Pere Marquette, Flint, Michigan

[iis612]

I am working on the Walthers Cornerstone roundhouse. I am looking for ideas to weather the window "Glass" before I glue them in place.
My first thought was, hit them with a light mist of dullcoat, then apply some powder, with the heavier application being the celestory windows, then hit them with another coat of dullcoat. (Obviously, this is for the inside aspect) Has anyone ever weathered window glazing this way?
They are molded, clear styrene.
The outside, I am going to do a different method, involving, what I call "Spot Washing". The gist of this method is to prepare an appropriate wash, and using a small brush, place a bit of the wash on 1 small area of the window. This method, and perhaps I am too uptight about this, will only apply to certain outside aspects of the building's windows. In most areas, the rain comes from the same direction most of the time. Michigan is a Westerly state. Meaning that the weather systems come from the west, and the north. There are always exceptions to this pattern.
Any thoughts, or ideas? I am keen to hear them.
Thanks in advance,
Matt

[viperman]

Nice to see someone local on here! I have been in a bit of a funk for a while now, but most of that is because its an hour drive for me up to Crystal Lake just to get to my layout. And I only get up there once a week at the most. While I'm there, its usually just visiting with family, and I never go down to work on the trains, though my son always makes pop pop take him down there to play with his toy trains on the tracks. Hopefully the bridge I just bought over the weekend, along with being at a train show, will inspire me to actually get some work done this Sun when I go up there.

[iis612]

Viperman,

It is good to see someone else from IL here. You aren't corrupt are you? You don't hold any elected office?

An hour drive!! Wow! I get out to Carol Stream on a semi regular basis. One of my Doctors has an office in the Mona Kae medical park out there. There is one other from IL here, but he is in Vernon Hills. My wife has friends out in the Crystal Lake area. I dread driving all the way up there.
If I had to travel more than a few seconds to get to my layout, I don't think I would ever get anything done. Have you considered moving part of your layout to your new home?
Every once in a while RailOhio comes through chasing trains. We should see about all of the locals getting together for some railfanning, or a cup of coffee.
If you are interested, once my layout is, well, a layout, I am going to need some operators.

Matt

[viperman]

iis612, check the links in my signature, they show my layout's history/progress. Unfortunately, the layout is built on a couple 4x8 sheets of plywood with foam on top, not very portable. I have all the wires underneath attached throughout the trackplan, and those are all intertwined with each other, going through holes drilled in the support beams, etc. We really don't have any room for the layout here. We are looking to buy a townhouse in Winfield this year. Part of a first time homebuyers program, a little bigger than the townhouse we're renting now, and the mortgage stands to be roughly half our rent. Our problem is money, and we're not sure about our credit now...because of money and falling behind on stuff. Hopefully we can move in there, and maybe I can talk the wife into having our sons (4yr old and one due in June) share a room, and we can use the 3rd bedroom for the computers, trains, toys, whatever.

I think it would be really cool to meet up, if anything for a cup of coffee. Especially in downtown Wheaton, with a very active mainline running right across the street from the Starbucks there

[Russ Bellinis]

I am working on the Walthers Cornerstone roundhouse. I am looking for ideas to weather the window "Glass" before I glue them in place.
My first thought was, hit them with a light mist of dullcoat, then apply some powder, with the heavier application being the celestory windows, then hit them with another coat of dullcoat. (Obviously, this is for the inside aspect) Has anyone ever weathered window glazing this way?
They are molded, clear styrene.
The outside, I am going to do a different method, involving, what I call "Spot Washing". The gist of this method is to prepare an appropriate wash, and using a small brush, place a bit of the wash on 1 small area of the window. This method, and perhaps I am too uptight about this, will only apply to certain outside aspects of the building's windows. In most areas, the rain comes from the same direction most of the time. Michigan is a Westerly state. Meaning that the weather systems come from the west, and the north. There are always exceptions to this pattern.
Any thoughts, or ideas? I am keen to hear them.
Thanks in advance,
Matt

There was a cover photo on Model Railroader a few years ago of a train with an a-b-b-a set of F-units in N.P. colors if I remember correctly where the modeler masked off an arc on the windshields to simulate the windshield wiper sweep and then sprayed the windshields with dull coat. I don't think you really need to use dull coat on the inside and then use washes on the outside. Dull coat or an acrylic flat finish on the outside of the windows will render them opaque, and then a spot wash to represent dirt over the top with a coat of dull coat to seal it after should be a very effective window weathering treatment.

[iis612]

I am working on the Walthers Roundhouse kit. It comes as a 3 stall kit, but additions can be purchased. I was looking at Walthers and for 3 add on stalls it costs over $55. The same kit costs less than that, before the sale price. Since I want more than 3 stalls, I purchased another kit. Now I get to save money, and have some left over wall parts. Photos of some progress to come, maybe if I have time between taking the kids to daycare, doctor appointment, and physical therapy.
I need to take the floor sections and attach them all together, then paint them. I will most likely use "Aged Concrete" in ye olde airbrush. They are cast in the correct collor, if you want them to look like the floor where just poured the day before.

I am also breaking ground for the 90' TT and a concrete coaling tower. The 1:1 scale built by Fairbanks Morse, back in the day, where tough. The one at Saginaw Yard is still standing, and it was built in 1920 - or so. They decided it would cost more to remove it then leave it there. What's more, the Blue Water chapter of the NRHS is based out of there, and they had some engineering company check it out (since they want to have some steam excursion services there soon) and according to the report, all it needs is a new hoist motor, a coal receiving track, and some coal, and it will be good to go. That is some serious construction.

Matt

[viperman]

Post up some pics of the progress with your roundhouse

[BR60103]

Matt: what you may be missing in the roundhouse is another set of roof braces to go between stalls. You could always use the sides for that and call it an addition. It might be more convincing to make a 4 stall "original" and a 2 stall "addition".

[iis612]

Having recently been hit with the flu, and then a stomach bug, which ran through the whole house, and then the kids day care provider being closed for a few days due to the same illnesses, I have done NOTHING.

I should have some pics of the roundhouse in the next few days though. Be sure to check back.

Matt

[jglfan]

Hi Matt,

I missed this thread until now, I was working on a Walthers Roundhouse at the same time. They do make more than one, is yours the same as mine (pic below)? If so, you have the interior roof braces you need, as I also bought two kits to get six stalls. I'd love to see some photos of your roundhouse. Don't worry about those times when you can't motivate yourself to work on models, happens to me all the time, just today in fact! Usually when it comes to a point in the construction of a model where there is something tedious, or needs research. Or I'm not happy with the result I got and don't feel like doing it over. Like today! I actually went outside and worked on a stone retaining wall rather than model. And I enjoyed it way more! Oh, I didn't paint my floor sections, I just weathered them.

Take care, Gary

   

[iis612]

Gary,

It is the same one. Yours is looking great! I hope mine comes out nearly as nice. I did end up buying the second kit. As soon as I have something worth taking pictures of, they will be posted. I am knee deep in the 1:1 world as of late, which leaves little time for modeling.

Matt

[viperman]

Gary, that looks nice! Too bad I have no use for anything like that.

Matt, I look forward to seeing your progress. And I know what you mean about being knee deep. Couple weeks ago I got laid off at work, then a week and a half later I found out they hired someone else for that same position...after telling me they were cutting the position. So I've been looking for a job lately. Not that it cuts into my modeling time, since I have an hour drive to get to the layout.

[iis612]

Steven,

That stinks. Hopefully you can find a better job. I can feel your pain there too. I was injured on the job, and have not recvovered yet, but they found a way to get rid of me anyways. They put me on "leave" (which I never requested) then when I didn't report back, they fired me. The only way I found out that they fired me is because I got a disbursement check from my 401k.

On the modeling front, my wife is on vacation this week, so getting time to get down to the layout room has been impossible. If she doesn't take the camera to work on Monday, I should be able to post some progress pics.


Matt

[viperman]

I can kinda feel your pain there. I was injured on the job once that kept me from driving (I was a parts delivery driver), and they were pretty good about that. But then later on at the same place, I got sick to the point my Dr didn't want me driving and I was out of work for 3wks. A couple days after returning to work they fired me. They said it was because I threatened another driver

[iis612]

Let's move away from the structures for a bit. I have another problem with my mikado build. The trucks for the tender are cast from soft metal. One of them took a spill onto the floor, the other is bent from poor packaging. Can anyone recomend a way to straighten them? Hand power does not seem to be getting it done. I will post pics of them later (when the camera gets home).

Thanks,
Matt