Decided it's long past time to wrap up some projects on the RGW. I may have 8-9 buildings in various stages of construction, so I need to start knocking them off one-by-one. Tonight I addressed the Black Diamond Bakery and Old Ice Cream Shoppe. This is a prominent building in downtown and it's highly visible on the layout. I found this structure in a giveaway pile at a local swap meet years ago. So I have zero invested in it. As I detailed many moons ago, I built a foundation for this building and pretty much set things aside after that. It was not a well made kit, glue slopped everywhere and the center dividing wall put in upside down. Mold lines not sanded out and molded part numbers still visible. So tonight I started by tearing apart the old base and the inside of the structure. I saved much of it and even ended up with several pieces left over. The first step was to place some of the older parts back into the new building layout. Several modifications were necessary, including resizing individual pieces, like counters, to provide a better fit. I augmented the old parts with new 3d printed tables, chairs and booths. I made sure to test fit the structure before gluing, just to insure everything was in a good place. Once I was satisfied, I pulled the structure off, glued everything in place and hit the inside with its first coat of primer. That was enough for tonight. I'll let it dry overnight and get back at it again tomorrow. To be honest, it felt weird not working on yard panels....
Here's an update from last evening. We were short staffed with railroad conventions, flight museum honoree banquets and other things, but we did get things done. Wain has just about wrapped up the testing on the Franklin panel. A few tweaks to a couple of routes and we'll be ready for install. As for me, I worked on the Black Diamond Bakery. I first masked off the roof to protect existing features like hoods and vents. Then gave it a good prime coat. I also did the windows at the same time. Meanwhile I spent time detailing the interior. Just hand painted features to this point. I'll still add people and wall treatments later. I painted the ice cream shoppe with a burgundy seat cover and aluminum table top look. As for the bakery, I used a red and wood scheme. It is in keeping with the color scheme of the building, off white with bright red trim and red window frames. The bakery is on the left. The ice cream shoppe is on the right. The ice cream shop tables are already attached inside the structure, so painting them was an interesting challenge with 60 year old nerves. I set everything aside to dry and will get back to it soon. That's it for now, thanks for checking in.
Looking great, Michael. Love the interior. As far as the control system is concerned, my hat's off to you and your crew for an absolutely superb job, both in the engineering and construction. Although I'm extremely old school that way (OK, I admit it. I'm electronically challenged) and my new layout will use the same system of block toggles that I learned from reading Model Railroader back in the 60's, I will definitely use your method of constructing a control panel. I really like the appearance, clarity and convenience. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for following our progress. I give all credit to my guys, they make it fun and very special. Best part of this hobby is the camaraderie. M
Another red letter day on the RGW as we installed the Franklin Yard panel. Before the big unveiling: And after : Wain gets 100% credit for this panel. We're so glad it's finally in. It still needs all of its nameplates, but just having it in is very satisfying. Now to complete South Seattle and the RGW week be fully functioning. Wow.
I just love the simplicity of this panel, the mainline passing through a wye, 11 turnouts, 6 routes and it's lit up like a Christmas tree.
Well it's about time I finished the Black Diamond Bakery. I started by sanding the interior of all the sign boards. The primer picture in the prior post revealed a very imperfect surface and it needed attention. I then painted the building off white flat, as per the prototype. I also painted the windows red, again consistent with the current building paint scheme. After cutting and gluing acetate sheet to the frames, it was time to install the windows and doors After all were installed, this is how she looks. I decided to create styrene sign boards so I can do the decals separately. After a little shaping and sanding, the 015 fits in nicely. Spent the next hour and a half installing lighting, both in the structure and under the layout and here she is : But wait, something doesn't look right... Ah, that's better. Seriously though, still so much to do. Wall treatments, people, signage and weathering to name just a few. Thanks for checking in.
