That is a really interesting

That is a really interesting looking structure. I can see it being a landmark and understand why you want to model it. This should be fun to follow.

Atlantic depot

The first decision to make about the depot was whether to compress it or model it full-size.  It's a large structure, and I didn't want it to overwhelm my little representation of Atlantic yard, so my first thought was to compress it. Here's a shot of the prototype from its mid-2000s renovation, scaling down to about 24" long in HO:

Playing around in Photoshop, I realized that I could compress it without severely impacting the look in my opinion, getting it down to about 18" long.

However, I still wasn't convinced that I needed to do so.  My friend Scott Thornton suggested that I put together a quick mockup to help me decide, and I got pics of that this morning:

Uncompressed, the depot is actually longer than my shortest yard track there!  Those three tracks closest to the aisle, though, are only used by Engineering to tie down the occasional MOW car or three, so the diminutive length isn't an issue.

After trying the mockup, I think I'm safe to move ahead with an uncompressed Atlantic depot.  While it's not a small structure, those shortest tracks of the yard are all largely hidden under tall grass, giving the impression that the more visible tracks are longer than they really are and, in my view anyway, offsetting any issues with the depot's size.

So, full-size it is!  A friend is laser cutting this depot and the ex-RI structure at Council Bluffs for me, likely saving me a decade or two of work.   I'll share more as I make progress.

Fascinating!

Love your thought processes and look for forward to the progress. Thank goodness for great friends!

Slightly less compression maybe

What about slightly less compression to perhaps 20-21 inches. Slightly more under covered roof between structures and then perhaps skinnier windows in main structure, with each bricked face perhaps an eighth to quarter inch closer to get there.

the scene is nice and open and I think it can hold the full sized structure, but perhaps mock it up in 3 dimensions in card and see how it sits. The depth could be decider.

either way looking forward to your build

Depot

Thank you all for your interest.

Simon, I considered going with less compression, but for the few inches it'd save, I just didn't feel that it'd be worth the effort involved in re-scaling everything.

I did play around a bit more in Photoshop, and while the results are crude and out of proportion (especially in the structure's depth), it helps me to better imagine the completed scene.

Joe: Looks great in the mockup

The total scene is so open that a full sized station model looks great in your photoshop mockup.

I'd say go for full size, and you're able to model it as it actually is.  Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Is that a Terracotta roof or

Is that a Terracotta roof or are my eyes playing tricks on me?

That will be

the perfect center-piece for that scene!  And from looking at the over-all distance photo of the area there couldn't be a better one.  It will say something about the history of the area.  Looking forward to this!

After seeing your layout in

After seeing your layout in person and making a recent trip to Atlantic last summer, I had the pleasure of seeing the depot first hand.  I don't think saving a few inches is going to effect anything Joe.  The depot will become center piece for conversation that's for sure.

Looking forward to the build............whenever it happens.  

Depot

Thank you all very much for your encouragement.

Bud, you’re absolutely right about great friends. I wish I could give him credit, but he’d prefer to keep this quiet. 

Michael, you’re right about the terracotta roof. Same thing as it’s sister ex-RI depot in Council Bluffs, one that should actually take shape on the layout before the Atlantic depot.  

may I make a suggestion

have you thought about how you are going to construct this depot?  I recently built an uncompressed model of the Mankato Minnesota depot using all 3D printed parts and it turned out pretty nice.  the Mankato depot has a limestone bottom strip that I had printed as part of the wall section but where the brick areas were I left them flat and used printed photos of real brick that glued to the printed walls, it turned out better than I could have done with paint.  I had Shapeways print the parts because my printer won't do parts as big as they could, even so I still had to break it up into lots of pieces.  in areas that I needed fine detail I used the FWD material, and in areas that were covered by the photo paper I used the cheap white material.

Mankato depot

That is a STUNNING model!  Beautiful work!  Thanks for sharing the photos of your creation.  Really very impressive.

My friend hasn't started work on the Atlantic depot yet, but when he does, I'll point him to your post for consideration.  He's done other RI depots of similar construction in the past that turned out beautifully, but I don't know the specific methods he used.

Thanks again for your guidance and inspiration.

Absolutely Gorgeous Depot

Outstanding!

Question:

Are the roof shingles printed like the brick?

Classy with character

Sweet Mary and Joseph!  It makes my heart "smile" just to gaze at something so beautiful. That station is one of the best model structures I have ever seen. Poetry in miniature. Probably a badly executed mixed metaphor but I just couldn't think of any other way to say it.

Classy with Character and Beauty

I don’t enjoy passenger operations and I don’t pay attention to rail stations.  (I know, idiot) But, that is a thing of beauty and I would find a place for that on my layout. Just, wow! Thank you for sharing

Tom

I’m taking up stamp collecting

That depot is a work of art. I’m at a loss for words. Thank you for sharing this masterpiece.

3-D printing brick and stone depots

3-D printing can be a great way to model brick and stone depots. A friend has made a gorgeous model of the Clinchfield depot in Kingsport, TN, including its distinctive tower.

Go to this page and scroll down to see photos:

       https://aa3dmodels.com/modelrailroads/

He made a brick factory for me with fancy trim -- that saved me a lot of time.

Mark Charles

Ann Arbor, Mich. USA

the shingles are actually

the shingles are actually printed self adhesive sheets with a AI wash over them to weather them.  They are sold by Micro Mark

in an effort not to hijack a thread, go here to see my Mankato depot build and ask questions there, thanks for all the kind replies. http://www.railroad-line.com/discussion/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=41813&whichpage=1

Jeff