My Northern Pacific Butte Montana Layout.


More photos: The east sidewall.
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Same part different lighting.
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I won't take anymore photos of bashing the parts together as they all are pretty similar.
 
Well, I've finally completed cutting parts apart and then gluing them back in different configurations. I'm actually starting to assemble some of the sub-assemblies, now. Will take photos of interesting parts, soon.

I am very impressed with this Kit-Bash. I am in wonder of Mr. Curren's ability to see a different outcome to a kit, than what was designed by the manufacturer! I have built one other Kit-Bash of his and that was the "Wedge Shaped Factory". This Kit-Bash was far more simple than the Gambol, Waite and Hope building I am working on now. While some dimensions of where to cut, would have made things easier, in the end, I was able to fumble through and make the cuts where they needed to be. However, this building has been the most difficult Kit-Bash I have ever done. I'm wondering how nice this building will be after all the cutting and slashing that has been done to it? I bought Mr. Curren's book just after starting my layout. It laid the foundation for my ability to see kits as a place to start my scratch build and/or Kit-Bash abilities for many of the buildings on my layout. A strong percentage of the structures (maybe 50%) on my layout are either Kit-Bashed; or, Scratch Built. I would strongly recommend that all model railroaders attempt one of Mr. Curren's Kit-Bashes. It will make you a better modeler and you won't have the same model structures that everyone else has!

Saddly Mr. Curren passed away in 2000 at the young age of 66! He was a real talent that can not be easily replaced. However, he was from an era in modeling where people where more interested in Model Building, than simply buying everything and plopping it down on the layout!
 
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Here are some photos of actually building the Gambol, Waite and Hope Building: The photo below is out of focus; but, does show my gluing on the corner reinforcement square tubing. I use reconfigured Spring Clothes Pins for clamps.
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Sorry, again out of focus; but, here I am gluing the west wall of the building to the model's platform base and North Wall. Of the North Wall I will glue a lean to shed that will sit on the ground.
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Below, I am gluing the South wall to the east wall at the corner between the two. Here I am using a Magnetic jig for gluing buildings together. https://www.micromark.com/Magnetic-Gluing-Jig-10-1-4-Inch-Square
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More Photos:

below I am gluing the Diagonal Bracing onto the Platform Base of the building.

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As you can see, I needed orientation information, previous to being able to make sense of which walls, went where! Instead of looking at Mr. Curren's photos every time I needed to figure stuff out, I decided that since everything was going to eventually be painted, I should mark the platform and parts with a felt tipped marker their compass directions. The reality is, the compass directions have nothing to do with where North and South actually are and are only for orientation.
 
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And, More photos:
This is the Southern end of the tall part of the building. I think more corrugated roofing will go atop this section.
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Here I am building the dormer for the South (annex) part of the building. I'm using a former pin gauge which was scrapped because it had been warn enough to be "Out of Calibration"! Normally, it would have been tossed into a scrap barrel as it is important to get rid of gauges that are Out of Calibration.
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This is the Lean to part that will actually be on the ground when attached to the Annex.
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Progress continues!
 
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I gots to figure out how you made the clothespin clamps -- cool idea!
"Bash" is looking good.
You should be scratch building something in 55n3 or 72whatever - just to see how you like it.
 
Clothes Pin Clamps: Pull the Clothes Pins apart, flip the wood parts over and insert the spring on so that the long end (what was the area that was squeezed together) will become the clamping end. Actually, look at the photo below, to determine how to make. I have 20-25 of these Clothes Pin Clamps and often have needed more. They are my most used type of clamps and I have nine different; or variations of clamps I use in model building. Very simple and very useful!
HPIM8063.JPG
 
A phew more Fotos:

This is where the last wall will be going, then it's paint, weathering and installing doors and windows.
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This is the last wall, waiting for glue to set, so I can install in the place for a wall, above.
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This is the dormer with what I hope will look like Creosoted wood, which is what I plan to paint the building with. Because the two kits where made with two different colored plastics, I need to cover both kits in the Kit-Bash to get them to look similar in color with an opaque color. In this case I'm going to paint the opaque color in a Yellow-Orange. Once the Yellow-Orange is dry, I will then over paint with Burnt Umber Wash, made from a half used bottle of Ceramicoat Burnt Umber and water filled to the brim and shook-up and mixed together well. I am intentionally attempting to have the BUWash turn out splotchy. I still need to try this method on the wall above as it is make from both colored plastics. What do you think?
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Great job on this build, I'm enjoying following along. I like, and will use your clothes pin clamp idea.
 
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I been stealing my wife's spring load clothes pins for years to use as small clamps. They would great for painting a Kadee coupler or two or attach a bunch of them in a line on a 1X2 and you now have a coupler painting jig.

Not to steal the Thread about writing about clothes pins, but back to the structure, Mark have you considered painting the building with a gray primer type paint and then using Pan Pastels or drying brush the sides?

Greg
 
I been stealing my wife's spring load clothes pins for years to use as small clamps. They would great for painting a Kadee coupler or two or attach a bunch of them in a line on a 1X2 and you now have a coupler painting jig.

Not to steal the Thread about writing about clothes pins, but back to the structure, Mark have you considered painting the building with a gray primer type paint and then using Pan Pastels or drying brush the sides?

Greg

Greg, I have used Primers many times, this was a project that I didn't feel warranted using a Gray Primer coat on. I guess the yellow acrylic paint I put on as a first coat could be considered Primer, if you want. I have used my technique for getting a creosoted look on the wall made from the two different colored plastic parts in the second photo of Post 530 and am satisfied with the outcome.

Can you explain to me how you have gotten a Creosoted Wood look from Pan Pastels and dry brushing? I do plan to use Pastel Chalks and some dry brushing, to weather my building. I generally weather after a project is completed.

I have two different sets of pastel colored chalks and haven't tried Pan Pastels, yet, as I think the price they are charging for them is too high. In the mean time, the chalks I have work just fine.

I also feel that the Clothes Pin Clamps are so simple, cheap and works so well, that anyone involved in the process of building models should have a supply of these simple gadgets on hand.
 
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Some more photos of the progresson the Gambol,Waite & Hope Building:

Here the assembled walls are getting a coat of Yellow/Orange base coat, previous to the second coat of thinned down Burnt Umber. The small wall to the right already has a coat of the Burnt Umber. Right now I am actually considering re-painting the small wall to the right with the Yellow/Orange and having the Yellow/Orange be the color of the building! What do you think?
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O.K. The question: "What do you think?" above, was a teaser, I would never use the yellow to color this; or, any other building on my layout! Maybe I'm a little surprised nobody reacted to the question! In an effort to make the building look like it was built from Creosote Treated Lumber, I have used paints in the way I first described. The walkway around the building has been panted gray and aged with a black wash and the black wash has also been applied to the walls. I think the building looks really good and you will see it when I show more pictures of it later.
 
And, again, more photos:

Again, not very well focused! This is the North and West walls of the building.
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Here I show the South and East walls. And again slightly out of focus. However the photos do show the overall colors of the buildings.
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I would like to see a "down to earth" photo - not from an elevated look?
Also - to my thinking - the background makes it "confusing" to look at!
Too much clutter and that green pad confuses/clouds my eyesight?
 
I will do as you suggest. The stuff on my bench might be confusing the camera, too.
 
I guess I really do not have a good place for taking photos! In this set, I would say I have the building looking like it's built from Creosoted wood, as it sort of blends with the Knotty Pine background. The photo is still out of focus, too. This is the North and West sides of the building!
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Again, out of focus! This is the South and East side of the building, as described by Mr. Curren.
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I'm in the process of installing the windows. I still have five left to install on the East side. Then I will weather with chalks and do some dry brushing, before glazing the windows.

I have not started cutting up the roofing pieces for the roofs, yet.

I am sorry about the quality of the photos I've shown. I guess with close-ups I should be bracketing the shots: regular shot, Close-up shot and very close-up shot. That seems like too much work, as I'm really only attempting to show the progress being made on the building. I have a piece of White Foam Board I could use as a back drop and maybe when the building is done I will try to get better photos to show the completed structure as best I can.
 



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