Engine House

 I'm contemplating making a small switching layout (or this may end up on my Vine and Branches Layout) and thought it would be nice to have a small engine house to park the engine and keep it out of the weather. The Pike's Stuff Small Engine House was tempting but larger than I wanted and I wanted to scratch build and practice my styrene techniques. 

Here are the self imposed build parameters I'm working within

I've been very tempted to add 3D printed detail parts but I want to make something that others can replicate. If there is enough interest I may build another version that is detailed out with my SLA 3d printer. 

I started by using the basic size of the Pike's Stuff small engine house as a guide and then went from there. The size is 30'x60' feet which I thought was a little long for my needs so I went 30'x41'. After cutting out the walls I decided to build some I-beam to support the walls and roof. The I-beams are 1 foot wide. The building is 24' tall so I cut some 3' wide strips for the center of the I-beam by 25' long. Next I split the strip in half so it was 2' at one end and 1' at the other. I'll include more details of how I assembled these later.

For the base I started with building some code 83 track on PCB and wood ties. I cut the track long enough that I can place my largest diesel engine on it as I might use it as my programming track. I measured the thickness and then subtracted the thickness of 1 sheet of styrene and cut some strips that wide. Next I drew out the outline of the building on a larger piece of styrene and started gluing the strips down for the concrete floor of the building.

(More to come)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mechanic Shop Tool Chest and Cabinets

Image
I needed some details for a small HO scale mechanic shop scratch build I've been working on and decided to take some scraps of heavy paper and make a tool chest and added some cabinets too. Leave a comment if you would like me to provide instructions or a build video.
Read more

Billboard

Image
Billboards are common in many places, sizes, and era's  In this article I'll walk you through creating an older style wooden billboard from a styrene For Sale sign.  The size of our billboard will be 12'x24'. Pieces Cut the following pieces. Dimensions are given in scale feet/inches. 1@ 12' x 24' - billboard 2 @ 2" x 6" x 24' - trim 2 @ 2" x 6" x 12' - trim 4 @ 2" x 6" x 23' - sign backing 1 @ 2" x 6" x 23' - lateral brace 8@ 2" x 8" x 9' - platform support 8@ 2" x 6" x 23' - braces 8@ 2" x 6" x 24' - uprights 3@ 2"x 8" x 24' - planks Directions Glue pairs of 2" x 6" x 23' braces together to make 4 braces.  Glue pairs of 2" x 6" x 24' uprights together to make 4 uprights. Glue the 2" x 6" x 24' and 2" x 6" x 12' pieces around the edge of the billboard. Some will need trimmed to length. Evenly spa
Read more

HO Scale Model Deck Barge Build Instructions

Inspired by a recent Model Railroader magazine article I decided to try and build a hopper barge and and got sidetracked on this deck barge. I chose to use card stock but polystyrene, matte board, or other products could also be used. I started by using Elmer's Glue All to laminate 4 pieces of letter sizes card stock together to get the stiffness I wanted which is about 0.04".  Tools & Materials Building material options: 4 sheets of card stock, polystyrene sheets, or matte board.  Glue: Aleene's® Tacky Glue, Elmer's® Glue All®, Thin Super Glue (CA) Sharp knife or scissors Printout of plans or ruler Details:  Cleats (6+). I put 3 on each side but I've also seen an additional 1 on each end.  Bit Bollards (4) Tire bumpers (about 60) Sealer such as Matte Medium or Enamel Clear matte finish. Paint Weathering materials Build Steps Build Material: Print out the provided template ( PDF )  and laminate with 4 sheets of card stock. Or whatever thickness seems appropriat
Read more