The Locomotive Shed

<Written August 2001>

With my need to see the trains run satiated, I had advanced into the next phase of my 1 gauge phenomenon, namely scratchbuilding some structures.  If I could do it, I figured, I would have all the skills I needed to recreate the train station of Königstein, Germany in 1/32 scale.  After a two-week period of working almost every evening for at least thirty minutes, I finally finished the majority of the shed:

As you can see, there are still several features lacking:  The stone foundation (which will be below the bottom timber strip) is missing, along with rain gutters, downspouts, roof vents and chimneys.  Also there is some touch-up work needed on the roof and some of the wooden pieces.  Still, the majority of the work is done, and I'm satisfied with the appearance.  

The shed is about two feet long and over a foot wide.  Amazingly, it is light as a feather, thanks to the very lightweight materials I used in building it.  Rugged?  Sort of.  Weather resistant?  Not on your life, but then again, that wasn't a criteria.  I plan to make the floor out of the same lightweight material, so that should add minimal weight.  

Here is the shed from the back.  I know, I know, there aren't any doors for people to get into it.  No problem, if I don't add any later, I'll just put a "people"-sized door into one of the large shed doors, not uncommon in real life.  Those shed doors aren't secured yet, as I don't have the tiny hinges I need, but I should have those by this weekend.  

 Here we can see the V100 if we peek through the window.  The lattice- work on the windows was made using ordinary automotive pinstriping.  I cut pieces of clear plastic (available at any hobby / craft store) to slightly larger than the window.  Then I made a template of the lattice on a piece of graph paper.  By securing the "window" to the graph paper I could easily lay the pieces of pinstriping.  Each window took no more than fifteen minutes to complete.

There is much to be done in terms of detail.  On H.O. models you can get away with no interior detail, even in locomotive sheds and roundhouses when the big doors are open.  In one scale, a loco shed without detail looks fake (the pattern of the tablecloth doesn't help, either)...  No problem, I plan to make the base complete with interior details, including workers, machines, even lighting.

For those of you who have considered attempting scratchbuilding, all I can say is, TRY IT.  I am amazed at how a little time and effort can create something truly unique.  Stay tuned as I finish the two-stall steam loco shed, and next as I tackle the three-stall diesel railcar shed, a model which should end up at abut four feet long, and nearly twice as wide as this one!