URBAN RENEWAL – 2

Continuing the fleshing out of rail-served structures at Eugene, I moved on to a couple of relatively conventional uses of kits.  The first structure used the Design Preservation Models kit for “Drywell inks” (243-40100) to serve as my Oregon Supply.  This structure is at the end of a spur just up from my Eugene depot. 

Construction was straight-forward for a DPM kit.  Assemble the separate modular pieces into walls and then build those up into the structure.  I added a bit of extra bracing on the inside to support a floor for the second story and another floor for the freight dock wing.  Added to the roofs for these two section, this provided extra rigidity to the structure.  The second story floor also provided a needed visual block.

Basic structure built for my Oregon Supply.  Brick mortar has been added to the oxide red walls.

As seen in the photo, I left out the windows, doors, floors and roofs from the structure to allow easy treatment of the brick.  In contrast to the Eugene depot where I used a dilute paint wash for the mortar, I instead used colored drywall mud for the mortar on this structure.  That technique was described in a recent Trainmasters TV episode. I thought it was worth a try.  After giving the structure brick walls a coat of oxide red paint, I mixed up a small batch of drywall compound with a dab of gray acrylic paint.  Though I am happy enough with the end result, I can see why Barry Silverthorne recommended using black paint for the mixture. The mud drys lighter than its moist state.  The mud is spread onto the brick, working into the molded crevices.  Much of the mud can be wiped off with a putty knife, while still wet.  After the mixture sets, I went back with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to further clean off the brick faces.  A light spray with the oxide red paint helps blend everything together and tones down the lighter mortar. 

I had to be careful selecting the trim color for windows and doors. The nearby depot used a dark green—a common trim color for structures such as this.  I instead chose a tan color, one I use as a base for representing wood components.  Here, I simply wanted a neutral trim.  This structure needed to be distinct from the nearby depot. 

I assembled the rest of the building pretty much as described in the DPM instructions. Once again, I found canopy cement a useful adhesive.  I used it to install the painted windows and doors, the floors and roofs and the details.  I even found it easier to work with when joining a pair of white metal castings for one of the feed pipes from the tank. 

Street-side view of Oregon Supply.  This side faces the backdrop in my Eugene scene.

Oregon Supply placed on the layout.

The second industry in the Eugene area I used a kit for was a set of warehouses for the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) materials yard.  These structures needed to occupy a narrow strip between the EWEB spur and the curved backdrop.  I used the Walthers “Clayton County Lumber kit (933-2911).  This kit provides four corrugated iron structures, one of which is pie-slice-shaped, intended to serve on a curved siding.  I chose to keep three of the four structures in line, including the one intended to bend the structure group around a curve.  The major modification I made to all of the structures was to narrow them and angle their cut-off rears to fit against the curved backdrop.  This was a relatively simple modification.  I recently finally found a spray can of aluminum paint (not gloss silver), which provides a far better base for representing galvanized corrugated siding and roofing.  With this base coat, and often while still moist, I use a light overspray of a chalky aged gray.  Both of these were Rustoleum spray cans.

EWEB warehouses fitted up against the curved backdrop at the RR-West end of Eugene.  I need to replace the kit stairs and platform for the office on the left to better account for the proximity to the rail spur.

I will weather both sets of structures further, but for now, I have another couple of three-dimensional structures fleshing out the rail-served industries at Eugene.