08-27-2009, 06:18 AM
Thank you Russ, Ed and Steve for the info on the use of concrete steps. I have stripped and repainted the steps, photo below. Steve, I'll have to check out the scatchbuild contest, haven't looked at it yet.
Wayne, you raise some valid points, I certainly can not point to any prototype structure that was built using non staggered mortar joints. I think of it as a faux facing material rather than a structural element, though you are probably corrrect such a thing was only done as recently as the 70's. One of my faults is to look for the easy wasy out, not knowing and only asking here if something I have in mind is feasable. And if I get an incorrect answer, or proceed before getting a correct answer, I am likely to err in regard to prototype correctness for my time frame. I can live with this, I feel I need to balance striving for correctness with making progress towards completing the railroad. As most of you know, I have a large area to work on. Would it be better to have designed a smaller road and strive for total accuracy? For some I am certain this is true. I may have designed a large railroad precisely for the excuse not to deal with perfection! One thing I am sure of, it is far easier to model a prototype which you have photos of. When designing a freelanced structure while having no real architectural knowledge, and seemingly no capacity to remember what you've seen out there in the real world (!) one is liable to make many errors. The photo you posted of the station in Hamilton is an example of a structure I would not want to model, if only because of the splotchy apperance of the stone colors. I like your model much better! Back in the early stages of thought about how I could use the non staggered material I had on hand, I wondered how I would paint it to look like granite. Of course, I've seen granite (or stone I mistook for granite) in many colors or shades. The color I had in mind was one a couple shades lighter than the color typically seen on tombstones. I think what I wound up with is pretty much the same as most tombstones, such as the ones I'm thinking of, that is. And of course, it came straight from a can, making the job way easy! All in all, it was an experiment with a new technique.
Thanks though for the dissenting opinion, it is after all helpful for my future attempts (if I can remember it!)
Wayne, you raise some valid points, I certainly can not point to any prototype structure that was built using non staggered mortar joints. I think of it as a faux facing material rather than a structural element, though you are probably corrrect such a thing was only done as recently as the 70's. One of my faults is to look for the easy wasy out, not knowing and only asking here if something I have in mind is feasable. And if I get an incorrect answer, or proceed before getting a correct answer, I am likely to err in regard to prototype correctness for my time frame. I can live with this, I feel I need to balance striving for correctness with making progress towards completing the railroad. As most of you know, I have a large area to work on. Would it be better to have designed a smaller road and strive for total accuracy? For some I am certain this is true. I may have designed a large railroad precisely for the excuse not to deal with perfection! One thing I am sure of, it is far easier to model a prototype which you have photos of. When designing a freelanced structure while having no real architectural knowledge, and seemingly no capacity to remember what you've seen out there in the real world (!) one is liable to make many errors. The photo you posted of the station in Hamilton is an example of a structure I would not want to model, if only because of the splotchy apperance of the stone colors. I like your model much better! Back in the early stages of thought about how I could use the non staggered material I had on hand, I wondered how I would paint it to look like granite. Of course, I've seen granite (or stone I mistook for granite) in many colors or shades. The color I had in mind was one a couple shades lighter than the color typically seen on tombstones. I think what I wound up with is pretty much the same as most tombstones, such as the ones I'm thinking of, that is. And of course, it came straight from a can, making the job way easy! All in all, it was an experiment with a new technique.
Thanks though for the dissenting opinion, it is after all helpful for my future attempts (if I can remember it!)