PRR/Conrail Juniata Division Engineering Report

[Dave V]

[wazzou]

Has sort of a Milwaukee Road feel to it.  What color are you thinking of doing the windows?

[Dave V]

Has sort of a Milwaukee Road feel to it.  What color are you thinking of doing the windows?

The windows on the old part are olive drab.  Looks like on the real thing they were olive green in the 50s but gray in the 80s.  Not sure I like the olive for the new part.  In fact, some of my 50s photos show dark gray and olive on different parts of the structure.

Suggestions?

[conrailthomas519]

Dave, since your modeling 2 very different eras... I would look for the happy medium.. try the late 60's early 70's window coloring. You could say a modelers compromise.

[sizemore]

Just plain old medium grey. Once you throw some light weathering on it, should look about right in any era.

The S.

[Dave V]

 

Fail.

In my rush to build this, I spray-painted everything prior to assembly.  This isn't usually a problem except that large Walthers kits usually involve some warp, which requires good glue joints and clamping.  In my rush I glued everything together with medium-viscosity CA.  Time and time again, joints came undone where I had paint on paint versus plastic on plastic, so that after successively more frustrating re-glues I had that nasty scaling on the joints that prevents proper fit.

Couple that with a screwed up roof and screwed up windows (paint fail), and it's smarter just to order another one, take my time, and do it right.  That means assembling the walls with good old plastic weld before painting.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

When this has happened to me, I took a file and removed the paint from the areas to be joined.
CA'ed them, added legos on inside to brace and square, then retouched the paint around:



Usually by the time you finish weathering any paint whackiness goes away.

[DKS]

Usually by the time you finish weathering any paint whackiness goes away.

Agreed. I've hidden more gaffes than I care to admit with weathering.

On a slightly different topic, is this starting to acquire a familiar countenance?





If you want to know the source material, it's a Cornerstone Water Street Terminal (two of them, actually).

Most of the foundation will be buried, so you won't see all of those half-filled basement windows.

[Dave V]

David, WOW!!!

 

That is really looking fantastic!

Wow, see, you're creative in a way I'll never be.  I have a Walthers Water Street Terminal.  I look at it and I see freight station, or MAYBE some sort of factory or distributor.  You see walls for Lewistown station.

You, sir, just won all the Internets.

EDIT:

Dave, what are the dimensions, particularly width from platform to rear of baggage section?

[Dave V]

I've decided I'm going to do my best to salvage the factory.  Slow going, but shaving off paint and clamping joints will hopefully help.  It seems strange to look at my layout and see an unfinished scene what with it having been complete for the last 6 years.  Most of my improvements to the original section since then have been 1-2 day projects.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Looking forward to it!

And don't forget / underestimate the power of the Legos!

[DKS]

Dave, what are the dimensions, particularly width from platform to rear of baggage section?

Overall dimensions (excluding any platform that may extend beyond the roof): 6.25" wide x 5.25" deep, that is from the front edge of the roof to the rear of the baggage section.

Problem? Speak now, I can make adjustments easiest at this stage.

[Dave V]

That depth may be more than I have to play with without some surgery...

[DKS]

Dave, I can do one of two things that may help. One is to graft the baggage room right onto the back of the station. The other is to omit the baggage room altogether. Your pick.

EDIT: One question for you: Do you have any opportunity to "excavate" about a quarter of an inch or so from under the station, so that the freight dock on the end is at truck height? If not, then I would simply slice off the entire foundation and simply do without. Another option is to raise the station platform a fraction of an inch higher so the station can stand a little taller, which might afford a halfway-decent freight dock area.

[Dave V]

Dave,

I can excavate...  Getting the base level might be a challenge, though.  The station sits on one layer of Woodland Scenics trackbed over 2" of foam.

I'd really like to keep the baggage section...  Can we graft it?  Looking at the pic if I could gain maybe a quarter inch all would be well.