HO Engine House

[RE#1]

Placing trees…still need to add leaves and paint more trees…once I like how it looks, I will paint/weather the dirt and add grass/weeds/bushes…

 

[Kusojiji]

Looks like the attachments didn't stick.

 

[RE#1]

I see them

 

[Kusojiji]

I see them now. that was strange.

 

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[Kusojiji]

What is this structure?

 

[RE#1]

This is a concrete coaling tower used during the 1920-1950 era. The shed covers the coal pit grate to protect it from weather. There will be a bucket rail system attached to the rear lifting the coal to the top of the tower. It will have two coal chutes. One under the tower and one on the side.

 

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So I decided to demolish this model. I live in an apartment so I do not have a lot of room for large dioramas. I knew this before I started but I did it anyway. Go figure. I saved a small portion of the diorama and will continue with this. The chain link fence will continue along the edge of the forest. As for the engine house and additional structures, that will be a separate smaller diorama. Around the coal pit I will have mesh landing with railing. I will add a water column.

 

[Kusojiji]

You ran out of space or it was just in the way? So the engine house part is gone?

 

[RE#1]

The diorama was just too large for me to display anywhere besides my kitchen table where it was currently being worked on. I don’t like tossing dioramas out but from time to time I have to in order to make room for new ones. People tell me how cool the dioramas are and to sell them but the truth is nobody wants to buy them. I wish I had a house. I would dedicate a room for completed dioramas but in California homes are too expensive. I used to collect a lot of models but I stopped doing that. To me, it was a waste of money and the fact that I would never be able to build all of them. Plus what will my kids do with the model kits once I die. Most likely give them away or worse, throw them in the trash. Very depressing. In the past, I have donated my dioramas/model railroad products to a local railroad club and I have donated model kits to Angel View. At least you can write that off at the end of the year on taxes. As for the engine house and other buildings, I want to build a diorama depicting a burnt/collapased engine house. Once I put the roof on the engine house depicted in this thread, I will set it on fire and collapse a portion of the structure. I will purchase a cheap locomotive on eBay and stick it inside.

 

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[Kusojiji]

Ah, gotcha. Do you run on your dioramas from time to time? Or do you really build them as static display? You could make the bases all the same size, stack them up on a ladder type shelf and take them down once in a while or something like that.

Yeah, my kids don't share in this hobby. But keep going! I enjoy the view!

 

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I will drill holes in the walls for the fence posts.

 

[RE#1]

Ah, gotcha. Do you run on your dioramas from time to time? Or do you really build them as static display? You could make the bases all the same size, stack them up on a ladder type shelf and take them down once in a while or something like that.

Yeah, my kids don't share in this hobby. But keep going! I enjoy the view!

My dioramas are static displays. I don’t want to run wire and switch modules because then I would have to frame a base. If I had a larger place then maybe. I like the artistic side of diorama building.

 

[Kusojiji]

It's too bad you don't live near me. I am the opposite, no artistic capability whatsoever. More technical. So I watch and maybe copy certain aspects of yours and others' builds.

 

[RE#1]

It's too bad you don't live near me. I am the opposite, no artistic capability whatsoever. More technical. So I watch and maybe copy certain aspects of yours and others' builds.

Don’t you reside in Japan?

 

[Kusojiji]

Sure do.

 

[RE#1]

Is this hobby popular in Japan?

 

[Kusojiji]

Yes. They even have rental layouts available since people usually don't have the space for one in their house/apartment. You pay for a certain amount of time, bring your trains and run them. I have not yet gone to one myself.