I have started to build my depot, or in English station building. A more comprehensive description of the building would be a combination depot (both passenger and goods facilities in one building) with a dispatchers cabin added to the basic building.

It is based on a depot from Pitkin Colorado, which has been reversed, and some variations added to it as well.

The dispatcher is what the American Railroads used instead of signalmen, especially on the early railroads. Basically the electric telegraph is the heart of the system, and the dispatcher, was the railroad official on the ground so to speak. He could with the authority given him by a central control vary the trains from the timetable, adding/canceling or varying the trains en route.

Therefore he could do more than a signalman, but was under a central control system. There were generally no signals in the early period I work in.

Very basically the same system is used now, and called Central Train Control, but radio’s are used both in the cabs of the locomotives with the added advantage of instant communication, and the (colour light) signals are also radio controlled.

Diversion over, it is time to get back to my depot. It is made from a PVC plastic called free foam plastic sheet (a trade name is Vekaplan), and is available in various thicknesses, I use both 5mm and 3mm (the latter for the under roof). This is easy to cut. Especially with a small circular saw, or a fretsaw (American – scroll saw) for cutting out windows. The surface is semi matt, and I glue the pieces together with a latex based epoxy adhesive (Evo stick, in tubes, that is a bit more expensive than tins but much easier to use) the USA has I think the same sort of thing in Walthers Goo.

The building is 30 inches long and 11 inches wide, with the dispatcher’s cabin projecting on one side. The sides are worked on before assembly, as the lower portion is ‘board and batten’ (wide planks with a thin batten over the join between the planks) the upper portion is horizontal planks; these are scribed into the surface with a carpenters scriber. The windows and doors are all scratch built from plasticard with an edging that is a right angle section. These can also be made or Plastruct white styrene angle section can be used, with care, it needs the inside edge cutting deeper as it is not a right angle there.

I assembled the sides and ends, after some of the painting had been completed on the lower portion as it was easier when the walls were flat. The grey colour is masonry paint from B&Q (storm grey) in a tester pot. These are very good value, and give a wide range of colours. The dark green trim is a Humbrol gloss enamel, (ref number 3).

The ‘glass’ for the windows is old acetate (form Christmas presents!) glued in from the rear with Evostick, and painted a dark acrylic grey, then varnished.

The long side walls are stiffened with a couple of pieces of 10mm aluminum angle which is glued on the inside face, and over the triangular stiffeners on the internal corners. Then some cross beams are added between the inside of the sides to hold it all together, these are made from some scrap PVC planks I have. There will be a couple of internal roof formers added as well and these are also tied together in due course. This will be slightly complicated by this building having a half hipped roof, and the projecting dispatcher’s cabin also with a half hip roof to that as well.

I have taken a couple of photos of the work so far and here they are; more will follow as the building progresses.


Dispatchers Side


Rear Wall

The building has been progressing, and the main part is now complete, with the roof added as well. The roof is supported by a whole series of supports that were fitted to support the roof against the weight of snow.

These required a series if supporting pieces fitted, the most difficult of which were the corner ones; these run at 45 degrees t the corners. All are fitted onto small supports glued to the main walls.

The grey of the building is an interesting colour - it has taken (to get a solid colour) half of a tester pot of paint - approx. 50ml. These tester pots, which I buy from our localk B&Q are a very useful source of different colours of paint. I use masonry paint in general, which goes on very well; however this required 3 good coats. With the different levels - the bottom portion being 'board & batten, with horizontal planks, with the windows and doors being fitted as well made it a complicated thing to paint. The later addition of the roof braces made it even more complicated!

The roof has a half hip design, where the upper corners (against the ridge) are removed and replaced with a flat piece. This is a well used design in Wales, due I think to the amount of rain they have - in Colorado it would be wwinter snow! The half hip design was used by the Denver & Rio Grnde RR at Ouray, and the Denver South Park & Pacific RR used is at South Platte (Canyon) depot, so I had a precendent for it.

It needed some extra work, but I think it was worth it, though it did take a couple of tries to get it looking right.

Whilst the paint (or glue) was drying I built that other very neccassary building; a double toilet block.

This is a copy of one of my early buildings, with a different colour scheme to match the depot. It is again made from Korroflute(plastic corrugated board) with plastiuc card for the detail and the doors, and trim.

Back to the depot - the two chimmney stacks have been added to the roof, with the main stacks staying separate for now(they are somewhat fragile, and will get knocked). The bases for the chimmney stacks needed to be fitted before the roofing felt shingles are added. They are cut into 6" strips and a whole heap of them are ready to be apples, using window frame sealnt for an adhesive; it is likely to consume a whole cartridge of the stuff I think, the roof is large!

One of the chimmneys has had an extension made for it, to what I call the 'Colorado extension' design. It can be seen in several photos of Colorado buildings.

This I think has a dual purpose in winter is stops snow dropping down the chimmney flue, and it also assits in enhancing the draught for the flue. It is made on location, and from 3/4mm plastic card, with a portion of a large diameter straw (from McDonalds I believe) for the pipe. Fill the straw with plastic, and seal the upper end with glue to stop any rainwater getting in, and glue it into the square cone shaped top. The shape of this is determined with a cardboard pattern, which is then used to make the 4 pieces, glue it all up, smooth off the edges, and add some strengthening pieces at the edges inside, when it is dry glue the portion of straw into the top.

I then wrap the straw in a couple of layers of paper that is well glued on, this protects the rather thin straw, and gives you an 'edge' to replicate the seam on the pipe. Prime it with a light grey paint, and then paint it silver, and weather it with rust and grey/black tones. If it is a 'tight fit' it can be left unglued, otherwise glue it in, if a couple (or 4) glue spots are used it can be removed for storage (or a change if you finished off the stack), and will be safe against the wind.

The walls of the building were varnished with an exterior ‘Satin’ varnish for added protection

The roof has now been covered with roofing felt shingles and it took quite a few, I had to replace my much depleted store a couple of times, and it now needs another replacement session as well.

I was wrong about the amount of window frame sealant required – it took virtually a couple of cartridges to complete the job. The peak of the various roofs were fitted with PVC pieces glue on with Evostick (leave it to set well, as it partially liquefies the tar in the roofing felt for a short time, but it will dry out). There was some fancy angles needed to be cut but all was eventually completed. Thin (ex food tray) foil pieces were added around the base of the chimney stacks as I was adding the shingles around them, with a larger piece on the sloping side. This one is laid over the shingles, the side ones are ‘tucked under’ the edges of the shingles. All are glued in position with Evostick.

Now that all the turning during building is complete the main part of the chimney stack can be glued in position. Check that they are vertical in both directions. When dry I added a sloping fillet of wood filler around the join between the small already fitted sections and the new parts., to replicate the sloped rain run off portions here.

The roof was weathered with my usual acrylic colours (do it in several sessions to give some variety, and the main colour of the roofing felt shingles is not totally covered up at all – the colours used are two shades if grey, two shades of brown, and an occasional touch of black, and lots of water to keep your mixture thin. Use the same mixture over the roof cap planks. When adding the weathering on the chimney stacks add some more black to darken them down a bit (from soot deposition). Finally add the white ’run off’ (lead oxide) from the lead flashing around the chimney stacks, using a ‘drybrush’ technique – no water and a gentle drawing down of the brush. I use cheap children’s white bristle brushes here – over the rough felt you will wreck brushes so cheap and reasonably strong ones are needed; they still do not last though; this is ‘brush wrecking’ work . Don’t forget to include the toilet block roof whilst you are weathering the depot roof.

Finally I added an Ozark Miniatures ‘dispatchers signal’ above the windows of the dispatchers’ bay windows. This is an early station, after some requests on the web the colours were not the present red & green colours but the earlier version of red & white, the lenses of the lamp being the same. The change of colours is thought to be about the 1930’s or so, but I am not certain.

The depot has now been screwed down to it (3) paving slabs base. I have a baggage cart to build and there is now a need for lots of passengers for the depot, and some of my collection of packing crates can be left around the freight end of the depot. I have also built a couple of access ladders built for it; these are the subject of a small article on my site.

Here are a final couple of photos of the building in location.









©Peter Bunce 2005