wanting to scratch build an interior to my engine house

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Ok I have an IHC 2 stall engine house that I want to detail a bit. I would like to scratch build the wood support beams and roof trusses inside the building. I need a bit of inspiration. Can you post pics of your interiors and or get me started in the right direction with some helpful discussion.

Thanks

Mike

2

A good start without any references is to get some scale dimensional lumber and buil up the heavy timber supports and rafters. You could also research period building construction practices for that type of structure. As for the the little bits a little artistic liscense and some basic tools of the trade would suffice as long as the building isn’t a cutaway.

3

Railphotog posted a nice picture here, I believe by mistake: http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/177731.aspx

4

Oops on that, didn’t even check the thread after I posted!

Here it is in the proper thread:

5

Look for copies of The Locomotive Cyclopedia published in the era in which your enginehouse was built. A section toward the back of the book often showed pictures of “state of the art” shops and machinery, and also documented good shop practices.

Original Locomotive Cyclopedias can be hard to find. Your local library might be able to get them on interlibrary loan. Colleges that had strong engineering departments in the steam era might still have these books in their stacks.

Newton K. Gregg published extracts from the various “Cycs” about forty years ago, under the title “Train Shed Cyclopedia”. He also published full reproductions of several editions of the Locomotive Cyclopedia. Kalmbach also published a reproduction of the 1941 Locomotive Cyclopedia. These are all out of print, but might be easier to find.

Hope this helps.

6

Thanks guys and thanks Bob for posting the pic. Would a brick structure have wooden beams that came all the way to the floor or would it be more open? I got it all assembled yesterday afternoon but have not glued on the roof of the main building or the roof of the office building. I still want to detail it out. Plus since I do not have a layout yet it is hard to finish the floor of the building with the tracks and everything before adding the rest of the structure supports. Trying to get a head start on things while money is tight and build kits that I have already.