gled roof. The wood at the base of the structure had discolored
slightly as
rain and wind splashed the dirt up onto the lower walls and caused some rot. There was a wood planked porch of sorts that had a trash can at one end, and someone’s tool box was left outside at the other. Two of the windows had awnings to keep out the afternoon sun. The building had once been white, but we all know what a railroad atmos- phere does to a white building. It was not so white anymore. None of these things were depicted on the model. By not taking the time to study and better replicate reality, the model was just another plastic building that did nothing but take up space. It added little or no interest to the scene. The point I’m trying to make here is to carry our modeling to a higher level with the augmentation of some well thought out additions to those four walls with a roof. We need to use the power of observation we model rail- roaders are blessed with to see what’s really there, and model it. Often, thirty minutes more at the work bench will do the trick.
Starting with the roof, there is a lot we can do to add variety and interest to our models. We work with small spaces to bring off a lot of things, so we have to doll them up a bit. Additional chim- neys, stacks, and sewer vents can break up the monotony of a plain roof, as can patches, bare spots, and general wind damage. Even a hole in the roof will add interest to the scene. Cut a jagged shaped hole in the roof, then scab in some rafter timbers underneath. Where it is appropriate, add a rooftop sign. City Classics, P. O. Box 16502, Pitts- burgh, PA 15242;
www.cityclassics.biz, makes some great ones. While we’re on signs, they are a good way to add inter-
est to an otherwise mundane wall. En- deavor to make the signs believable. Not every structure needs a circus poster, and “Eat at Joe’s” would not be found on most railroad structures. We should also keep in mind that all structures are not merely rectangles with a roof. Some have additions like porches, lean-tos, and other lumps and bumps to make them unique. A lean- to is easy to add where space permits and can add more interest to an otherwise mundane building. Three walls and a roof, one window, and one door and you are done. In thirty minutes or so you have increased the overall interest by a lot. Porches, wood sidewalks, and load- ing platforms crafted from individual planks are always eye-catchers and are easy as pie to do. Again, thirty minutes or so and you have done wonders for the interest and general realism of your efforts. Okay, I’ve beaten the 30- minute theme to death. You get the pic- ture. Some of what I’m describing here may take as much as an hour. Look around the layout with a critical
eye. Look for structures that “need something.” You are looking for the over- looked here, not the ones with that “wow factor” you built into them on purpose. Look for the ones that are naturally passed over. Those are the models we want to work on. A once-in-a-while crit- ical walk around the layout will give you a good idea of what needs to be al- tered, added to, and just plain fixed. There are a whole bunch (I was go- ing to say thousands, but that’s going too far) of ways to add interest to our structure models—not that every building has to be so “busy” that it’s laughable and not just so bland that no one even sees it. Strive for the middle ground here. Spruce up the plain mod- els with an investment of extra time.
Few of us model cold, dreary rainy
days. For the most part, it’s sunshine and pleasant weather on our railroads. Knowing that, why not open some win- dows and doors? Let the curtains hang out a little. Toilet paper, colored with a pastel pencil, chalk or colored marker will make nice curtains. After folding them to shape, they can be stiffened with the application of white glue di- luted with water at about 3:1 or so. I just leave a drop on the work bench, add water with an eye dropper, then mix it up with a brush. (Clean the brush right away or you’ll be sorry.) Paint the solution right on the curtain and add it to the model after it has dried. While the white glue is out, run a bead up the side of the building and add some green ground foam to simu- late vines. (Southwestern modelers can usually ignore the “vine” advice.) Blank walls that face an aisle have
always been my nemesis. As nature ab- hors a vacuum, so do modelers detest blank walls. A long while back I did a whole column on blank walls. I guess they disturbed me that much. Adding interest to these walls is not time con- suming or complicated. Signs are a quick and dirty way to spice up such a wall, as are vines and exterior lighting. A more complex fix is the addition of exterior plumbing or roof drains. Craft- ing same from styrene tubing is sim- ple. In O scale I use ¹/₈″ tube for the main pipes with little slices of the next telescoping size up to represent the joint flanges. Bends are created with the use of a candle flame in a dish of water. In HO, it’s ¹/₁₆″ and so on. Another good way to bust up a blank
wall is to cut in a second floor door reached by a spindly set of wooden stairs. Micro-Mark, and Kaw Valley De- signs sell some really nice stairways. From the structure itself, we proceed to the immediate area around it. Added detail here will give the adjacent edi- fice more interest and allow the view- er’s eye to linger on the scene. Visit your scrapbox, which is always fun, and see what kind of junk you can come up with. Exterior clutter need not be all expensive commercial offerings. Odd scraps of stained wood, bits of rusted leftover kit-bits,
chunks of
sprues, all have use beyond their origi- nal intent. A pile of ties needs to have a lot more than ties. Add other details that workers would normally leave there on a temporarily basis. Speaking of workers, figures can always add to a scene, and often they will be a source of subtle humor.
Next month we will look at creative
ways to use a digital camera. Until then, keep yourself busy and out of mischief (unlike yours truly!).
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN 73
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