Saginaw Yard Tower

[Denver Road Doug]

Decided to start work on building a yard tower.  It's not being modeled after a specific prototype, but generally will represent the one in BNSF's ex-ATSF Saginaw Yard north of Fort Worth, which is loosely being modeled on my Saginaw Transfer layout.  The yard as it exists on my layout certainly doesn't need a tower, but it will make a nice background for trains.

I came across this kit in the clearance bin at Des Plaines Hobbies a few years back and bought it for 99 cents:


I think it will make for a good stand-in, even if it is a little bit European looking.  It has the ubiquitous angled window common to most yard towers so that alone gives it identity.  The vertical bricks look somewhat like the vertical stone coverings that were popular in the US during the late 70's/early 80's so I don't think it will look too odd.  Here is a pretty pathetic photoshop of what I have in mind for the final result:


So anyway, it's a peculiar little kit, very narrow for any kind of railroad building but kinda perfect for my layout space.  It has an interior, albeit very odd, and some other weird things that will need to be fixed.  More about that later.

I've already sanded all the mold marks and part numbers off of everything and put in in water/detergent to wash all the parts good.  Now I'm just trying to figure out how far I want to go with the interior, and what pieces I will actually be using.   I hope to start painting the various parts this weekend.

[Denver Road Doug]

Here are a few pics of the prominent pieces...






Per the photo above, the kit is obviously Vollmer.  FYI, it's called Stellwerk Signal Box "Poste de signalisation", Part Number 7601 "Bausatz Kit Boite d'assemblage" Made in West Germany 290 .

[Bendtracker1]

That should look quite good Doug!

If you want to get rid of those weird looking bricks, you could always take one of the thin "For Sale" sign from the hardware store and skin it so it looks like poured concrete.





This is the glue that I used.  It's re-positionable.

[Denver Road Doug]

Hi Allen, thanks for the reply.  That's a good idea and eventually I might go down that path.  Gonna try it stock first though just to see how it looks.

[SSW7771]

I think the kit is a good representation of the look and feel of the prototype. Painting the bricks in a lighter concrete color will help make the bricks less noticeable. Either way it will make a good background for pictures on your layout.

Marshall

[basementcalling]

I suck at Photoshop, but how would it look with a modern BNSF swoosh paint scheme.    

[Denver Road Doug]

I suck at Photoshop, but how would it look with a modern BNSF swoosh paint scheme.    

Ha, probably more like the current version...
http://binged.it/1lMb2AB

I'm not opposed to the BNSF Swoosh necessarily.  But my main focus is "Year 2000" so I keep everything Circle logo.  I will probably have few pieces of Swoosh rolling stock and a loco or two for a "fast forward" ops session though.  So if you're trying to ruffle my feathers, ain't gonna work...   

[Denver Road Doug]

I have a question...is there some place online to get scale graphics for common wall/floor/ceiling coverings?   Like, old-school 70's wall panelling, standard floor tile/linoleum, and open grid ceiling tiles?

I was thinking I could print them out onto decal paper and have a somewhat convincing interior without too much effort.

[SSW7771]

There are a couple of places on the internet that sell textures for model railroading. I do not remember the web addresses, but Google search Clever Models and Scale Scenes. I have looked into both of them for other modeling projects in the past. If you can not find the right textures you could do a Google image search and then print to photo paper. The printed interior then could be applied to the using spray adhesive as Bendtracker recommended.

Marshall

[Bendtracker1]

Doug do a Google search for "Free Online Textures"

There are a bunch of them but be careful when using the word Free.

I found this one:
http://www.texturemate.com/

[peteski]

I think this is a bit of an overkill.  Unless the stuff you want to emulate has fairly large and distinct patterns, I suspect that the effect will be lost when viewed from a foot away, though the kit's scale-foot-thick clear plastic windows.  Just painting the interior using some color approximating the material used would be good enough.

[Denver Road Doug]

Unless the stuff you want to emulate has fairly large and distinct patterns

You mean, like, say...old-school 70's wall panelling, standard floor tile/linoleum, and open grid ceiling tiles?   

[basementcalling]

Ha, probably more like the current version...
http://binged.it/1lMb2AB

I'm not opposed to the BNSF Swoosh necessarily.  But my main focus is "Year 2000" so I keep everything Circle logo.  I will probably have few pieces of Swoosh rolling stock and a loco or two for a "fast forward" ops session though.  So if you're trying to ruffle my feathers, ain't gonna work...   

Doug, I should have been more specific. I was referring to the paint colors: the green and orange under the swoosh, not the lettering itself.

[peteski]

You mean, like, say...old-school 70's wall panelling, standard floor tile/linoleum, and open grid ceiling tiles?   

  Yeah!

[Denver Road Doug]

Doug, I should have been more specific. I was referring to the paint colors: the green and orange under the swoosh, not the lettering itself.

Oooooh, ok.  Yes, that probably would make me  .

I did make some progress.  Got everything sanded and cleaned up good.  Applied primer to all parts so everything is ready for paint now.

Regarding the glass, I'm probably only going to use the slanted tower glass piece, and cut out new glass from clear plastic for the rest of the windows.   Considering boarding up/plating over a couple of the windows, but if the interior detailing works out well I'll probably just leave them open, for "theatrical effect."