At a show last week, a fellow friend and vendor was "liquidating" some N scale stuff from a layout/collection he'd bought. Among other things, I got one of the Bachmann maintenance facility buildings for $5. The previous owner had done a decent job building and weathering it, and I really liked the stock floor that had rails set in "concrete." All the windows made it a natural project for lighting and some interior details.
Here's the finished building unlit.
First step was to airbrush the base a bit more realistically.
Then I added some platforms and detail parts from the junk drawer.
Next came installing six white Surface Mount LEDs on the overhead beams. Hiding the wires was easy thanks to the I beam girder details. The LEDs are circled in red in the pic.
Everything glued back in place and the wires touched up with silver paint to hide them.
I attached a AA battery pack to see how it looks in the dark...
Front closeup, ready to go on the layout.
Very nice final result, and the photo with the lights on is very atmospheric. If I could make just one suggestion, in my experience with buildings of this vintage, the glass (both the skylights and side windows) is rarely as clean as this, and the many broken panes are often replaced with solid colored glass or even a sheet of wood or steel. And the roofs are often subject to fairly intense "decorating" by birds ....
Dave Nelson
Ditto on the glass. Close to a quarter of them might be broken and repaired with sheets of plywood or metal. Another easy detail would be to add air hoses. That could be easily done with black thread or even a painted line.
Mtennent,
I think you got a good bargin and did a nice job making the upgrades with lights. How putting lights in a building changes things. You will find some typical critics saying that real life windows break etc.
I had many critics of my work with no broken windows or missing window replaced I look and say My railroad has a great maintence department. So if a window breaks they buy a new one and replace it within 24 hr. We all know the saying apperance is everything. They also run on this motto "if its broke fix it if it aint fixable scrap it if scrapped it means another freight car or locomotive can be fixed'.
I wasn't trying to critize your work. I think it looks great! I was just offering suggestions of what I would do. Wouldn't it be nice if everything had such a great maintenance department...
soumodeler,
it sure would be in the real world nothing like that exists. I wasnt saying you were bashing the guys work I understand what you mean about broken windows etc I have seen such buildings. I think it adds but to me thats the least of my worriea of detail.
Whoa, guys.
I didn't consider the suggestions to be criticism. Just the opposite, in fact. Positive feedback is always welcome.
Soumodeler, isn't your club planning a show for May? I'll be one of the vendors. I look forward to meeting you.
No problem.
Very, very nice work. Nice photos, too, by the way.
Jim
Grrreat work! I always love the feeling of a bargin, especially when you can truely making something great of it, and you've done just that with this building. Great job.
-beegle55