Can someone advice me as to the ideal colours for the interior of this building as it is being built in an ‘as new’ condition. I am modelling the C.P. if that makes any difference. Any help would be appreciated. CPPedler
I also recently purchased the Walthers Diesel House and plan to have it in a foreground scene on my layout with lots of interior details added including lighting. Common logic dictates to paint the interior a dark color to prevent the interior lighting from glowing through the walls. Instead I will use multiple light coats of a light gray acrylic such as Polly Scale Undercoat Lt. Gray. Polly Scale Weyerhauser Green might look nice as well. This will prevent light leakage but also make the interior brighter so that the additional details are more easily seen through the open doors and windows. Since the exterior walls simulate corrugated metal, I’d sure welcome any acrylic color suggestions for them. I’ve thought about using Polly Scale Flat Aluminum or Polly Scale ATSF Silver.
Here is a link someone posted a while back.
If folks could start posting any pictures of these completed kits, we could get another thread going like the Newmont Mining thread. I too have this kit. It’s still in the box, while I finish the track work for the section it will be in. I’ve been pondering a few things. First, it looks like the kit needs to mount about 1/2" below the level of the layout so that the track can go straight into the building. I am thinking of cutting a hole in my 1/2" plywood base and then placing support at the bottom of the hole to drop it 1/2" . I am wondering what others have done. As for painting, I am looking at multiple interior colors and things like yellow for the railings, possibly black or orange for the walkways next to the locomotive etc… I am definetly looking at lighting for the interior. I haven’t decided yet on a removalable roof and an overhead crane. I also am planning a sanding and fueling facility with two of the tracks with switching to either send the locomotive into the shop or to the sanding/fueling area. Or if locomotives come right out of the shop, they can go straight to sanding/fueling before heading back to the main yard.
Hello Jeff,
I have mounted the base for the diesel house by cutting a hole in the baseboard the same size as the building footprint and using lengths of Peco code 83 track , with the plastic ties cut away where it passes thro the building. Of coarse by doing it this way you have to build the structure like the real thing, from the foundations up.I have got as far as putting the raised walkways in place but have now come to a halt as I want to put in an arc welding flashing unit below one of the tracks, and to consider where to install the interior lighting. As far as painting is concerned, I have painted the whole base and the walkways in a concrete color and the handrails safety yellow. The next stage is to put the vertical ‘H’ girders in place and I’m not sure what color to paint them or the interior walls. The exterior is white but I have sprayed it thinly so that the grey shows thro. The window frames are sprayed aluminium color. I have the Overhead crane kit to put in and that will be painted safety yellow. When I get round to it I shall leave the roof loose so it is removable for access and track cleaning. CPPedler
Sounds similar to what I am looking at. I am struiggling with the interior wall color too. I am thinking something light like a beige or white so that it isn’t too dark but I don’t know how natural that will look. What exact paint did you use for the concrete color for the base ? Do you have any pictures yet ? I plan to start on mine in about a week or so.
Hi Jeff,
The concrete color paint that I used for the base is Testors Polly Scale Concrete F414317. It seems to cover quite well so I decided also to brush it on the bottom of the sides as I had already sprayed the them white and I didn’t want to try to mask due to the corrugations. Should have sprayed the concrete first I guess. As for pictures I am fairly new to these contraptions they call computers and I have no idea as to how to go about posting photos yet!!! From what I’ve read, it all seems rather complicated… CPPedler
So to be clear, did you paint the entire base piece of plastic with the concrete color ? Or just the sides of it ? If it was he entire base, I agree that spraying would have been much easier. I am going to try to paint as much as I can while the pieces are still in their plastic holders. It may not be possible if too many pieces are mixed together that I want to be different colors.
Hi Jeff,
Yes the entire base, raised walkways and the bottom of the sides. It would perhaps be easier to paint the parts while on the sprue and if you can identify what parts are what then you could color code them i.e. ‘H’ girders and roof beams. Good luck, if you have any problems we can talk again,. CPPedler.
I am going to try that approach. I’ll let you know if I am successful or not.
Hi Jeff,
One aspect of the construction that I am finding somewhat unusual is the method that Walthers suggest for erecting the sides. They say to put some of the vertical girders into the base then glue the four sides together and slip the assembly over the girders and glue the sides to the base and the girders. Now this might be all very well but if you don’t get those sides glued dead accurate you can end up in an almighty mess. There are 3 pins on the sides at each end to fit into corresponding holes in the base. I have tried the sides onto the base on a dry run and it is a darned tight fit and I think that a flat needle file across pins where they are tight would not go amiss.
I think I would prefer to assemble one side at a time and make the adjustments, if any, as I go round the structure doing a dry run first. I would be interested on your views on this. I guess that you have had a lot more experience than me on building American model railways judging by the size of your layout. I’ve only been doing this about five years although I did model the British Great Western Railway for about 30 years. We must talk more sometime.
Kind regards CPPedler
No, I probably have less experience with structures. I’ve built a grand total of two so far. This will be my third. My layout, while under construction for about 5 years, is far from done. I took almost two years off. Just in the past year have a I attacked it with a vengance. Progress is still slow going. The one thing I’ve realized is how much I learn each time I do something again, whether it is landscaping a hillside, assembling a structure or working on rolling stock. It is one of the many things that attracks me to the hobby, the amount of learning and new skills you can develop. Prior to this layout, my previous layout was when I was a teenager. All Atl
Hi Jeff,
I’ve just been looking at your web-site and your railway looks very impressive. How large is it are the squares on the drawing 1ft or more?. Nice to see you’re using Digitrax control , I am doing the same, although I am using a Zephyr, it is big enough for my needs. I am not likely to run more than 5 loco’s at one time. I don’t expect to run any coal on the railway, mainly grain, potash, some sulphur and intermodal plus the occasional passenger like the Royal Canadian Pacific and a diverted VIA rail ‘Canadian’. My most urgent ‘want’ is a brass C.P.R. H1b Hudson but as yet I can’t find one anywhere. Are you planning any steam on the railway? Look forward to hearing from you again soon.
CPPedler
The squares are 1 foot. Yes, I like the Digitrax stuff. I was hoping to get a few minutes this weekend to setup a PC and hook up the Locobuffer II but it doesn’t look like time will permit. The other two DS64s came in yesterday so I want to get them wired up. I am doing the construction history on my website in a storybook format so I’ll have something to remember. Along the way I am doing a few webpages on particular techniques or items of interest. I am going to create one for the control panels soon. No steam planned. I am modeling modern era… I too have lots of intermodal equipment. I am buolding an intermodal facility across the yard from the diesel house. The two tracks on the right half of the layout just on the left side of the 5 track yard are the intermodal facility sidings. Those will take awhile before they get built because I am focuing oin things in the back of the layout since it sits against the wall.
Hello again Jeff,
I really like your yard lights, where did you get them from?? It seems that your main industry is coal, my focal point will be a paper mill–lots of activity so good lighting would be very handy. I’ve not seen any good lights here in the U.K. Could also use them in the diesel house if I can find some.
I think that most of my switches in the loco yard will be hand operated by the tube and wire method to keep the cost down but the more distant ones will be powered with Peco motors as I’m using Peco switches. No further progress with the Diesel House this weekend, too many leaves to clear up in the garden. Next weekend is the big Model Railway show at the N.E.C. in Birmingham, so I shall be there on saturday to spend a few £££, I might find some lighting there also an Arc welding simulator for the D.H. We,ll talk again soon. CPPedler
The yard lights are Minatronics. They are a little pricey.
http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=9_4
Inside of buildings I’ve decided to use Minatronics 14v bulbs that have a rating of 16,000 hrs. They should last quite awhile.