The trains get some fresh air...

<posted August 2001>

Okay, so early in July I finally managed to set the 1 gauge trains up outside.  With a whole week of beautiful weather in the forecast and me taking several days' vacation I decided to break out the tracks once again and see just how big this would be.  As you can see, the large circle dwarfs my deck.  I didn't have enough space or track for a passing siding!

Here is the operator's chair, complete with Intellibox.  While waiting for the Marklin 6001 power supply I picked up an Atlas DCC power supply for the paltry sum of $35 at the local hobby shop.  It seems to work well, even though it is rated for 15V, not the 16V minimum the IB is hoping to see.  I love this device!  No, I'm not considering it for the Carstenbahn, but I do like it enough to recommend it.  

What's this?  As most of you can guess from my posts to the MML, this is my first foray into the world of scratchbuilding.  I started with an H.O. scale model, the two-station locomotive shed from Kibri, model number B-9438 which I have owned since my first railroading days.  I carefully disassembled the well-used and somewhat damaged H.O. model and took measurements of all the critical dimensions.  The conversion is quite easy:  multiply the H.O. dimensions by 87 and you have the dimensions of the original.  Then divide by 32 to see what the 1-scale size would be.  The ratio of 1 to HO is 2.71875.  After struggling with what material to use for the walls I simply drove to a craft store to see what types of materials were available.  I found what is known as project board, which is foam board with thin plastic (?) sheets on both sides.  It's cheap, sturdy, and easy to cut, just what I needed for this project.  I bought several large sheets and traced out the wall dimensions.  A few quick slashes with a hobby knife and voila!  A 1-scale representation of the same wall you see in the background...

After a quick trip to a woodworking store I found balsa wood that would do nicely for the timbered effect on the locomotive shed.  I cut the wood with a small hobby saw and mitre box after again carefully checking the dimensions.  I was able to use some creative license to make sure everything would fit as planned, and that the dimensions weren't too unusual.

Here is the start of the assembly process.  The project board walls have been painted a very pale beige, just enough color to make them not appear to be too white.  The wood has all been stained and the first pieces have been glued to the walls.  The clothespins hold them in place.  

My challenges will be how to recreate the windows and doors without too much trouble.  Also, I have no idea how I am going to model the traditional German red tiled roof.  Still, I've made it this far without hassle, and have a good feeling about this project.  Total cost so far:  About $50 including the tools and paints, and hopefully enough materials for the four walls...