The Modeler's Forum

This is a project that I've been thinking about for years.  On one area of my layout is a logging camp, the Okanagan Valley Lumber Company Camp #4.  Along the back of the camp are three maintenance buildings that serve the camp.  The buildings are serviced by a rail siding.  The company owns a couple of 18ft boxcars that bring supplies to the camp.

The buildings that are planned for the service building were produced by Sierra West Scale Models.  They are as follows,
- Tool Shed
- Rigging Shed
- Line side Storage Shed

2026 Challange Trackplan.jpg

These will be built on a common platform so that unloading the boxcars will be easier for the camp workers.  The area where is will go is 24" x 4"



2026 challange-001.jpg
The location of the challenge build, the building complex will go behind the siding.



2026 challange-002.jpg
The boxcars that deliver supplies to the lumber camp.

I started building the tool shed years ago but the project has been in limbo since then as other layout priorities took precedence.  I'm going to use the current winter challenge as the motivation to finally complete this build.



2026 challange-004.jpg
The platform for the tool shed.  This was built according to the instructions.  Seeing as there will be three building involved this will not be used, but will form the basis for the new platform that will support the three buildings.



2026 challange-003.jpg
The walls for the tool shed are already built.  The challenge I have going forward will be completing the building as I no longer know where the instructions are.  :o 

Before I start though, I need to complete the current boxcar build I'm doing.  I have to start learning to complete one project before moving on to the next project.

Looks like a neat project, Ron.

I really like those 18' box cars.  very cute.

QuoteI have to start learning to complete one project before moving on to the next project.

I have this same condition.  I fear my case may be terminal!

Cheers, Mark.

Mark,

Those 18ft boxcars were produced by Boulder Valley Models, who unfortunately are no longer in business.

Ron this should be a nice setting using those 3 kits.
And you already off to a good start.

Jerry

Ron looking forward to your builds and should be a nice addition to your layout. It'll be fun watching you build 3 SW kits in 4 months; good luck.

Ron;

Welcome to the Winter Challenge, another great project, I have my popcorn ready along with a diet coke so looking forward to following along.

Jim

Ron,

I have the instructions for the Tool Shed if you need them. 

Just email me and I can scan them in.  Travis.summit@gmail.com

Your railroad plan looks like it would be fun to operate.  Looking forward to your build. 

Jeff

 8)

Quote from: Jerry on January 07, 2026, 10:47:43 AMRon this should be a nice setting using those 3 kits.
And you already off to a good start.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry,

Not as good of a start as shown, as the dock will be rebuilt to allow for the three buildings to sit on it, but it is still a good start.

Quote from: Larry C on January 07, 2026, 11:45:53 AMRon looking forward to your builds and should be a nice addition to your layout. It'll be fun watching you build 3 SW kits in 4 months; good luck.

Larry, thanks and you are right, building 3 Sierra west kits in for months might be a stretch, but nothing like a deadline to motivate someone.  ;D

Quote from: Jim Donovan on January 07, 2026, 12:43:31 PMRon;

Welcome to the Winter Challenge, another great project, I have my popcorn ready along with a diet coke so looking forward to following along.

Jim

Thanks Jim.

Quote from: TravisSumm on January 07, 2026, 11:50:03 PMRon,

I have the instructions for the Tool Shed if you need them. 

Just email me and I can scan them in.  Travis.summit@gmail.com

Travis, thanks for the instruction offer, but I was lucky and found a set.

Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on January 08, 2026, 09:38:51 AMYour railroad plan looks like it would be fun to operate.  Looking forward to your build.

Jeff

Jeff, the layout is fun to operate.  Now that I no longed travel for work, my goal is to re-establish operating sessions on the layout.

I'm going to enjoy following along as you build this project.
Have fun!

Quote from: Rick on January 08, 2026, 01:36:48 PMI'm going to enjoy following along as you build this project.
Have fun!

Thanks for joining in on the fun Rick, I just hope I'm not biting off more than I can chew.

Ron,

I will be following your builds here, nice choices for a group diorama.

Rich

Quote from: Pennman on January 09, 2026, 09:12:03 AMRon,

I will be following your builds here, nice choices for a group diorama.

Rich

Thanks Rich, I think it's going to be a fun build.

Ron,

I like the idea for this one. I've got my Diet Pepsi and waiting for the next update.

Tom 

Quote from: ACL1504 on January 10, 2026, 10:41:50 AMRon,

I like the idea for this one. I've got my Diet Pepsi and waiting for the next update.

Tom

Thanks Tom,

I think this is going to be a fun build.

I spent some time tonight figuring out the layout of the buildings for the challenge build



2026 challange-005.jpg

The plan view shows the building locations on the loading dock.  allowing 6 scale feet (1-1/2") between the building the loading dock ended up being approximately 81 scale feet (20-1/4") long.  The width of 16 scale feet (4") is the space i have between the existing spur and the backdrop.



2026 challange-006.jpg

The front view shows the height of the loading dock and the height of the buildings.

Next up will be drawing up the plans required to construct the loading dock.

Thanks for looking in.

Ron looks like you have the concept down pretty well. Like the old saying goes "Plan the work....work the plan". Have fun; I'll be watching this one.

Thanks Larry,  I hate working without planing things out first.  

 8) Plan A
           h

             e
               a
                 D ! ;D       Looks great!

Quote from: Philip on January 19, 2026, 01:54:29 PM8) Plan A
          h

            e
              a
                D ! ;D      Looks great!

Thanks Philip.

Looks like your ready to start the building.

Jerry

Quote from: Jerry on January 20, 2026, 09:53:30 PMLooks like your ready to start the building.

Jerry

Yes Jerry, I am ready to start building.  ;D

Speaking of starting to build. . . . . . .

Now that my boxcar build is almost complete, I starting building the loading dock for the challenge build.  I haven't given up on the boxcars, it's just that I have time while I wait for paint to dry.

Let's begin. . . . .


2026 challange-007.jpg

First up was to stain the stringers ans posts required for the loading dock.  I realized that once the stain had dried it was way darker than expected.   I thought I used Hunterline's Brown, but under closer examination it was Tie Brown.  :o  My story is that the company used creosoted wood to prevent rot.



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Because there was 5 stringers to build, I took the time to make a jig to make them all consistent.  The front stringer was cut into 24ft sections as it would take a very long tree to make a 81ft stringer.



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The first stringer completed in the jig.



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The first stringer removed from the jig.



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All five stringers completed.

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Starting the assembly of the stringers.  I made full size plans and laid wax paper over the plan so the glue won't stick to the plans.  The plan is used to help line up the stringers.



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The stringers for the loading dock assembled and waiting for the glue to dry.



2026 challange-014.jpg

The completed frame for the loading dock.  For those who are interested the loading dock is 16' x 81' scale feet or 4" x 20-1/4" long.

Thanks for looking in.

Ron, excellent job of building and assembling the stringers.
Getting them nice and straight like you did isn't easy.

Ron the stringers look really good, nice and straight. That's going to be quite the landing dock when finished. Keep at it and enjoy.

Ron that is some outstanding work.
Those stringers are in perfect alignment!!

Jerry

Quote from: Rick on January 22, 2026, 06:14:44 AMRon, excellent job of building and assembling the stringers.
Getting them nice and straight like you did isn't easy.

Thanks Rick,

I would have taken a lot harder to align everything without the jig.

Quote from: Larry C on January 22, 2026, 09:46:01 AMRon the stringers look really good, nice and straight. That's going to be quite the landing dock when finished. Keep at it and enjoy.

Thanks Larry,

It needs to be sturdy is it will support 3 buildings and a ton of junk when completed.

Quote from: Jerry on January 22, 2026, 10:43:48 AMRon that is some outstanding work.
Those stringers are in perfect alignment!!

Jerry

Thanks Jerry,

Without the jig, getting everything in perfect alignment would have been a near impossible task.

Nice progress, Ron.

Its certainly a beefy deck!

Cheers, Mark.

Great start Ron.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on January 22, 2026, 03:19:22 PMNice progress, Ron.

Its certainly a beefy deck!

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks Mark,

It does looks beefy  The stringers and posts are scale 8" x 8"

Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 22, 2026, 06:18:16 PMGreat start Ron.

Thanks Curt.

Howdy Ron, nice work on the stringers.  They look professionally built, so straight!  Have fun, mike

Good so far, Ron.
Nice coloring on the stringers and wood.

Rich

Ron,

I'll agree with all the other comments on your stringers. Great job and the coloring looks natural as well.

Tom

Thanks for the comments Mike, Rich and Tom. 

Looks like a neat project with some interesting kits Ron. Have fun and I'll be looking in..... :)

While not really a construction update I thought I would show how I stain the wood for the deck.



2026 challange-015.jpg

Step 1 - Distressing the wood.

This is easily done by scraping a razor saw along the length of the strip.  I used a couple of different razor saws with different teeth spacing to variety the grain pattern.  I distressed both sides of the wood so that I didn't have to worry about which side to use when gluing the planks to the loading dock.  The byproduct of using this method is that it leaves "fuzzies".



2026 challange-016.jpg

Step 2 - Eliminating the "fuzzies"

Getting rid if the "fuzzies" is done by using steel wool.  This is done by wrapping the steel wool around the wood strip and pulling in over the strip multiple times.   Word of caution: wear gloves when doing this as the steel leaves metal slivers during the process.



2026 challange-017.jpg

Step 3 - Cutting the wood to size.

The distressed wood was cut into a scale 12ft (3") length.  The reason for this is that it will vary the board length when installing and that the ends will be stained during the staining process.  For the record, the planks are a combination of scale 2 x 8's, 2 x 10's and 2 x 12's.



2026 challange-018.jpg

Step 4 - Preparing to Stain

The lumber was then divided into 3 semi-equal piles for staining.



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Step 5 - The Staining process

In order to vary the boards, three different stains was used, Hunterline's Driftwood stain (left), Indian Ink and Alcohol (center) and a home made concoction made from various craft paints and water.  This was made years ago and I don't remember the recipe.

2026 challange-020.jpg

The stained ties ready to be installed.

Quote from: GPdemayo on January 24, 2026, 11:37:45 AMLooks like a neat project with some interesting kits Ron. Have fun and I'll be looking in..... :)

Thanks Greg, Glad to have you follow along. 

There are some nice variations in the staining, Ron.

Cheers, Mark.

Ron I like that variation of the stains.

Not to bother you with off season questions??  Any thoughts on the F1 changes for the coming season???

Jerry

Ron, you definitely got nice color variations on the boards using the three different stains.

Ron,

Stained boards look great. Well done.

Tom

Ron nice job on the subtle color differences.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on January 24, 2026, 02:23:01 PMThere are some nice variations in the staining, Ron.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks Mark, I think the key is keeping withing the same shade spectrum.

Quote from: Jerry on January 24, 2026, 02:35:19 PMRon I like that variation of the stains.

Not to bother you with off season questions??  Any thoughts on the F1 changes for the coming season???

Jerry

Thanks Jerry,

You can bother me with off season questions anytime.  :)  I think the F1 season will be interesting this season with all the rule changes.  I think I'm going to miss the totally red Ferrari's (I think there is too much white),  no more lime green Kick Sauber's although I like the Audi paint scheme.  Still haven't seen Cadillac's paint scheme yet.

Quote from: Rick on January 24, 2026, 05:02:20 PMRon, you definitely got nice color variations on the boards using the three different stains.

Thanks Rick

Quote from: ACL1504 on January 24, 2026, 05:18:01 PMRon,

Stained boards look great. Well done.

Tom

Thanks Tom

Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 25, 2026, 09:11:09 AMRon nice job on the subtle color differences.

Thanks Curt.

Ron it's interesting seeing how others distress and stain their wood; never thought of using 3 different sizes so I may have to "borrow" that one. If your concoction was clear I'd say it was moonshine. Lol. Nicely done.

Worked on planking the loading dock last night.


2026 challange-021.jpg

Managed to plank 6-1/2" of the loading dock which means I have 13-3/4" to go.  ;D

This is turning out to be a slow process as I have to match board thickness with each row.  In order to keep the colours random I threw all the boards in to a container and just randomly picking them.

I guess the easy way out would be to have cut the boards the full length of the loading dock, but I believe doing it with random length boards make a more realistic structure.

Thanks for looking in.

Quote from: Larry C on January 25, 2026, 10:59:53 AMRon it's interesting seeing how others distress and stain their wood; never thought of using 3 different sizes so I may have to "borrow" that one. If your concoction was clear I'd say it was moonshine. Lol. Nicely done.

Larry,

I find it interesting how other do things too.  Feel free to "borrow" it any time.  The concoction was one created from Mike Chambers from the old RR line forum.  I have the recipes written down somewhere.

Ron, definitely a great result so far on the loading dock.  You could occasionally check the alignment with a square, to make sure things don't accidentally wander off square...  That's been my problem with projects like this, I'll blame my astigmatism.  

dave

Ron your off to a great start.  I think the way your picking the colors is perfect a nice variation.

Jerry

Ron, cutting the boards random lengths was the right thing to do.
Very good colors on those boards.

Ron,

I agree with the others, nice looking boards and loading dock.

Tom

Quote from: deemery on January 25, 2026, 11:25:51 AMRon, definitely a great result so far on the loading dock.  You could occasionally check the alignment with a square, to make sure things don't accidentally wander off square...  That's been my problem with projects like this, I'll blame my astigmatism. 

dave

Dave,

I usually check for square in most instances but sometimes I forget and things go awry.  Thanks for the friendly reminder.

Quote from: Jerry on January 25, 2026, 11:35:31 AMRon your off to a great start.  I think the way your picking the colors is perfect a nice variation.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry, I'm liking the colour too.

Quote from: Rick on January 26, 2026, 11:11:49 AMRon, cutting the boards random lengths was the right thing to do.
Very good colors on those boards.

Rick,

I agree with you, but I does make things more complicated and the construction longer.  But to me, the random length looks more realistic than a uniform look.

Quote from: ACL1504 on January 26, 2026, 03:31:18 PMRon,

I agree with the others, nice looking boards and loading dock.

Tom

Thanks Tom, I appreciate the kind comment and support.

Ron,

You're doing a good job of getting that backwoods look.

Mike

Quote from: Michael Hohn on January 26, 2026, 04:49:50 PMRon,

You're doing a good job of getting that backwoods look.

Mike

Thanks Mike,

That is the look I'm trying to achieve.

Ron the dock boards look very realistic. That'll be a show stopper when finished.

Finally finished the Loading dock, all 21-3/4" inches of it.  ;D

2026 challange-022.jpg

Now I get to work on the structures that go on top of it.

Ron great job on the loading dock; love the different coloring and random board lengths.

Actually, the board lengths aren't random, they align with the position of the joists underneath.  That's even more accurate modeling.  And it's something your eye can pick up so it looks "right."

dave

The dock looks like you did an excellent job.

Howdy Ron, The dock looks terrific.  I like all the colors.  Have fun, mike

Thanks for the comments Larry, Dave, Curt and Mike, they are very much appreciated.

Larry, Dave is right, except for the front edge the board ends all ends on a joist.

Ron,

Sorry, I've been absent. Everything looks really good.
Nice color on boards, and that's really busy work putting them all on.
Nice work.

Rich

Ron, dock looks great!

Quote from: Pennman on February 01, 2026, 01:05:59 AMRon,

Sorry, I've been absent. Everything looks really good.
Nice color on boards, and that's really busy work putting them all on.
Nice work.

Rich

Thanks Rich,

only took 3 sessions at the bench to complete it.

Quote from: Rick on February 01, 2026, 06:49:54 AMRon, dock looks great!

Thanks Rick, hopefully I'll have another update today.

More progress on the build to report.


2026 challange-003.jpg

As stated previously I had already built the 4 walls for the tool shed probably 15 years ago, before I started traveling for work.  Don't ask me how I finished the boards as I'm getting old and my memory isn't as good as it used to be.  The good news is that I stained all the wood in the kit.



2026 challange-023.jpg

When I assemble buildings I start by gluing the walls together in 2 "L's".  Over time the walls had warped So I added some stiffeners along the top.  They were stained a dark brown so that they will be pretty much invisible once the building is completed.



2026 challange-024.jpg

The 2 "L's" glued together.



2026 challange-025.jpg

The building glued together.  Once the glue dried and the clamps removed I noticed the ends had a slight warped too so I added some bracing to remove the warpage at the top.  I also noticed that the Doors are missing, which I assume that will show up once the build is finished.  In the meantime I'll scratchbuild new doors from the remaining stained wood from the kit. 

The next step is to construct the roof.  But before I start I need to decide whether I want to leave the doors open with a detailed interior or not.  In the meantime I'm making the roof removable.



2026 challange-026.jpg



First first step is to cut the end rafters and rafter tails.



2026 challange-027.jpg

Once the end rafters were glued in place I glued the 2 end rafter tails in place.  Once this was done I cut a piece of styrene and taped it in place, this let me line up the remaining rafter tails.  Once the first side done the procedure was repeated on the second side.



2026 challange-028.jpg

The rafter tails installed.



2026 challange-029.jpg

The roof installed on the building.  The fit is seamless. 

Next up is making the doors while I figure out if I want to do an interior or not.

Thanks for looking in.

Ron it looks great.  Nice save on the walls be warped.  
Coloring and the missing boards show a used building.

One question should that one window be so it swings out instead of in?

Jerry

Ron, you could have left those walls outside for 15 years and they would have aged naturally.  ;)  ;D
Wall colors are very good and nice job fixing the warps and getting the walls together.

Nice job, Ron.  Just enough variety in shades among the boards.

Ron it looks great great so far.

Looking good, Ron.

Perfect rafter tails and fly rafters.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jerry on February 01, 2026, 06:20:39 PMRon it looks great.  Nice save on the walls be warped. 
Coloring and the missing boards show a used building.

One question should that one window be so it swings out instead of in?

Jerry

Thanks for the comments Jerry.

You are probably right about the window, that it should open out, but I remember growing up that one of the camps on my grandmother property had windows that opened inwards.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  ;D 

The actual reason is that the window frame was built so that the widow mounts inside the frame so the only way to open the window is to the inside. 

Quote from: Rick on February 01, 2026, 07:52:19 PMRon, you could have left those walls outside for 15 years and they would have aged naturally.  ;)  ;D
Wall colors are very good and nice job fixing the warps and getting the walls together.

Thanks for the comment Rick.

Your right Rick, If I had the foresight to think well into the future, I might have left the walls outside to age naturally.

Quote from: Michael Hohn on February 02, 2026, 10:14:17 AMNice job, Ron.  Just enough variety in shades among the boards.

Thanks for the comment Mike.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 02, 2026, 02:45:58 PMRon it looks great great so far.

Thanks Curt, your comment is very much appreciate.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on February 02, 2026, 02:54:43 PMLooking good, Ron.

Perfect rafter tails and fly rafters.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks Mark,

With the jigs that Brett made for the kit it was an easy process cutting them to size.

Howdy Ron,

Nice work on the siding.  The colors look great. Rafter tails add a lot of character to a structure, and your application looks terrific.

Have fun,
mike  

The deck and bldg are looking great! 8)

Quote from: friscomike on February 04, 2026, 08:43:03 AMHowdy Ron,

Nice work on the siding.  The colors look great. Rafter tails add a lot of character to a structure, and your application looks terrific.

Have fun,
mike 

Thanks for the kind words Mike.  I agree that the rafter tails add a lot of character to a structure. 

Quote from: Philip on February 04, 2026, 08:56:04 AMThe deck and bldg are looking great! 8)

Thanks Philip, your comment is much appreciated.

Ron nice closing on the walls. You assemble buildings the way I do and they come out nice and square. Nice trick for doing rafter tails; I may have to borrow that idea since I hate doing those.

Ron,

Very well done. I really like the individual board coloring. Coming along nicely.

Tom

Quote from: Larry C on February 05, 2026, 10:17:19 AMRon nice closing on the walls. You assemble buildings the way I do and they come out nice and square. Nice trick for doing rafter tails; I may have to borrow that idea since I hate doing those.

Larry, thanks for the comment and you cab borrow the rafter tail trick anytime.  I tend to add rafter tails that when I want to make the roof removable. 

Quote from: ACL1504 on February 05, 2026, 10:48:50 AMRon,

Very well done. I really like the individual board coloring. Coming along nicely.

Tom

Thanks Tom,  I have to figure out what I did 15 years ago when I started building the kit how I coloured the boards as I have 2 more kits that are part of the diorama and I need the colouring to match and/or be complementary.

Another weekend, another update.........

As mentioned in an earlier post, I seems that I misplaced the doors for the kit  :o , so the only option is to scratchbuild them.



2026 challange-030.jpg

There are 2 doors required for the kit, a double door at the front and the single door at the side.  because these are simple items, I drew the doors on graph paper, tape the graph paper to the workbench and then tape wax paper over that.



2026 challange-031.jpg

Next step was to tape down a square down to keep everything square.



2026 challange-032.jpg

after cutting the boards to size I used another square to hold the boards in line.  I used scale 1" x 3" pre-stained strips that were leftover from a previous project.  The stained pieces closely match the building so I'm calling it a win.  ;D



2026 challange-033.jpg

Additional 1" x 3" piece cut closely to length and glued to the top and bottom of the doors.  Once the glue dried the doors was flipped over and additional 1" x 3" pieces was glued to the top and bottom.  Once this was dried the top and bottom were trimmed to size and then cut into 2 doors.

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The double doors for the front of the building.



2026 challange-035.jpg

Using the same steps above the side door was constructed.



2026 challange-036.jpg

The final touch was to add door handles which were bent using .015 brass wire.  Once formed the door handles were blackened.

Now the doors are ready to be installed.

While waiting for glue to dry making the doors I did a little more work on the roof.

2026 challange-037.jpg

I added a ridge pole to help support the roof.  I added 2 "rafters" in the middle of the roof.  Seeing as I'm planning to add lighting (will be soft yellow light as the light source will be kerosene lamps) the "rafter" will give me a route to run the wiring. 



2026 challange-038.jpg

The other item accomplished was to add blocks to the underside of the roof to align it when installed.  I tend to make the roofs removable on the buildings I build,  This allows for detailing the interiors and to change the lighting if they burn out and need to be change.  This was a requirement before LED's became commonplace.

Next up, adding tar  paper to the roof.  That should be fun.

Thanks for looking in.

Ron your making great progress and the doors look spot on.

Ron, nice job on the doors and roof.

Ron great looking doors and roof.

Ron nice work on those doors.  Very neatly made.

Jerry

Looking good, Ron.

I like the door handles.


Cheers, Mark.

Thanks for the comments Larry, Rick, Curt, Jerry and Mark, they are really appreciated.

Stay tuned for another update shortly.

More work today on the challenge build.

This is what I call "Poor Man's Tar Paper"


2026 challange-039.jpg

'Poor Man's Roofing" is made using a simple Kleenex, or tissue.



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First step is to separate the plys.  Once that is done I mark lines every scale 3 feet.



2026 challange-041.jpg

The strips are cut using a very sharp pair of scissors.  I tried cutting the strips with an x-atco knife with a brand new never before used blade but it tends to tear the tissue rather than cut it.



2026 challange-042.jpg

Attaching the tissue to the roof is easy.  I used Tamiya flat black (XF-1) paint to "paint" the tissue to the roof.  Because the tissue is very porous the paint bleeds through the tissue and into the roof.



2026 challange-043.jpg

The tar paper installed on the roof. 

"Poor Man's Tar Paper" - Part 2 


2026 challange-044.jpg

I used a black Sharpie to add "tar" along the seems.



2026 challange-045.jpg

Last step is to weather the roof using chalks.

At this point, I'm calling the roof completed. 

And Then There Were Lights....

I decided to add lights to the building seeing as the one of the front doors will be completely open.



2026 challange-046.jpg

I used ACC to glue the SMD LED to the peak of the roof and also glued the wires along the rafter to the back wall.



2026 challange-047.jpg

Testing the LED. (OK, I did test the LED before installing it  ;D )



2026 challange-048.jpg

The wires were then glued along a stud down to the floor.

Final Pictures ......



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Front view of the building.



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The left side of the building.



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The backside of the building.



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The building mounted on the loading dock.



2026 challange-053.jpg

A night time shot.

Next up is building #2 - The Rigging Shed made by Sierra West Scale Models.

Ron great job on the building. Was this one a SW kit or a scratch build; just curious because Brett usually supplies tar paper with his kits.

Ron, that's an excellent technique for tar paper and you did it perfectly.
Adding the light was a nice touch too.

I agree with Rick on the tarpaper roof.  Great coloring on the wood as well. 

Jeff

Howdy Ron,

Are you sure that roof won't leak? Excellent work as always. The maintenance building looks fantastic.

Have fun,
mike

Quote from: Larry C on February 08, 2026, 07:53:42 AMRon great job on the building. Was this one a SW kit or a scratch build; just curious because Brett usually supplies tar paper with his kits.

Thanks Larry,  It is a SW kit and Brett did supply tar paper, but it was too thick for the look I was looking for.

Quote from: Rick on February 08, 2026, 08:05:17 AMRon, that's an excellent technique for tar paper and you did it perfectly.
Adding the light was a nice touch too.

Thanks Rick.  I've used that technique before.  The light gives me an option if I want to light the building in the future on the buildings are installed on the layout.

Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on February 08, 2026, 08:19:46 AMI agree with Rick on the tarpaper roof.  Great coloring on the wood as well.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff, I'm please with the way the roof turned out.

Quote from: friscomike on February 08, 2026, 09:07:56 AMHowdy Ron,

Are you sure that roof won't leak? Excellent work as always. The maintenance building looks fantastic.

Have fun,
mike

Mike,

There are no guarantee as to the waterproofness of the roof.  ;D

Very nice job on the build Ron.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 08, 2026, 09:38:31 AMVery nice job on the build Ron.

Thanks Curt, I really appreciate your approval on the build.

Building #2 ......

Seeing as I haven't started this kit already I thought I would show the obligatory contents of the kit.



2026 challange-054.jpg

The contents of the kit is as follows,
     - Bag 1 and 2 which contains various lengths and sizes of stripwood
     - Bad 3 which is labeled "misc"
     - box of resin and white metal castings
     - 2 pieces of 1/4" x 1/4" styripwood



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A page of plans and ......



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an instruction booklet.



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The "misc" bag contains the following
     - Building framing
     - A sheet of corrugated siding
     - An outhouse (I have no use for it on this build, but I'll find a use for it elsewhere on the layout)
     - A sheet of reel ends
     - Sheet of small detail parts
     - Plywood panels
     - Templates to make saw horses and a rafter guide.
     - A sheet of tar paper
     - A sheet of signs (which has no use on this build as this is a lumber camp but will be useful for other projects, although I might change my mind there).

First step is to distress and stain the wood.

Thanks for looking in.

Ron the roof looks excellent.  Thanks for the tip on doing the tarpaper.
The building on a whole is perfect coloring and wood & door detailing.

Jerry

Quote from: Jerry on February 08, 2026, 10:36:21 AMRon the roof looks excellent.  Thanks for the tip on doing the tarpaper.
The building on a whole is perfect coloring and wood & door detailing.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry, coming from you, that is high praise indeed.

I look forward to the next phase of the build.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 08, 2026, 03:37:49 PMI look forward to the next phase of the build.

Thanks Curt, I'm looking forward to it too.

After reading the instructions it was time to start.  

I noticed that some of the techniques are dated and some materials like Floquil and PollyScale paints are no longer available so I thought I would document the entire process for this part of the build.



2026 challange-058.jpg

I have a number of stains and inks so I decided to make "samples" to make colour choices easier.



2026 challange-059.jpg

The base stain I used for the boards on this build was Hunterline's "Barn Red.  I have a plastic "trough" that I pour the stain in.  I then drop the boards in the stain, make sure they are well soaked and they lay them out on paper towels to dry.



2026 challange-060.jpg

Once the stain was dried, it was time to vary the colour using Pan Pastels.  These are randomly applied using a make-up sponge.  The colours used were Burnt Sienna Shade (740.3), Burnt Sienna (740.5) and Red Iron Oxide Shade (380.3)



2026 challange-061.jpg

Finally the frames were stained using Liquitex "Red Oxide' ink.

With the colouring done I can now start boarding up the walls.

As an aside I thought I would share how I remember how I did modeling projects.  Last year while attending our local NMRA a member Catherine, brought a book showing how she documented each build showing a picture of the build as well as detailed construction notes that included techniques and colours used for each assemble step, which I thought was a brilliant idea. With that, if she ever wanted to recreate a method of doing something she had done in the past, she just had to look it up.  Catherine is a fantastic modeler by the way.  I decided that I would start doing the same thing.

Thanks for looking in.

Ron, wow colors look very good.
After the wood is stained, do you pour the remaining stain back in the bottle.

Quote from: Rick on February 09, 2026, 08:38:33 AMRon, wow colors look very good.
After the wood is stained, do you pour the remaining stain back in the bottle.

Thanks Rick, I'm pleased with the color and yes, I pour the remaining stain back into the bottle when done.

Ron I like that color for the wood.

That is a good idea with the strips of wood so you know what the color looks like before doing the wood.

And I think Catherine has a good idea.
I think I'm going to try that instead of guessing what I used last time.

Jerry

Ron you have a nice selection to choose from. I really like the Barn Red stain.

The one thing I wish I did (and I wish I'd do going forward...) is record the paint colors/sources on the kit instructions.  Even when it's a custom mix, knowing what i started with would be helpful when doing touch-up or recreating that effect on another model.

dave

Nice colouring, Ron.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jerry on February 09, 2026, 10:44:43 AMRon I like that color for the wood.

That is a good idea with the strips of wood so you know what the color looks like before doing the wood.

And I think Catherine has a good idea.
I think I'm going to try that instead of guessing what I used last time.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry,

I used basswood to make the stain strips as that is the type of wood I use most often.

I also thought Catherine's idea was great, I just kick myself for not thinking of doing something like that sooner.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 09, 2026, 11:45:57 AMRon you have a nice selection to choose from. I really like the Barn Red stain.

Thanks Curt,

I also really like the barn red, the challenge is to not to use it on every build.

Quote from: deemery on February 09, 2026, 12:01:15 PMThe one thing I wish I did (and I wish I'd do going forward...) is record the paint colors/sources on the kit instructions.  Even when it's a custom mix, knowing what i started with would be helpful when doing touch-up or recreating that effect on another model.

dave

Dave,

The big issue I have is that I start kits and never finish them til years later (squirrel syndrome) and when I do finish them I have to remember what I used when I started the kit.  Now that I make notes, that shouldn't be an issue moving forward, at least I hope it isn't.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on February 09, 2026, 02:34:00 PMNice colouring, Ron.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks Mark

I think you should get that outhouse finished, every contractor needs a place to sit and re-read the plans.... ;)  ;D

It's fun to see a nice project come together. 

Quote from: KentuckySouthern on February 10, 2026, 10:21:25 AMI think you should get that outhouse finished, every contractor needs a place to sit and re-read the plans.... ;)  ;D

It's fun to see a nice project come together. 

Thanks Karl,

I think you might be right about the outhouse.  ;D  

Howdy Ron,

Ditto what Karl said, lol.  Really like the colors.  The telltale color strips are a fantastic idea.  Duh...

Have fun,
mike

Ron,

The build is coming along nicely. I like the Hunterline barn red. Looking forward to how it all comes together.

Tom

Quote from: friscomike on February 11, 2026, 12:40:21 AMHowdy Ron,

Ditto what Karl said, lol.  Really like the colors.  The telltale color strips are a fantastic idea.  Duh...

Have fun,
mike

Thanks Mike,

The telltale strips was something I wanted to do years ago and I figured now was as good time as ever.

Quote from: ACL1504 on February 12, 2026, 08:40:55 AMRon,

The build is coming along nicely. I like the Hunterline barn red. Looking forward to how it all comes together.

Tom

Thanks Tom,

I think the colour will be a nice compliment to the first building.

Well, more progress has been made on the build so time for another update.


2026 challange-062.jpg

The walls are planked.



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The access material trimmed and the walls ready to be assembled.



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I decided to add nail holes on this build.  I used a sharp stick to make the nail holes, OK I used a pointed scriber to add the nail holes.  ;D  I then added a india ink/isopropyl alcohol wash over the walls.  I don't normally do this as you don't see them in a distance.  Plus, I model 1929 so the building are not old and rundown just used.  In this case It is a lumber company where they used rough lumber and/or scraps.  The aim here is to model a building a building in decent shape, but shows rough usage.



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The assembled building showing the front and left side.



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The back and right side.

Next up, doors.

Thanks for looking in.

Great modeling Ron. I like the missing planks.

Ron I like the nail holes gives it a lot of character.  The missing planks are nice added detail.

Jerry

Ron very nice with the missing planks and nail holes. Brett's big on adding nail holes.

Looking good, Ron.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 15, 2026, 09:40:36 AMGreat modeling Ron. I like the missing planks.

Thanks Curt, I'm really liking the build so far.

Quote from: Jerry on February 15, 2026, 10:05:24 AMRon I like the nail holes gives it a lot of character.  The missing planks are nice added detail.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry, While I'm not a huge fan of nail holes I do believe there is a place for them.

Quote from: Larry C on February 15, 2026, 10:34:59 AMRon very nice with the missing planks and nail holes. Brett's big on adding nail holes.

Thanks Larry,  There seems to be two camps on the nail hole topic.  I tend to fall in the no nail hole group, but that is mainly because I model an era where buildings with nail holes are not usually seen. 

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on February 15, 2026, 02:05:57 PMLooking good, Ron.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks Mark.

More progress yesterday.....

Lets take a moment to. . . . 

Before I go any further I need to mark the location of the building on the loading dock as this building will not have a removable roof due to the way it is constructed and the interior will need to be detailed seeing as the front door will be open.

2026 challange-067.jpg
First up is to figure where the building will be located on the loading dock.  This was as easy as measuring the location based on the plan view drawing I made when I started this build.



2026 challange-068.jpg
I then taped a square to the platform to insure that the building is square and took a fine sharpie marker to mark the corners.



2026 challange-069.jpg
The corners marked (this view is from the back of the platform)



2026 challange-070.jpg

Once the corners were marked, I took the sharpie to mark the walls taking care that I didn't mark where the front and side doors are located.  I didn't want to see sharpie marks on the finished build.

Building the Side Door. . . . .

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the door construction itself, but it was straight forward and simply followed the instructions.  I did take pictures of making the door details.  ;D


2026 challange-071.jpg
Brett provided a small sheet of hinges in the kit.  There are way more hinges that you need for the kit, which is a good thing because I ruined a couple of the strap hinges trying to enlarge the holes in them.  Rather than have flat hinges I decided to add 0.025" rivets (Tichy #8018) to simulate carriage bolts.  Once the rivets were in place I used thin ACC to flue them in place.  Once the glue dried I trimmed the posts off the backside of the hinges.



2026 challange-072.jpg
Once the flue was dried I painted the hinges black grey (Vallejo Model Color 70.682)



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Once the black grey was dry I drybrushed light rust (Vallejo Panzer Aces 301) to add highlights to the hinges.



2026 challange-074.jpg
The completed side door (I need to tone down the brass handle)



I thought that I would show the state of my bench while modeling as I am not a very neat modeler, even if the pictures show otherwise.

2026 challange-075.jpg
I get to clean this up every time I take pictures.  It isn't as bad as it seems as my 'tool box" where the tools go, is just on the right side of this picture so there is easy access.  This has turned out to be beneficial as I tend to keep my workbench clean this way.

Ron nice looking door and ya you wouldn't want to sharpie on that great looking deck. You're like I am, I can only work so long and if my bench gets crapy I stop and neaten things up a bit.

Great looking details Ron but oh so small!

Howdy Ron, lookin' good.  I didn't realize I was modeling the same era as you.  It precludes me from the heavy weathering of anything, just showing some solid use and wear.  Have fun, mike

Quote from: Larry C on February 16, 2026, 09:59:22 AMRon nice looking door and ya you wouldn't want to sharpie on that great looking deck. You're like I am, I can only work so long and if my bench gets crapy I stop and neaten things up a bit.

Thanks Larry, and you are right about the sharpie.  The photo taking is the only thing that keeps my workbench uncluttered.  ;D  

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 16, 2026, 03:09:49 PMGreat looking details Ron but oh so small!

Thanks Curt, and those tine details are in O scale, I would hate to do them in smaller scales.

Quote from: friscomike on February 16, 2026, 09:15:48 PMHowdy Ron, lookin' good.  I didn't realize I was modeling the same era as you.  It precludes me from the heavy weathering of anything, just showing some solid use and wear.  Have fun, mike

Thanks Mike, I am modeling the same era as you and have the same philosophy.

Ron wonderful coloring on the door & hinges.

Your bench is a lot cleaner than mine.

Jerry

Quote from: Jerry on February 17, 2026, 09:54:05 AMRon wonderful coloring on the door & hinges.

Your bench is a lot cleaner than mine.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry,  Before I started taking pictures at the bench, my bench was much worse too.  ::)

Ron,

Great looking door. I'm enjoying this adventure. Also, great looking walls.

Tom

Quote from: ACL1504 on February 18, 2026, 01:52:34 PMRon,

Great looking door. I'm enjoying this adventure. Also, great looking walls.

Tom

Thanks Tom, Glad you are enjoying the adventure.

Very well done, Ron. 

Ron, I'm just getting caught up on your build.
It's looking very good.
Adding the bolts to the hinges was a very good idea.

Quote from: Michael Hohn on February 18, 2026, 11:09:40 PMVery well done, Ron. 

Thanks Mike

Quote from: Rick on February 20, 2026, 07:43:15 AMRon, I'm just getting caught up on your build.
It's looking very good.
Adding the bolts to the hinges was a very good idea.

Thanks Rick,

While adding the bolts was tedious, it makes a huge difference in the look of the hinges and was well worth the effort.

Nice work Ron!

Quote from: Philip on February 20, 2026, 09:27:05 PMNice work Ron!

Thanks Philip.

Got some more work done on the build so another update is required.  ;D

Building the front rolling door.


2026 challange-076.jpg
Following the kit directions I distressed and stained the wood required.  The completed frame.



2026 challange-077.jpg
Half of the rolling door is wood slats.  The instructions show horizontal flats but Brett indicates in his instructions that maybe vertical slats might look better, so I made Vertical slats.



2026 challange-078.jpg
The other side of the rolling door has a sheet of corrugated steel.  I started out by cutting a piece to size and sprayed it with a matte spray to give the sheet some tooth to accept the paint and stains.  This shows the first coat of paint.



2026 challange-079.jpg
Unfortunately the matte spray did not work as hope and the paint and dies didn't stick, so using mineral spirits and chalks I have a corrugated sheet that has seen better days and will collapse when something hits it.



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The door handle installed.



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The completed door with the rollers installed.

Installing the Doors


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The front rolling door installed.  I dry brushed the rolling door with light rust (Vallejo Panzer Aces 301)



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The side door installed.

Prepping the Details

2026 challange-084.jpg
The first step is to prime the details, in this case, the details that will be placed inside the building.  The first step is to attached the detail parts to a paint stick.  This is done by using double sided tape.



2026 challange-085.jpg
The parts are primed a flat black.  The reason for flat black as it highlights the parts once painted.  Only one paint stick is shown here because I removed the painted detail parts on 2 of the paint sticks before I realized I forgot to take a picture.  :o



2026 challange-086.jpg
The primed detail parts.



2026 challange-087.jpgAleenes tacky glue was used to glue the detail parts to the 3/4" dia. x 1-1/2' dowels.  This makes painting the detail parts easier.  Aleenes tacky glue stays tacky which makes it easy to remove the detail part once the the painting is done.

Thanks for looking in.

Great job on the details so far Ron.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 22, 2026, 09:04:05 AMGreat job on the details so far Ron.

Thanks Curt.

Well looks like your off to a good start with the details Ron.
Now comes the fun part picking colors!

Not on subject but F1 seems like there testing instead of getting ready for the March race.
A lot of changes seems some are okay with it others not so much.

Jerry

Coming on nicely, Ron.

I really like the door runners.  A great detail.

Cheers, Mark.

Howdy Ron,

The doors look great!  Ah, the details.  Good luck painting them.

Have fun,
mike

Ron, door turned out well, especially the rusty sheet metal.
Have painting those details.
I like painting details.

Quote from: Rick on February 22, 2026, 06:31:55 PMI like painting details.

How many do you want me to send you??????  ;D

Jerry

Ron where did you get the rollers or did they come with the kit??

Jerry

Quote from: Jerry on February 22, 2026, 02:38:48 PMWell looks like your off to a good start with the details Ron.
Now comes the fun part picking colors!

Not on subject but F1 seems like there testing instead of getting ready for the March race.
A lot of changes seems some are okay with it others not so much.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry,

I tend to paint detail parts in batches as it seems more economical that way.

As for F1, I think it is going to be another interesting season.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on February 22, 2026, 03:43:49 PMComing on nicely, Ron.

I really like the door runners.  A great detail.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks Mark,

The door runners are a small detail but it adds a ton to the character to the building.

Quote from: friscomike on February 22, 2026, 05:58:59 PMHowdy Ron,

The doors look great!  Ah, the details.  Good luck painting them.

Have fun,
mike

Thanks Mike,

I hate painting detail parts one at a time, so I tend to do them in batches.

Quote from: Rick on February 22, 2026, 06:31:55 PMRon, door turned out well, especially the rusty sheet metal.
Have painting those details.
I like painting details.

Thanks Rick,

In the picture the rusted panel looks like the rust is real thick, but when viewing in real life it just looks like a really rusted out panel.

Ron,

Excellent job on the rolling door.

Tom

Looking Great Ron!

Moving right along Ron, looks great..... 8)

Quote from: ACL1504 on February 24, 2026, 05:11:51 PMRon,

Excellent job on the rolling door.

Tom

Thanks Tom, it was a fun project. 

Quote from: Philip on February 25, 2026, 09:46:50 AMLooking Great Ron!

Thanks Philip.

Quote from: GPdemayo on February 25, 2026, 11:57:22 AMMoving right along Ron, looks great..... 8)

Thanks Greg.

Ron looking really good; well done. I like your idea for holding the details to paint; may have to borrow that one.

Quote from: Larry C on February 26, 2026, 09:33:51 AMRon looking really good; well done. I like your idea for holding the details to paint; may have to borrow that one.

Thanks Larry, the idea for holding the detail parts to paint is one I borrowed from a modeling buddy that paints figures.

Time for another update. . . . . .

More progress to report.

2026 challange-088.jpg
The side wall built.  There is nothing special about this, I built it as per the plan provided with the kit.



2026 challange-089.jpg
At this point, I had to make a decision, do I continue the build by gluing the building to the loading platform or come up with an alternate method.   Continuing the build on the loading platform would mean working with a 24" x 4" base sounded like a recipe for disaster, so I decided to build a "assembly jig" that would be easier to work with.



2026 challange-090.jpg
The building and side yard wall in place on the "assembly jig"
 

Houston, We Have a Problem . . . . :o :o :o 

After cutting the rafters for the side wall roof and getting ready to install them, I ran into a "spacing" problem.

2026 challange-091.jpg
The kit instructions call for a spacing of 1.875" (1-7/8") between the wood floor and the side wall.



2026 challange-092.jpg
I made a small error when building the assembly jig by leaving the 1-7/8" space between the outside of the wall (instead of the inside) and the inside of the side wall but this didn't make up the the difference of the rafter length.



2026 challange-093.jpg
The kit comes with a rafter cutting jig so I cut the 6 required rafters using the provided jig.



2026 challange-094.jpg
The length of the rafters is 1-9/16" making the rafters (1-7/8" - 1-9/16") 7/16" too short.



2026 challange-095.jpg
I glued 2 new styrene spacers for the side wall in the new location that will allow the rafters to attach to the buiding and sit on the side wall.



2026 challange-096.jpg
The side wall in it's new location on the assembly jig.

Progress Continues. . . . . .


2026 challange-098.jpg
The rafters installed between the building and the side wall.

Thank's all the progress for now, thanks for looking in.

Looks very good Ron. Great problem solving.

Ron, nice job fixing the jig and attaching the rafters.

Howdy Ron, that's a clever jig.  Nice work on the building. Have fun, mike 

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 07, 2026, 08:09:47 AMLooks very good Ron. Great problem solving.

Thanks Curt, at least it was an easy problem to solve.

Quote from: Rick on March 07, 2026, 08:12:16 AMRon, nice job fixing the jig and attaching the rafters.

Thanks Rick.

Quote from: friscomike on March 07, 2026, 08:22:26 AMHowdy Ron, that's a clever jig.  Nice work on the building. Have fun, mike

Thanks Mike, I am having fun.

Neat jig Ron.  The rafters are perfect.

You posting all these pictures while waiting for one of mine?

Jerry

Looking great, Ron.

Cheers, Mark.

Ron great save!! Looks very good and coming along nicely.

Quote from: Jerry on March 07, 2026, 02:09:16 PMNeat jig Ron.  The rafters are perfect.

You posting all these pictures while waiting for one of mine?

Jerry

Jerry,

Thanks Jerry.  The sad thing is that they will covered up and no one will ever see them and if I was a betting man, I would bet that I will post more photos before you post another one.  ;D

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on March 07, 2026, 02:44:49 PMLooking great, Ron.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks Mark

Quote from: Larry C on March 07, 2026, 02:52:19 PMRon great save!! Looks very good and coming along nicely.

Thanks Larry, at least it was an easy fix.

Ron,

Very well done, I love it - great job.

Tom

 8) Nice work~!