visit sierrawestscalemodels.com

The "Loco and Service Shops" Scratchbuilt in O Scale. Karl.A

edited July 2021 in O Scale Builds
Back when Brett and I were working on the HO scale "Loco and Service Shop" kit and pilot model.... (available now, kit #208 http://sierrawestscalemodels.com/ckits/208/208.shtml ) I knew I wanted to build it in O Scale. The lines, the detail, the layout, everything about it was perfect in HO but it was just begged to be up-scaled.

As usually happens other things got in the way, I got side tracked by other projects, summer..... etc.

I finally got started on the project a few months ago and have made some progress. As things seem to be relatively quiet around here on the forum just now I figured I would post some updates of where I am on this build for the members here who might enjoy seeing it progress through to a completed diorama.

As always with my builds here on the forum please join in with any comments, ideas, criticisms, questions and just general input to the thread. It's always great to know that there is someone out there, following along.

I'm quite far along with many aspects of the build so the thread here will be playing catch up with me for a short while. This does not mean however that things are now 'set in stone'. I am always more than willing to redo a finished item if there can be a significant improvement, so, jump in and join in.

The HO kit..........

image

Karl.A
«13456789

Comments

  • I am out here and following along.
  • Following along! Can't wait to see how it turns out after seeing you Logging Camp Main Street upscale
  • Sweet. Chair is pulled up, nice big bowl of popcorn in hand and a bucket of ice cold Coronas on the floor next to me. Looking forward to this.
  • Okay! Okay! I'm ready. Let's not let the turkey get in the way of you starting!!!!

    Jerry
  • I've always loved the look and feel of the HO kit. The Engine house, with its side bays, is very typical of the structures built locally and very evocative but simple. However, if SW ever produced an O Scale version of this kit, my family would finally slip into open rebellion (man... I haven't even mentioned the Sawmill yet...)

    Not sure how the exposed rafter ends work with a removable roof but if that is the case, it seems to work based on the photos...


  • Not sure how the exposed rafter ends work with a removable roof but if that is the case, it seems to work based on the photos...
    The roof boards and battens would be attached to the purlins. This creates flat panels that can either be glued down to the rafters or left loose and removable as panels.

    Time to find some progress pics in the camera, back in a few....

    Karl.A

  • Well, I thought I had taken progress pics of the walls being assembled but they are proving to be elusive tonight. Essentially I am following the sequence and techniques from the outstanding manual. Just with bigger wood....

    To begin with I redrew the framing for the walls in CorelDraw and printed them off as templates. The walls were then built using stripwood precoloured with C&A. I used 408.3 for the framing.

    The walls were then sided with 2x12's. The strip wood was coloured with grey on one side for the exterior and 408.3 again for the inside. The peeling paint technique from the manual was used to achieve a weather beaten finish as below.

    Although I knew the exterior would be painted I still added knots as I knew they would be visible on the inside and also I was hoping for some interesting effects through the paint, several are visible here.

    image

    image

    image

    image

    I was pretty pleased with the way the effect came out.

    Hopefully I can find some earlier pictures tomorrow when I have more time.

    Karl.A
  • The peeling paint and grey are perfect. Presumably this is a "hairspray" and light sanding method?
  • You dont get much more realistic than that. WOW.
  • Amazing....Joe CCCModOn30
  • Looks great Karl......looking forward to the build
  • Thanks for looking in and the posts James, Wes, Joe and Scott, good to have you along.
    ............ Presumably this is a "hairspray" and light sanding method?
    James, this is actually the mineral spirits and tape method as described in the manual. It's a fantastic technique and very controllable with some practice. Which makes it applicable to HO as well as the larger scales.

    image

    Sanding would give a more worn/faded look due to the abrasion as opposed to a lifted/peeled look with the tape.

    Karl.A
  • Hi Karl,
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Outstanding build. The peeled paint effect is superb. The knotholes definitely add more character.
    Do you plan to use the water tower and oil tank you built previously in this diorama ? Those models were simply amazing.

    Jim
  • Thanks Jim, and a happy thanksgiving to you and everyone else.

    Yes the watertank, oiltank and sand house are destined for this diorama. I will do a quick recap of those builds here for the members who haven't seen them.

    Karl.A
  • Well that's a quick preview of the walls, I'll either find some more tomorrow after work or I'll just snap some new ones.

    Although the Oil Tank is pretty much finished as previously mentioned and several of you have already seen it, here is a recap of the build as it happened for those members who haven't seen it.

    The basic form for the Oil Tank is a section of PVC tubing. Sizing for this was based on the HO version.

    image

    The support framework could then be built.

    image

    image

    Karl.A

  • Looking great Karl.........if possible could you describe the peeling paint method , or point me to the thread that discibes it?I can't work in ho scale anymore so can't enjoy those great kits.Love working in o though so all is not lost.

    looking forward to the rest of the build keep up the great modeling

    Scott
  • edited December 2013
    Thanks Scott, I'll see what I can dig up for you.

    I used some .005 styrene to make the metal sheets of the boiler. Rivets were added with a pounce wheel.

    image

    The styrene was glued with epoxy and held in position with rubber bands. A very messy business !

    image

    I had to install some spacers on the ends to avoid a taper on the next sheets.

    image

    The outside panels were added in the same way.

    image

    image

    The dome was made from a smaller pipe found in the garage.

    image

    Wrapped with riveted styrene as before. I found some furniture sliders of
    the right diameter for the rounded ends of the tank and dome

    Test fit.

    image

    Next up was the flanges, gluing the components together,
    clean up and a coat of paint.

    Karl.A

  • Very cool! - I had no idea one could could make rivets with a pounce wheel- or tank ends from furniture sliders!
  • So excited about this build. The "shops" are screaming to be upsized and there is no one better suited for the challenge. I will be watching, and learning...
  • edited December 2013
    Thanks for stopping in James and Joel, and for the kind words, good to hear from you both.

    I'll post another update shortly, I'm kinda rushing through these so as not to bore the folks that have seen it before but feel free to slow me down and ask a question if you have one.

    Karl.A
  • edited December 2013
    Some flanges were made from more styrene and rivets added. One for the main dome and one for the filler pipe.
    I also made a couple of round plates, not sure what these are for but I've seen them on tanks so I made them....

    image

    Everything was epoxied together and all the epoxy ooze and finger prints were cleaned off when dry ready to paint.

    image

    The tank was painted with cheap rattle can spray paint from Home Depot, 99c can and very fine coverage.

    image

    image

    I then started working on the piping, Some were adapted from the SierraWest castings and some were made from scratch.

    image

    Some more progress on the pipe fittings.

    image

    More later.

    Karl.A
  • edited December 2013
    I noticed while studying Chuck Doans incredible model (shown below) that the tank fill tube was not just a simple pipe, it had some interesting detail and shape.

    image

    I set about re-creating this by adapting a SW elboe casting.

    image

    I added a copper sleeve spacer around the nipple and then filed the nipple down considerably.

    image

    I placed the 1/8" brass tube in my dremel and turned it using a jewelers file to obtain a "waist" in the pipe.

    image

    When fully assembled I was happy with the look that it gave to the fill valve.

    image

    image

    I next moved on to making some brackets from sheet brass to hold the dispensing pipework away from the platform.

    image

    Unfortunately these are not visble from most angles, however the bands around the pipe are, and atleast I know they are there !

    image

    Karl.A
  • The next step in construction was building the pump house.

    image

    Various elements of the piping were then test fitted.

    image

    image

    image

    image

    image

    image

    image

    Some more brackets and things were made from brass sheet.

    image

    image

    image

    Karl.A
  • edited July 2017
    The tank needed to be balanced at a precarious angle ontop of a container and a bottle of glue to keep it in position until the glue on the chain dried.

    image

    image

    Next up was to make the access ladders for the tank platform and up to the dome.

    image

    image

    A lampshade was added with a scale light bulb to the pump house.

    image

    image

    That is how it will sit until it gets installed on the diorama and the tank gets weathered and everything gets touched up and blended in to the scene.

    image

    image

    image

    image

    image

    image

    Next up will be the water tank.....

    Karl.A
  • fantastic...every time I read the threads I learn something ....turn brass in a dremel...wow
    Karl tank looks fantastic. Can't wait for more
  • Beautiful - almost overwhelming (of course as u mentioned u haven't built this all in the last few days! - please tell me u haven't ! ) So many questions - did u set up a jig for those ladders? They look fantastic- keeping the rungs square would be tough. Love the lock - is it a photo- etched detail? The piping is great. People have to remember that even in o scale these are really small details. I guess one can't have enough K&S tubing and sheet material bits lying around!
  • Beautiful job - is there any way others of us can obtain 'O' plans to do a similar model?
  • edited December 2013
    Thanks Scott, James and Alan, I really appreciate your posts.
    I'll start posting the water tank this evening Scott.
    James, the tank took a little under a week. There wasn't a jig for the ladders, in the past I have made the rungs round as they should be, this time I got lazy. The padlock is a CHB detail part.
    Alan I have bought HO kits and copied the templates at 181% to get O scale dimensions for scratch building.

    Till later,
    Karl.A
  • Thanks Karl. Exactly what l was thinking of doing but just thought worth asking just in case there was another way ............
    My eyesight is not up to the 'small stuff' these-days but the headband magnifier will just have to come into much use so to hell with it. The debit card will be hard hit in the next few weeks what with the sawmill coming out as well!
    Oh well should keep our lord and master in funds for a little while longer.

    Best regards
    Alan
Sign In or Register to comment.