The latest project on my Granby layout is a city centre goods yard.

As you can see it will occupy a corner of the layout. It will need lots of low relief backscene that relate to the goods yard




The first building will serve as a functional backscene for the siding   on the left. The plan is to build 3 modules of the Scalescenes Warehouse   (http://www.scalescenes.com/products/T026-Factory-warehouse……usual disclaimer).

Some members may have already built this kit and I know most have built  one or other of John Wiffen's other kits so I apologise for any needless  repetitition

There is, however, no doubt that this is a quintessential Scalescene  Design…. multi layers…….revealed openings ……glue and wrap  trim……and so on……so here goes:

 Print out the Top Base Layers and glue them on to Medium Card (1mm)




The kit is amazingly flexible.The basic upper level module shown above  measures 250mm x 165mm, but you can see from the hash marks (which are  really handy) it can be sub divided into 4 columns each 62.5 mm wide and  three floors each 55 mm high so there are lots of opportunities for  relatively trouble free customisation 




Cut out the openings…..I am going to build a grain hoist so I didnt bother cutting out the second column



Print out the upper level top overlay and cut out the openings. Apply an  even coating of adhesive (I use UHU sticks) to the base layer and  carefully position the overlay over the base using the guide marks.  There are lots of helpful arrows pointing [TOP] its a good idea to obey  them (dont ask how I found out!) because the window opening has a brick  architrave at the top



You then have to glue and wrap the printed side pieces so that the cut  edges are concealed (partly done above). If Doug is reading this (and I  hope he is)…..please dont look too carefully……the edges do not  have anywhere the crispness that you achieve…….my feeble  excuse…..its a long way away and I had to do 72 of them

The bottom edge is covered with a brick sill trim. The camera angle  shows the top cut edge……not sure how it will look in situ but I  think I will paint it out with water colour before attaching the top  layer

The next shot shows the base layer roughly positioned under the top layer



Eventually these apertures will be cut out and another overlay applied with further apertures cut to accommodate windows.

This shot shows the lower level layers. I am afraid I cut them out and  applied the overlay before I remembered I needed to take  photos……..but the principles are identical to those described for  the upper level



As you can see the top layer is just a series of rectangular openings to which I have glued and wrapped the overlay.

The base layer has a variety of options. In this shot of  I am only  using 2 of the 5 available…. Loading Bay (which has appropriate trim)  and a blank wall.

Other options include Window, and two types of full length Door…….all the Door Openings have different door options 

Here are the three lower level modules for my design



There are four loading bays and one doorway that will give rail access to the the warehouse via a wagon turntable

Departing from the kit there will be a scratch built loading platform  ……. which is why some of the brick walls are not completely covered  (waste not, want not)…..I also have to infill the space between the  two layers…….the bits of white card at the bottom

The extreme left and right modules will be exposed so the infills there are clad in brick

Finally a rough assembly of the three modules (upper and lower) with the  infills in place,the bearer for the platform glued on and one uncut  upper level base layer overlay for effect.





Above each of the two central doors there will be a scratch built Grain  Hoists…..the pencil crosses are to remind me not to cut!

The modules will eventually be joined together vertically by substantial (2mm) buttresses and horizontally by 2mm ledges

Without the roof ……which I am stll contemplating…..the warehouse  will be 250 mm high……a metre long and about 30mm deep…….I did  say ultra low relief

72! I bet your poor paws will be sore at the end of that session!

 

Bon corage, mon brave…

 

Doug

I remember building it for the Maxmill module John.  Perhaps not the complexity of the large station but lots of cutting, folding and glueing.

It makes up into a really superb model and, like all his kits, as tough as boots.

Yours looks like a very substantial warehouse and will form an excellent backdrop to the yard.   I remember seeing lots of these structures around the industrial north - and "powerful" building they were too. :thumbs

My apologies for the disjointed nature of this post……for some reason  I cant edit the first line…..n attempts…..I give up….so let me  repeat….thanks Doug and Pete!

You are absolutely correct about the robustness of the kits. I think one  of the best things about building them is the steady increase in mass  and structure…..I am astonished at the weight so far and it is only  half finished

I am using photos from Iain Rice's book and Bob Esserry's  as a source  of ideas……just hope it all comes together with the  sense of time  and place that I am aiming for

The amount of cutting on this project is amazing!!!

My sincere thanks to all the guys who set me on the right path when I   was bulding the station roof by suggesting I use a snap off craft knife   rather than a scalpel…..I can almost afford another pannier based on   the savings…….and thats not accounting for the time saved!


So now on to the upper level base layer




I use spray adhesive to fix the sheets to the card and a sort of sponge squegee to eliminate any bubbles (well most of them)

Next step cut out the apertures (x3)



I am probably stating the obvious, but there may be others as   impractical as I who may benefit. I have learned not  to cut each   aperture individually……rather I place a steel rule along the base of   the first row of windows and then, with a new blade, make a firm but   not too deep pass at the base of each window and then on to the next   row…….then I do the verticals. Finally with a new Exacto blade I cut   the curved arch.

Once these initial cuts outline have been made, I make a series of light cuts with the dulled blades.

Next step is to cut the apertures in the overlay……sharp scalpel blade again.

Then glue to the base layer. I found the easiest way was to use a glue   stick over the entire base but only to present the very top of the   overlay using the guide lines on both overlay and base to ensure a   perfect match……..and only then allow the balance of the overlay to   make contact with the adhesive.

Trying to fiddle with the overlay once on top of the base was fraught with difficulty!   





This shot shows the different stages required to achieve the completed window frame. 

1 Left hand column……  Overlay on top of aperture
2…………………………..  Tab wrapped and glued around aperture
3…………………………..  Window Sill cut out and glued in   place…….lining these up was rather more difficult than the text   implies
4…………………………..  Wrap and glue

Generally I have found it best to glue the sill, or whatever, in place   and let it dry before attempting the wrap and glue the balance.

The camera angle shows the uncovered upper cut edge  on each window.

This close up shows it even more




I have always painted out the cut edges on Metcalfe Kits……and did   the the same here …..just using roughly mixed water colours.





If it were closer I would probably paint the cut  edge of the sills but in this instance didnt bother


So a few days later……and many blades later I was able to join the upper base layers with the upper top layers 




Before joining the upper and lower levels I decided to make the platform serving the loading bays



I built this using bits and bobs from the Scalescenes Plat form kit. The    support wall is clad with blue engineers brick…..a ramp at one end    and steps at the other.

There is not a lot of space between the back wall and the siding but I felt 6 scale ft would be realistic

The steps were built up with bits of card in the same manner as the subway steps on Granby



The brick piers on the support wall are probably not prototypical but they conceal a couple of not very good joins

Cutting out and covering the platform was quite tricky because I had to allow for all the doorways



The blackish paint next to the coping stones is a good example of learn   as you go. When I laid up the paving stones against the coping stones   there was a slight, almost imperceptible (but still obvious to the naked   eye), gap…..and the white of the base layer glared   through………the heavy line results from a retro   correction……….if however you paint the base before the pavers are   applied you can get away with it!



in the shot above I have put some dark board behind doorway #4




As you can see there is very little available space at the back……..it is ultra light relief!!

Clearly some of the doors have to be open……I want to create a sense   of activity….movement…pallet loads of apples and bananas being   offloaded…….

I am struggling a little to work out how to achieve   this……………….meantime I have to cut out and clad 22 buttresses   and 72 +- ledges and then I can join the upper and lower levels   together……first step …..buy some more blades.

It's really odd, John.

Could it be that you are using data from another forum?

Maybe Martin might be able to spot it.

It's looking excellent John - and massive !!!

Your arched windows are infinitely better than mine were - maybe Canadian knives are sharper than French ones - we don't have to fend off Grizzly's ……….:cheers:cheers

Your tip about either painting the platform sub-base or marking it with that black line is one that is firmly filed away for future reference. :thumbs  It's amazing what unforeseen "situations" crop up during a build - I'm sure no-one would have even thought about that potential "gap" in the planning stages of the kit …….

As I said in an earlier post, this is going to be a very impressive warehouse.

I may be way off here, but i had a similar problem replying to my own topic Max, i was trying to insert a quote and started it on the first line it was difficult to delete, i exited the post and started again without sending, then hit enter to move the quote down a line and then i could get out of the quote box…

hope this helps

Robert

A definitive build for the index I would think.
Well done, John.

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

It's really odd, John.

Could it be that you are using data from another forum?

Maybe Martin might be able to spot it.

Ron has Pm'd me……..my apologies for any trouble I have caused. Like others, I am obliged to be a member of two forums and post identical or near identical posts…..not being very technical I hadnt realised I was the cause of the problem:oops: . The curious thing is that it didnt seem to have ocurred previously……….In future I will upload photos to both Galleries.

Again my apologies

Thanks for the kind words DD and Peter

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

It's looking excellent John - and massive !!!

Your arched windows are infinitely better than mine were - maybe Canadian knives are sharper than French ones - we don't have to fend off Grizzly's ……….:cheers:cheers

I suspect after the roof I have had more practice……..with Arches……..not Grizzlies

Actually we dont get Grizzlies here but there are lots of Black Bears………which are big enough. I wouldnt be fending them off with a scalpel……………the trick is to make lots of noise wherever you walk in the parks…..when they appear in gardens (which they do regularly)……get inside the house :shock:   

I usually do make lots of noise in the woods and parkland - that's probably why I've never come across a bear over here…………:roll::roll:

Would wild boar do as a substitute ?

The last two days have been Wet Wet Wet here (today I found the sun still exists) so I was able to press on with construction.

The completed upper and lower levels are joined vertically by  buttresses….earlier I incorrectly stated they were 2mm thick  ……actually they should be and are 4 mm thick…….two pieces of 2mm  x 10mm x 250mm laminated together and clad with brick paper……13  buttresses therefore 26 pieces of card.




…
They are joined horizontally by 10mm x 50mm ledges clad in very  skilfully weathered concrete……I needed 30 of these but misread the  instructions and made them 2 ply so I cut 60 to be at the same level ie  flush with the buttresses……labour apart I think it is actually  better this way but it was more accident than design!

The instructions tell you to place the buttresses in place and then fit  the ledges…….I was concerned about gaps and mis fits…..so I  started at one end with one buttress and ensured it was perfectly  vertical and that the wall elements were firmly secured….having glued  the buttresss I then added the first three ledges ensuring they were at  right angles (although not quite as you can see….Doreen came  home…the dog barked etc etc) and then glued the second  buttress…….and so on. That way I could hide any gaps under the grain  hoist columns……..as it happens they were all a relatively snug  fit……but I still think this is a better way of proceeding





This shot shows the weathering I described. There is a slight downside  in that the ledges are designed for one module. If you make three as I  have done the effect can look slightly unrealistic………I decided  that the prevailing wind at Granby was easterly and turned some of them  upside down and moved them around so that the more heavily weathered  ledges were in the most exposed places……when I add some pastel  weathering I will try and add to this.

I got so caught up with cutting and glueing and wrapping that I omitted  to take any photos…….but this shot shows the final stages inserting  the 12 top ledges



These are also supposed to be one ply but again I made them 2 ply to be  flush with the buttresses…….cutting these out was more than a little  fraught they are only 2.5mm deep……..fortunately all my fingers are  still present and correct

Next step was to fit the roof coping stones……after all the fiddly stuff this was almost a no brainer 




If the building was three dimensional there are a number of roof  options……and I did contemplate adding a low relief tiled roof but I  think it looks fine as it is.

Next the windows……printed out on transparencies




I only need the small ones……the larger ones are for windows on the  lower level (if used) and the rectangular ones are North Lights for the  roof.

With the wide black border they were surprisingly easy to align and  fit……much simpler than the Metcalfe equivalent……I fit them using  a glue stick on the reverse side but based on bitter experience adopted  a belt and braces approach with masking tape!










Next step……the doors but I thought I would close by reminding you how ultra low profile it is!

What are you having behind the windows John? Will you be able to see through them?

Now that's what I call a warehouse thumbs:thumbs

Excellent stuff John and I think you might be right about the ledges etc. being the same depth as the buttresses - they do look good (although I also think they look good recessed) :hmm

As Sol said, are you going to have some kind of print behind the windows ?  I know they're not exactly tranparent, but you can see through them in places …………..:roll:

Maybe just a "flat" of some stores or handling machinery etc…….  I don't think they had pallets in those days.

Thanks Ron and Peter…..glad you like it.

As Sol said, are you going to have some kind of print behind the windows ?  I know they're not exactly tranparent, but you can see through them in places …………..:roll:  

The warehouse will be hard against the wall…….if I can squeeze a few mm I will set back some dark card to create a three dimensional effect…….this is particularly important for the open doorways ……some of them will have to be open to suggest some activity…….I have a slight problem in that the platform and particularly the over hang are a little wider than I intended so I have lost some of the space I thought I had left……I may have to wait until the base board is actually in place on the layout

 

Maybe just a "flat" of some stores or handling machinery etc…….  I don't think they had pallets in those days.

I have been setting my mind to that! I do want it to look busy! Previously I have never  used the Ratio Pallets that come with their barrel and drum kit…….but when I googled I found that the first fork lift was built in 1925 and during WWII the use of pallets became much more widespread……so maybe a couple of flats of Apple Boxes might work along with sacks for the Grain and Potato Warehouse above.

Still a lot to do…….Doors, Grain Hoists, Canopy, Signage and some people…..oh and some weathering
 

It is looking very good, John. I admire your ability to stick with it and make all of those many cut-outs! It will provide an excellent backdrop to that corner of the layout.

"I think it looks fine as it is"
Me too.

I see that you are not having issues with the model staying flat. If I tried that with styrene, I would have to be very careful to prevent it from warping.

It sure looks good John.

Wayne

Thanks guys

I still have to ballast and infill Geoff before I can put the module in place but I am beginning to get a sense of how it will look when in situ.

Wayne…..I think this is why laminating is such an integral part of John Wiffen's design process…….If you stick a cover layer on a long not very wide piece of single ply there is a tendency to warp but once you laminate another component in place it disappears……the structure is extremely robust
 

Very nice build going on here, John.

I remember seeing a photograph placed behind a door and the perspective was good enough to fool you into thinking that the warehouse went back a long way.  I'm not sure if it was on here or elsewhere, I will try to find it.

Edit: I can't immediately find it, but I'll keep looking.