Working on
the Atlas station has been a fascinating experience. It started as an icon of model
railroading then took a new, or should I say improved, identity by acquiring a
new footprint and clearer functions. Then, that new roof line changed everything…
I could detail my process, but at this point, I want to share some discussion
snippets taken out of a discussion with Chris Mears. At the end of the day, the
goal wasn’t really the station itself, but the fun and quality time derived
from working on it and experimenting with different ideas.
Matt: It
has acquired a transcendent identity that makes it familiar because it's
generic and relatable, but also because the Atlas parts are still familiar.
All these
thoughts are driven by the desire to make something "good" out of a
pair of Atlas stations. At this point, I'm pretty sure you will all say I
should have scratchbuilt it from styrene and it would have been faster and
better. That is absolutely true.
But the
other alternative was to throw them away in the garbage bin to free some space
because I’ve reached that point in life where cluttered collections no longer
make sense. So better recycle nicely molded sidings and roof brackets, do the
best I can, save some money and plastic products from waste. I still want however
to improve the windows a little bit…
Back to the
station, making the roof was an exercise in patience. For some odd reasons, I
had the hardest time to find the correct geometry. However, I did some
experiment with angled cuts. Theses cuts make mating cardboard edges easier and
virtually eliminate gaps and discrepancies. Not very hard to achieve with a hobby
blade and saving some extra steps down the road.
I’ve also
painted and cut to length an old Atlas brick chimney. It is quite high and may
required to be trimmed, but on the other hand, I like that it can tell the storey
of a chimney that was lengthened due to poor draft issues. For the foreseeable future,
it will stay like that!
For now I
only need to reinforce the roof, apply distressed asphalt shingles, fascia,
drain pipes and gutters, then call it a day.
I have modified the Atlas station a different way. I cut the roof right off. Take out the vertical muntin bars in the windows, and make the doors as plain as possible. What's left is the base for an International-style station building such as CP erected post-WWII. A flat roof will top the station off.
ReplyDeleteSteve Lucas
Interesting way to modernized it, thanks for sharing that other option. I agree the window mullions are a big offender. I will board up the windows with plywood.
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