Above: I used 1/4 x 1/4-inch square stock left over from other projects rather than purchase more material. A scrapbox is a great thing to have on hand for this type of use.
Right: Wire pins were used to hold the fire escapes in place. These were pre- drilled, glued to the platforms, and then painted along with the escapes. Be- cause the frail platforms are pinned to the structure, they are much tougher than they appear.
Below right: The prototype uses long bolts and washers to fasten wood or metal to masonry. To make the process of holding pieces to cast plaster work, I file a groove that the pieces will fit into prior to painting the plaster wall. This provides a flat surface for gluing.
age than the locomotive, and he rebuilt the beast with little effort. A friend with a table saw ripped some ¼-inch square pine from a 2x4, and he remade the trestle with every joint reinforced with a brass pin. He also used some glue that becomes stronger under water (don’t ask me what it was — some kind of boat repair stuff), removing basement humidity from the equation. When he gingerly ran the monster out on to the new trestle, with two friends standing ready to capture the locomotive if it fell, the trestle didn’t flinch. Some les- sons (in my case, most) are learned the hard way. I suppose it could have been worse, happened later, and the locomo- tive in question could have been some high-end brass import. I have only had one locomotive head to the floor (open lift-out), but not from trestle failure. You see, I had heard this urban legend long before I began con- struction of this layout. I always pin
each connection so I don’t have to rely on just the glue. Speaking of pins, I also use them wherever possible, where they are unseen or where they can be cov- ered by additional construction. Short ¼-inch pins work well to keep wall joints straight and can be covered by the corner angles. I keep a wide variety of pins handy, from a whopping one inch down to a tiny ⅛-inch or so. Hobby Lob- by and Micro-Mark are good sources for the smaller sizes, and the one-inchers and ½-inchers can be found at Wal-Mart in the craft or sewing department. I am not going to delve into any pro-
totypical stories of tipped-over outhous- es (I deny everything). I once built an outhouse out of scale lumber that was so light the breeze of someone briskly walking by knocked it over. I got tired of the “Hey Bob, looks like you’ve got some scale-size teenage hooligans on the lay- out.” I also grew weary of picking it back up, so I opened the door and placed an
JULY 2015 83
occupant (lead) inside. Now it stays up- right. The era and locality I am trying to replicate was rife with outhouses. I am guessing here, but I think the layout has around 30. Experience is the best teach- er, and there is only one made of scale (thickness) lumber. The rest are solid pine blocks, with scale-size lumber ve- neer. Talk about your oversize bracing. In all seriousness, I like to make wall bracing as stout as practical. I also al-
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