Steps to building a structure

These are the steps I have determined I must follow so I will not have a mess when I am done.

These are plastic structures, Cornerstone or DMP:

After checking contents:
1. Clean surface,
2. Square the wall edges,
3. Glue wall sections,
4. Paint walls,
5. Paint window frames, doors and architectural details,
6. Glue window frames and doors,
7. Apply weathering, mortar lines etc.
8. Spray with glosscote if necessary,
9. Apply decals,
10. Spray with glosscote to hide decal edges,
11. Spray with dullcote,
12. Windows and signage,
13. Weather,
14. Design, build interior,
15. Design, install lighting,
16. Test fit with surrounding details,
17. Test lighting in place,
18. Place on layout.

Edited to added the painting with glosscote and dullcote.

Feel free to renumber and insert any step I may have missed.

Steps to building a structure addition

Additionally to Bob's excellent advice I would add:

1) check box contents to see if EVERYTHING is there and in good shape (no missing/broken/distorted pieces).

2) test-fit the parts BEFORE applying glue

Why is step 10 needed?

Once you have applied the decals, I think the dull coat will hide the film just as well as gloss coat and save a step.  You did not list when to apply glazing.  It depends on what you want your windows to look like.  Office or store windows that are regularly cleaned, should be applied after the dull coat so that they appear clean and clear.  Warehouse or factory windows that probably were not cleaned again once they were first installed other than by rain washing and streaking the dirt on the outside, might be applied before the the dull coat is applied or even before weathering.

Step 10 source

Had another thread about the use of glosscote and dullcote. An excerpt from that thread: "Spray another layout of gloss on to hide the decal edges."

Click to read entire comment.

I have to admit his reasoning seems sound.

Adding the window glazing would be one of the last things done. I would think any time after the last dullcote spray.

Removable Roofs...

One more step...

Unless the building is a background building with no back, I have discovered that making the roof as a single, removable unit pays dividends down the road, if you need to add an interior, add / change lighting, etc.

I go the idea from one of Art Curren's kitbash articles from the 70's and 80's - I think many of these were published some years ago in a book format by Kalmbach entitled "Kitbashing HO Model Railroad Structures" (apparently no longer available). I have a 3rd edition published 1994, but I am sure that copies are still around - such as here on e-Bay.

John Senior

Living in Niagara Region, Ontario, up in the deep white North.

Progress - 1

Here are some pictures of Railroad St. showing the area currently under construction.

The sidewalk is the outline where the 3 buildings will be located that will make up the block.

Merchants Row 3 is on the right. The base of the building matches very well with the sidewalk. You can see to the left of the building the .060 foundation that was needed to bring the two DMP structures to the level of the sidewalk.

The block has all three buildings sitting in place with the sidewalk. All the buildings have been painted, has had Roberts Mortar applied. I highlighted the architectural details by painting them concrete. The window frames have been painted and installed. (Only the ones with separate frames. I don't know about you, but I really dislike window frames that are molded in the wall.)

The street, and intersection meet the grade crossing have been glued in using Woodland Scenics Accent Glue. There are "asphalt" strips that will fill the area between the street and sidewalk,

I plan on using the Woodland Scenics Accent Glue for the sidewalks and the buildings themselves. I did use it for the buildings in the downtown.

Download is located at the top of the layout over a lift out section. When setting the section in place the tacky glue held well. I just hope it does when I have to move it to work on the far back corner of the layout.

Once that is done I will now work on the signage and window treatments. I have purchased Evan Designs 2 programs. The Window Designer and the Advertise software programs hoping they will help me with all of the custom designs I want. I am going to try the transparent and opaque window treatments. I would like to give the impression of an occupied building rather than a hollow shell.

Thanks

Prototype Buildings

I needed to have a better idea of the general look I wanted to model. So my wife and I went into downtown Suffolk and Portsmouth Virginia to take some pictures.

Taking pictures on a major holiday is great. No parking problems, no foot traffic and very little vehicular traffic. Got some great picture that is going to be a real help.

This looks like a badly painted model

Well it is not. The building is in the 100 block of West Washington St.

To the pictures on the Easy Model Railroad Inventory  Facebook page. Or click the Photobucket like below and look for the Building - Prototype album.

Phototype Buildings!

Good job on the photos Bob, excellent detail . . and ideas!! You live in a very nice town for structures!

Thanks for sharing!

Drew 

Are plastic buildings different than plastic locomotive bodies?

"Had another thread about the use of glosscote and dullcote. An excerpt from that thread: "Spray another layout of gloss on to hide the decal edges."

I did 5 Gp 7's & 9's as well as a p2k Sw in black with Santa Fe zebra stripes.  I used Microscale decals and Micro-set & Micro-sol to set the decals.  When I shot the models with dull coat the decal film disappeared completely.  In fact I didn't have any gloss coat and applied the decals directly over the black paint, and the Micro-set and Micro-sol set them perfectly on all 6 models.

I always use both when setting decals.

It is the only way that I know of to get the decals to settle in around details.  I tried Solvaset, but found it destroyed my decals, but the Microscale products work great.

Badly detailed prototypes.

They look like bad paper models, the read and cream the worst one!.

Update - Case Trucking

I wanted to get something close to being completed. Just to keep me encouraged and focused. So I have been working on Case Trucking. This area is front and center when walking into the room as you can see from the track plan included in my opening remarks. Case is friend and neighbor. He is also a truck driver with 2,000,00 plus miles without an accident.

Of course no one had any decals so I had to make them. The following include before and after pictures that really demonstrate what a few signs and figures can do.

After...

Before

After...

Before

After...

Before

After...

I did try to get a similar angle and perspective for each of the before and after pictures. As you can see I didn't do that well. I hope it will give the viewer a way to compare how Case Trucking Inc is progressing.

Looks good to me, Bob.

Did you do the artwork for the decals?  They really look great.

FWIW

Trailers almost exclusively use an aluminum or galvanized steel (older) roof that is not painted. Not saying that somewhere there weren't painted roofs just that they would be very rare. In my younger days I worked for several years at a heavy truck shop doing collision repair work. I have riveted on many a trailer roof. Never saw one that was painted. Newer model trailers sometimes use a fiberglass roof for interior illumination that is a semi-transparent yellowish color. Based on the old H series Ford tractor the era is 50s' - 60's which means galvanized steel roof.

And yes, the figures and misc items really bring the scene alive. It looks nice.

Artwork

The truck is a JPG I found. Combined it with the text.

Trailer roof

LKandO,

I have been involved in shipping and receiving for many years but have never noticed the color of the roof. I will have to add painting the roof to my to do list. Thanks for the info.

Building a structure as flats

I perform your step 3 of gluing wall sections after your step 13 of weathering.  I work in flat wall sections, building them up completely before assembly.  Last step is to assemble.  Another tip from Art Curren I think, as well as the previously mentioned removable roof.  Also from Art, bracing.  I brace every joint and wall with extra styrene, cardboard foamcore, or whatever.  Buildings can get a lot of handling over the years, this ensures they survive it and don't crumble if picked up, moved, etc.  Also before the roof goes on I ad view blocks so you can see right through it.  Good luck, pictures look great so far!

There are no rigid steps...

Because this is that place where engineering and architecture meets up with art.  And in art, there is a sequence, but it really is "Blank canvas - Paint - Finished Masterpiece."

That "Paint" step involves so much working and reworking even of areas thought "Done" that it's quickly obvious the only one who knows what comes next is the artist at hand...

I put together lasercuts by basically tending to what needs to be done when it's most easily correctiable...and then moving forward from there!

Here's your sign...

I just finished adding signs on walls and windows in my downtown area. This is across from the station and up the block from Case Trucking.

Bennetts Creek Floral Design was the name of the florist my wife and I owned.

Bennetts Creek Pharmacy is owned by a friend. The pizzeria is named after a friend.

Click here to see the other pictures I took of the area.

Signs

Nice work, Bob. I also make my own signs and am in the process of making some now. Your truck decals turned out great. Adding the signs to the buildings starts to add life to the layout. Well done.

Roy

2 buildings completed

I recently completed 2 buildings located at Carolina Yard. That is located at the bottom right of the layout.

Some other views of the same area.

More here at my Photobucket account.

Best Foods building is now complete

Best Foods is located on the peninsula at the bottom right. I had a place holder sitting there for months. Here is how it looked a couple of weeks ago.

Another view...

Best Foods now..

Click to see more on my Photobucket account.

Woodland Scenics DPM building video

If you have iTunes, do a search for Woodland Scenics and watch the guy that builds the DPM buildings.  Great video for how to build structures.

The video(s) are also available on YouTube

@dcforbes - If you are referring to the videos developed for Woodland Scenics/DPM by Model Railroading University, then the videos may be viewed directly via YouTube "The First Lesson / DPM Kits - Part 1/21 - Woodland Scenics" - 21 parts. (iTunes not required) Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&list=PLAA3431B2F2688DDB&v=1wd_ZI56xU4#!

This is not so easily found from the Woodland Scenics web site. I found it on the web site last year, but the web site was reorganized since then.

(I will be using the tutorial for my Gripp's Luggage Mfg. kit)