FSM Jeffries Point Build

[Zephyrus52246]

As I'm off 6 weeks post surgery and and limited to 10 pounds of lifting, this challenge came along at the perfect time.  I picked FSMs Jeffries Point Stave and Heading (George's 1995 kit).  I have a perfect spot for it on the Empire in the area I can't seem to ever get finished.  It will not have track access, it will just be truck accessed (I noticed in the rules it has to be "railroad themed").  This doesn't matter as I don't expect to win any prizes, I'd just like to get something done for the layout.  
Another caveat, I can't guarantee this will be done by the end date of the challenge, maybe even next years  .  Anyone who's seen any of my past builds will note they take a loooooooong time.  

Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

Here's the classic box contents pic.  Wood, laser cut walls, signs, templates, instruction booklet (easier than handling the old fold out instruction sheets), and the box of castings.  

Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

I first read through the instructions. I panicked a bit as there's a bag with four plastic windows, but no other windows in the box.  They are metal and in the castings box.  I separated these into three piles.  The instructions show the building to be grey on grey, but I saw a pic online of a dark green structure with light grey trim and think this will look good for it's spot on the layout.  The three piles are "wood", "black" and "grey".  These will get a primer coat of  tan, black or grey, depending on their pile.  

Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

In our 3D printing world, most metal castings can be crude, these are quite nice.  I'm sure some will have parting lines, etc., but the windows and doors required minimal clean up and are quite detailed.  After some minimal filing, I washed them in Dawn and let them dry before taping them for their priming.  Now to see if I have any grey primer.  

Jeff

[Jim Donovan]

As I'm off 6 weeks post surgery and and limited to 10 pounds of lifting, this challenge came along at the perfect time.  I picked FSMs Jeffries Point Stave and Heading (George's 1995 kit).  I have a perfect spot for it on the Empire in the area I can't seem to ever get finished.  It will not have track access, it will just be truck accessed (I noticed in the rules it has to be "railroad themed").  This doesn't matter as I don't expect to win any prizes, I'd just like to get something done for the layout. 
Another caveat, I can't guarantee this will be done by the end date of the challenge, maybe even next years  .  Anyone who's seen any of my past builds will note they take a loooooooong time. 

Jeff

Great start Jeff and yes it fits the contest rules. 'Trains theme' simply means scenes commonly seen where you might also see a train nearby. Look forward to watching thanks for being part of the challenge.

Jim

[ACL1504]

Jeff,

Enjoy your time off. I'll be following along and watching very closely.

Tom

[Zephyrus52246]

Thanks for the clarification, Jim.  

Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

The first week of time off wasn't great, but I'm doing much better now.  Thanks for looking in, Tom. 

Jeff

[ReadingBob]

You'll have a blast with this one!  I have it in my stash, to build, as well.  I traded, with Tom, my completed version for the kit.  It's been a while since I built this one, however I can't recall having issues with it whatsoever.  Maybe the stairs at the tall end are a bit challenging but nothing you won't be able to handle. 

[GPdemayo]

Neat kit, I'll be looking in.....

[Zephyrus52246]

Hi, Bob.  Yeah, the stairs look a bit imposing, we'll see how that goes. 

Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

Thanks for following, Greg. 

Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

Some metal pieces, mainly vents, pigeons and these barrels, were still attached to sprues.  I used the rail nippers to cut them off, the large file to get the big nub off and then the smaller files.  This got boring, and when I got some of the vents done, I decided to stop and start bracing the walls.  I won't need these details for awhile.  The windows/doors are the first set of the metal parts that will be needed and they are already primed. 

Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

Bracing time.  The instructions want the walls painted and detailed (nail holes, etc) before this.  I know they will warp when I stain and paint them, so I do the bracing first.  Nice bracing diagrams in the kit.  I did already have to remove one that "moved" when I put the weight on it and would have blocked a wall.  There appears to be a lot of bracing material in the kit, but I did the one short wall using some of my slightly larger bracing stock, so I won't fall short. 

Jeff

[ReadingBob]

Nice start, Jeff!

Bracing the walls takes quite a bit of time.  Like you, I prefer to brace them prior to painting and weathering them.   

One the of many great things about FSM kits is that George always included more than enough strip wood to get the job done.  I always have extra when I finish one of these kits.