Hi!
I’m starting on the “cornerstone” (pun intended) of my HO Loco servicing facilities - the Cornerstone Modern Coaling Tower (933-2903).
The color scheme will be medium olive green for woodwork/railings, dark “dirty” brown for roofs, and a custom mix color for the concrete.
As we all know, the color of concrete can be up for grabs. After several mixes and “swatches”, I ended up with a mix of Model Master Panzer interior beige, Fulcrum grey, a dab of Leather, and a dab of flat yellow. It comes fairly close to the picture on the box, which wasn’t necessarily my goal, but it does look pretty good.
My question is: The outbuilding and unloading shed have horizontal lines along the walls. I doubt they are supposed to represent wood siding, and my guess is its rows of concrete (blocks???), but I just am not sure.
Soooo, what material are the walls of these two structures representing?
By the way, this is one impressive kit!
I am just finishing the round Cornerstone Concrete Coaling Tower and used Rustoleum Textured Sandstone on the concrete portions. The round bunker has vertical lines that were apparent before painting and also after a primer coat of lt gray (Walmart’s best- and cheapest), followed by an even application of the Rustoleum. I will explain it away as impressions on the concrete left by the wooden forms used during construction. Your horizontal lines may be explained similarly, as the box cover image (just checked a larger jpeg of it on Google) does not show them. I would think that if they were meant to be concrete block, the plastic dies would have been appropriately designed. Even smooth concrete can pick up form impressions after being poured and smoothed. The box art- and research from historical photos taken of concrete railroad structures made in the 1910s-1930s-is not conclusive, but if you have access to info on concrete construction methods development, you might be able to determine when concrete block became more common as a building material. The design of your coaling facility looks more to have been a poured wall-type, not block built per se.
These kits are detailed and fun, but take your time and enjoy!\
Cedarwoodron
Cedarwoodron,
THANK YOU for the reply - and your answer opened up some brain cells that were closed!
I have worked with concrete and forms and you are (I now realize) obviously correct. Those are definitely form lines from the 2x12s or whatever was used.
What threw me is that the rest of the structure does not have form lines. But then the bigger walls, etc., probably used large sheets of heavy plywood or even metal plates for forms.
Anyway, thank you so much for “waking me up” !!!