More Structures for Ophir

I seem to be taking a longer break from the Durango Yard than I originally anticipated.  It may be a form of procrastination, because the next step is finalizing the track plan to Dolores, and then building benchwork!

Meanwhile, I have completed three more structures for my Ophir Loop portion of the layout.  These were all built from Banta ModelWorks kits:  the toilet and handcar shed, and the Oilton Club Saloon.

The toilet and handcar house were painted using standard RGS colors, Jersey Cream and Brown, which are available from PBL.  These are similar to, but not the same as, the D&RGW Depot Buff and Brown.  Exposed wood parts were stained using Hunterline  Creosote Black.  All parts were painted or stained while still attached to the carrier sheets to effect a cleaner look.  I did have a couple of minor problems with the toilet and handcar shed.  The laser cut windows and doors were cut too close to the edge of the the plywood, so I had to do a bit of repairs.  The handcar shed did not come with shingles, so I simply used leftover shingles from the Ophir Depot kit, and stained them with the Creosote Black.  Yes, I have constructed the Ophir Depot!

The Oilton Club Saloon was stained using Hunterline Cottage White stain for the walls, Dark Green acrylic paint for the trim, and Creosote Black for exposed wood, such as the stairs.  The kit includes silkspan for roofing.  I cut the silkspan into four-foot wide pieces, which were installed vertically using Aleene's Original Tacky Glue.  The roof was then painted with Polly Scale Grimy Black, and, when dry, weathered using Pan Pastels.  The only glitch in assembling this kit was that the two short doors were not included.  I was able to scatchbuild the doors from leftover plywood from the kit.  The instructions made no mention of the boarded-up window, and there is no window included in the kit for that location.  Photos show that this window was boarded-up at some point, so that is how I handled that window.

The three new structures for Ophir Loop, from left to right, they are:  the toilet, the Oilton Club Saloon, and the handcar house. 

The Oilton Club Saloon, with it's boarded-up window.

Well, back to working on the Durango Yard.  I need to repair moving damage to the turntable handrails (very fragile!), and I need to attach the Roundhouse roof.  However, before the roof can be attached I need to update or replace some of the microlights in the Roundhouse as some appear to have ceased working.  Also, some minor (I hope!) grading work needs to be done on the track over the ashpit.

The Ophir Tram House

I have taken a break from working on the Durango Yard, and constructed the Ophir Tram House.  This model was built from a Banta Modelworks kit.  The kit consists primarily of laser cut wood parts and corrugated metal siding.  The following photos show certain stages in construction.  All wood parts were stained on both sides using Hunterline Creosote Black stain.  The corrugated metal was first cut to size (1 3/8" tall, and then into panels 11 ridges wide).  The corrugated metal was attached to corrugated cardboard sheets using double-sided Scotch tape.  The corrugated metal was then sprayed with Rust-O-Leum Clean Metal Primer, and when dry, sprayed with Rust-O-Leum Flat Black.  Once dry to the touch, the panels were baked at 250 degrees for two hours to set the paint and prevent chipping.  NOTE:  Scotch tape distorts badly when heated.  Use double-sided masking tape instead!

A quick note about weathering is in order.  I weathered the corrugated metal following installation to the model.  The building was weathered using Pan Pastels, which are available from Stoney Creek Designs.  I used rust and gray to achieve the rusty weathered look of the prototype.

I deviated from the kit instructions in two ways; these will be discussed in the photo captions.

This photo shows the tram house itself following assembly of the framing and interior scribed siding.  This is the first deviation from the kit instructions.  I decided to glue the laser cut framing to the scribed interior siding prior to assembly of the walls to form the tram house.  It seemed to me that this would ensure that the parts fit together properly.  All parts fit perfectly, and I was happy with my modification.

This is the completed roof assembly ready for installation of the corrugated roofing material.

This view is of the base which has etched guidelines for placement of the completed bents.  This is the second deviation from the kit instructions, where I installed the bents to the base rather than to the completed tram house.  I would recommend following the instructions in this case, as it would have been easier to glue the bents to the tram house first.

The "completed" Ophir Tram House.  The Ore delivery chute is not installed, because the chute is braced to an outhouse located under the tram house.  Once the outhouse is constructed, the chute will be installed.

Another view of the tram house.  Note that the end is not square with the sides of the building, adding interest.

The other side of the Ophir Tram House.