look good.

    Jerry
  • This is shaping up to be another fantastic build from you Bryan.
    Colouration on the flooring looks terrific and I like the way you have raised the walls up to have the rails flush with the boards.
    Work on the castings is looking like a good start, I always liked that bench with the
    blueprints, a great detail.

    Thanks for the updates, keep them coming!!

    Karl.A
  • Thanks Karl.

    I got a lot done this weekend. The big interior castings are in along with some boxes I made and filled with stuff for under the benches. I added a 12x12 stop at the end of the rail so noone drives right through the back of the shed. The figures seemed to fit nicely here. One guy holding onto the workbench for dear life...I'm sure something is rolling past him. And another helping back something up into the right spot.

    The dirt has not been set yet...I need to mix up some more matte medium, but I wanted to get a feel for how the grade would work on the raised building. Looks fine to me. I'll set this and then a finish layer will be added on top of that. I put some rails out back to hold some wheels and axles.
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  • Looking great Bryan. One thing I notice right away is the way the walls are integrated into the scenery. On a backwoods structure like this you are right on with this look. The track looks great in the shed as well with the low profile.
  • Thank you Brett. It's always good to get feedback from the master.

    I got the walls put together on the support structure. Believe it or not it was colored with the exact same chalks as the main building. I just flipped the main color to 253.3 and added in 408.3. This helps me to lay out the scene.

    I started work on the Cat. The tractors are the most intimidating part of this build for me so I wanted to get started on it. I put it all together and primed with a flat brown then painted on a liquid mask and sprayed with Tamaya Camel Yellow and have started to chip away at the paint. The results are promising early on. there's a lot more chipping to do from here. Once done I will hit with Dulcoat to take the gloss off and start with chalks, rust and grime streaks and weathering powders.imageimageimageimageimageimageimage
  • I'm about ready to call the Cat done. I tried using AK Interactive products on this one for the first time. I used track wash, rust streaks, grime streaks and engine oil. I really like these products. Super close ups are always a little scary. I like the depth in the chips on this and the subtle rust streaks and really like the engine oil. The fuel injector hoses don't look so good here but are convincing in person.

    I like the yellow on this but am thinking gray for the Bates.imageimageimageimageimageimage
  • An update on this little project. All of the castings are done except the disconnect. I'm really liking the way the forge came out. I started by painting the coals orange then lightly brushing on black paint then black and gray powders. I carved a hole in the back to install a flicker light then drilled some very small holes from the coals to the hole in the center. It looks good after testing with a light, though I've yet to start the wiring process for this or the overhead lights.

    The 2nd tractor is in much better shape and is getting re-treaded. For a laugh I put a guy with a rag on the cat like he's wiping down this wreck. Also for a laugh I had to add another cat.

    The roof is put together and the structure is a convertable. I've been putting off the wiring for the lights but really need to get that done.

    The details are nearly all put in place. Next step is to add some weeds and other greenery. I'm working on a couple of trees right now since this will come right up the edge of the woods. This should make the scene blend right in. After planting these I will add some foot paths and the rest of the smaller details.

    The handcar (lineside) shed is done except for the roof. Once again waiting on lights to be wired.imageimageimageimageimageimageimageimage
  • It's coming together really well Bryan, one thing I picked up on in your pictures was the white oil 'high boy'.... that really came out very nice indeed, I really like the chip/scratch efffects you did on that piece.

    Karl.A
  • Great job... I will say that your roof came out wonderful. The wall and roof panels for my pilot model were made for me by my dearly missed friend Brian Nolan. He had such a unique feel to his weathering and you have captured that quite nicely here. I know Brian would be honored to see his work influencing fellow modelers...
  • Hi Bryan,
    I am enjoying watching you put these kits together. The scene is really well done. The details look like pictures I have seen of logging camps in the Northwest. The castings and weathering is excellent!
    I keep wondering what is around the corner on the first picture after seeing the scene you are putting together. The trestle is another eye catcher.
    Did you make the tree trunks? I like the moss on them as well it is a detail that is usually overlooked.
    Great job.
    Jim
  • Thanks Brett. I tried to do the roof justice. It was a tough chore and didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped but acceptable none the less.

    Jim, around the corner in the first pic...the track continues on over the trestle towards where the sawmill will be. The top track is the tail of a switchback at the top of which is the sub-camp and logging areas. I did carve out the tree trunks and added the moss.

    I'm adding the lights now. Not fun from my perspective but I'm sure it will be worth it. from there will put down the finishing touches.
  • I got most of the detailing this past week. About the only thing left to do is the disconnect and maybe a few tweaks here and there.

    Once I get to work on scenery on the layout there will be woods behind both buildings so I put a few trees in here.

    Looks like I should have come up with a way to put weights on the roof while the glue dried. Maybe later I'll fix it.imageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimage
  • Bryan, that looks amazing.
    The lighting is really something and takes your great build to another level.
    Fantastic work.

    As for coming up with a way to put weights on the roof to hold it down......
    A ziplock bag semi-filled with sand (or similar) is perfect. It will conform to any roof angles you have on your structures and disperse an even weight across the roof to hold all the edges down while the glue dries.

    Karl.A
  • Zip lock bag with sand... Just the answer I have been looking for :) Thanks Karl !
  • Very nice Bryan.

    Ive been over the pics twice and im really enjoying what I see.
  • Great Job Bryan! My first build will be the tractor repair shed this will sure help.........love the lighting
  • Tremendous work Bryan! I have the HO scale version [that I have been putting off for at least a decade] that I will be also be building as "mirror" image and I will be definitely referencing your build when I get started - again. Thanks for sharing!
  • Thanks guys. The lights were a pain but well worth it for me. I'll be doing more like this. I used LED's from ngineering and the magnet wire to wire them up. It is so fine that I just ran it along the rafters and painted brown and they disappeared. When I took them down the wall I just propped up a board to hide them.

    sfc, when you do your mirror image just make sure you are gluing the boards on the correct side of the framing. I checked and double checked so I didn't have to tear the siding off and start again. A quick way to check is to build the framing in place using tape to hold it together and mark the outside of the walls with some chalk.

    And don't forget the tip about the sand in the ziplock baggie or the roof will warp when the glue dries...I found out the hard way.
  • Bryan- the pictures are amazing. I like all the textures and castings. The lights are really awesome. I am doing the same with the HO scale lights from ngineering and hopefully will get as good as an effect as you did. What did you use to connect all the lights together and did you use any resistors?
    Jim
  • Jim, I only used 1 resistor on the whole project and that was on the forge because I used 1 light instead of 2.

    I started with the 18v power supply and used the power distribution board side A. This side does not require external resistors. Side A has 4 sets of solder pads for 4 lights each. I used 8 lights for the scene above and plan to add on the other 8 available to other structures later. There is a "power in" and "power out" place on the board. I hooked up the power supply at "in" and the forge at "out" It was pretty simple-once I emailed ngineering a few times. They were very helpful and responsive for this electrical newby.

    For installation in the layout I cut a hole in the plywood big enough for the distribution board then covered the bottom with some cardboard. This created a cavity big enough to hold it. The dio was put in place and covers the board. I can retrieve the board from underneath the layout by removing the cardboard. I cut the wires long so I can pull the tangled mess out (hopefully without damage) to add on the other lights later.
  • Also note in the photo above with the roof removed and the lights on. I used the ngineering lamp shades for most of the lights but in the tractor repair area there was only 1 rafter with a lamp. This was not enough light for me so I added 2 hidden lights to the front wall. They are small enough that I glued them onto the framing so they don't shine through the other side of the wall. They provide plenty of light to see the tractor inside, in fact they were a bit too bright so I painted them white which toned them down. You could also add a resistor if you like to do the same thing but painting seemed less complicated.
  • simply wonderful! a real joy to see what you did with these kits...
  • Beautiful work. Love to see more.
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