Hi all,
This is a NYC pump house ca 1937. I would like to duplicate it on my layout. I am hoping that someone might recommend a kit that looks similar. Kit bashing is not a problem.
If nothing commercial is available then I will scratch build, so my second question is does anyone make styrene brick sheet with this kind of corner pattern?
!(http://www.stremy.net/SRA/Misc/NYC Pump House.gif)
Karl
Hi Karl
I don’t know if the corner pattern is available ready-made but I think you could scratch build it fairly easily.
According to the picture, the corner blocks are equal in height to 3 courses (layers) of brick. 3 courses of brick is generally equal to about 9". (The bricks in the picture may a bit larger than that.) Plastruct makes a styrene brick sheet that matches the 9" = 3 courses size.
http://plastruct.com/Pages/OnlineProductDetail.lasso?-op=‘eq’&CCode=PS-97
Plastruct also has a ‘rough’ brick sheet which might more accurately mimic the prototype
http://plastruct.com/Pages/OnlineProductDetail.lasso?-op=‘eq’&CCode=PS-91
The corner blocks could be made from styrene stock. They are 9 scale inches in height ( same height as three courses of brick ) which is .125". The corner blocks appear to be about 12" long and 6" thick based on the size or the bricks. That would make them about 0.125" high by 0.080" thick by 0.160 long. They could be easily made out of Evergreen 0.080 x 0.125 flat stock with only the length to be measured and cut. The same stock could be used for the lintels and sills. In the case of the door lintel you would use the 0.125" side showing, and in the case of the window lintel and sill, you could use the 0.080" face showing.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/269-166
A chopper would be nice to keep the ends of the blocks square.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/53-494
Cutting the spaces for the blocks in the brick sheet could be a bit tedious, but slow and steady with a fresh blade would eventually do the job.
Just some ide
HI
The “corner pattern” is actually called Architectural Coins, as found here:
http://www.dttdesigns.com/images/architectural_coins.jpg
I don’t think you will find it ready-made, but it would be Very Easy to scratch build or add on. SImply cut some styrene into rectangles and glue on to the brick styrene ready-made walls…
I don’t know of a kit, but it looks fairly easy to scratch build. I did a quick and dirty search on google and Wlthers, but only found one that really fit your brick structure…most available were wooden.
Here is the one that is brick,it has pilasters on it instead of coins:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/770-5708
Good luck to you!
[8-|]
That is a style very similar to what was known as the Don Valley , named after the brickworks that created the stone from clay found at the Don River, in 1830’s & '40’s Toronto. Toronto is still one of the largest repositories of extant versions of this style, later mis-named the Chicago style, and so is much valued by film producers & studios, such as in ‘The Cinderella Man’.
My memory is a little hazy, but didn’t I recently see a new kit that had these sorts of corner work? Might have been in a MR New Product announcement? Anyway, it was for a interlocking tower, IIRC, so is not exactly a match for what you have here.
I agree that it may take some work, but could be done in a couple of different was as others have suggested if you do have to scratch it.
Thank you everyone! I appreciate the input. The next step is to create a “measured” drawing.
Thank you everyone! I appreciate the input. The next step is to create a “measured” drawing.
galaxy
I have also heard it referred to as “soldering”, pronounced (in Canada at least) as ‘soldiering’ in the military sense. “Soldering” loosely means “to join, splice, knit or unite”. Comparisons were made between the brick/stone patterns and the common decorations on military uniforms in the 1700’s and 1800’s, hence the mispronunciation of the word ‘soldering’. Southern Ontario has many examples of the architectural art form.
Dave
I just wanted to follow up with a results photo.The pump house has been in place for a couple of months now and I like the way it looks on the layout.
I took some artistic license, particularly with the roof lines (more visually appealing). I think that I need to make the chimney taller though. The original designer had a better vision there.
The curved line in the darkened doorway is a water pipe running from the pump to the storage tank. There is also a furnace for the winter. Of course, none of this is visible except really up close.
!(http://stremy.net/SRA/Misc/NYC Pump House Model.jpg)
!(http://stremy.net/SRA/Main Line/Pump_house.jpg)
Karl
The results are excellent. But the original question way back was how to make the corners. Are you going to share the secret [:)]
Sure! Hand cut styrene strip. (Lots of little pieces just like the original). I first built an interior shell of .04 styrene. That made it easier to glue on the corner blocks. One time consuming part was cutting notches out of the brick sheet to fit around them.
I have to say that the Chopper ® is not terribly accurate but does an OK job nonetheless. Got to keep a sharp blade on it and check periodically with a square.
Good thing I read through to the end, I didn’t notice this was an old thread at first, and was about to post a suggestion on making the corners. However, it seems you figured this out just fine, that came out really neat looking.
–Randy
I’ll second that sentiment. That looked like something I wanted to try on a station building and I now have an excellent way to do it thanks to your post. Since I will need a lot of windows in the building I will start with some brick kit walls and add the trim accordingly. Station will be free lanced but what a nice way to spice up a building, should also work on interlocking towers and yard towers to give them a “company” look.
Very nice job, Karl. [Y][8D] Kitbashing and scratchbuilding are always fun projects.
Karl, I trust that you wrote down what you did for posterity? If not, I would encourage you to do so. Someone is bound to ask you how you did it.
Tom
Karl
That came out pretty good indeed! Well done.
Your proportions seem to be in line with what I suggested. I hope I was of some help in that regard.
Dave