I say do it with your original plan of two walls 1/2" apart. It should look fine. No one can see both sides of the building at the same time anyway.
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-Kevin
Living the dream.
I used the Walters "Arrowhead Ale Brewery," re-badged as the "Strumpet Brewery," for a two-sided background building. The normal side faces the layout and provides a switchable industry.
The other side is along a narrow aisle, but it gave me a chance to build a simple interior.
It's right above a subway station, also open to the aisle.
It is actually built on a narrow extension and hangs out into the aisle a bit. I would not build it this way again. The aisle is narrow enough as is, and I have bumped into the building more times than I care to remember.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thanks you all for the suggestions. I like the ideas of detailling the inside of the building and also to make the backing part of the side facia. Will give these a good though. Thanks again.
Jack W.
IMHO, the space left between the track and the edge of the module being what it is, an interior scene would look weird. I would prefer a black back with, if it will be a public display, the name of the industry.
Guy
Modeling CNR in the 50's
I vote for making the backside of the buildings closed off and made part of the side fascia, unless you're amitious and want to model the interior. From a realism standpoint, the extended fascia will simply appear as dead space and will look no more unrealistic than a cut-open building with its innards hanging close to the edge of abyss.
Displaying the interior might look cooler, but I don't think it is essential for improving realism.
- Douglas
"Fascia flats" are becoming more common and work well. So you should be fine.
Many times, this is simply the fascia carried up and painted the fascia color. Or it could be a flat black nothing-to-see-here panel.
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
I vot for interior - loading doc of the building facing the tracks, and when viewed from the outside of the layout, you would be looking at the interior of that building. I'm not so sure of you sandwiched the track side and the street side of the building together with a mere 1/2" or so in between, you would get the effect you are going for. If the aisle side of the layout has the interior of the building, it gives the illusion of standing inside the building looking out through the loading dock doors.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I also agree to go for it......I have a ISL section on My layout that the backdrop hides the double track mainline behind it and used a few back ground buildings from the viewing side which are only 1 1/2'' deep......but they all have interiors on the first floor, with open windows and dock doors. The backside is 1/16'' Illustration board/Poster board, the inside has color prints from My color printer that I obtained from Google images and copied on My printer and sized them as close as I could to 1/87. I then glued them to the back wall and made a floor to match the outside dock floor, with a fork lift truck with driver starting to come thru the doorway. The other floors are frosted white acetate. with LED and incandesant lighting. You could do the same with both sides of the structure with a double wall inside. It makes the building from the viewing side pop out and appear larger than it really is.......Go for it!
Take Care!
Frank
jmbjmb ...this could get bumped...
...this could get bumped...
YODA: Not "could" Luke, "will".
LUKE: Yoda, how is it you know the future. You are very wise.
YODA: And handsome. Don't forget handsome.
Ed
Sounds good. I also like the idea of building the inside view. MR did this a couple years ago on one of their project layouts. Like someone mentioned this could get bumped so may plexi on the aisle side?
can't wait to see it.
jim
Can we see a photo when it's done?
Sounds like a fine idea.
Another version: do the INSIDE of the wall.
Either way, the "wall" is going to be in a very delicate position. Foam core sounds a little light. Perhaps 1/4" plywood? And then there's the attachment method.
Anyway, yes. A good idea.
I am building a small ISL 16 inches deep by 11 feet long. There are two siding "circle" that are close to the edge about 2 inches. My idea was to use background building in these areas with the back toward the edges. The back of these building covered with a black foam core. Now this ISL is to be viewed from both side like a freemo module. I am thinking about using a two sided building that is, a back and a front separated by 1/2 nch. What do you think.