1950's Era HO Industrial Switching Layout
All photos have included captions.
Plastics & Adhesives
As I have mentioned before, I have been building an additional train module that is fast becoming part of my HO industrial switching layout, and this module that includes a 60' turntable in 1/87 scale also includes a fueling depot bordering one of the turntable tracks for fueling the locomotives.
While working on the module recently, I felt something was missing, and it came to me that a service platform for servicing the locomotives would be an asset when added to the layout.
After taking a few measurements of one of my switching locomotives sitting on a service track, and then making a few sketches, I came up with what I felt was a design for a service platform that fit the bill.
With a fair collection of left over Styrene plastic from other projects, and making an inventory of what additional materials I needed to build the service platform, I placed an order on line that arrived at my door in short order.
Most modelers know what Styrene plastic is, as it is found in hobby shops across the country, displayed in all types of shapes and sizes ranging from structural fittings, structural shapes, tubing and fittings, round rod, I-beam, angle, and many other shapes and sizes to numouros to mention here.
With all the required materials at hand, and with my exacto-knife, my plastic cutting saw and miter-box, as well as a steel-rule, I soon had enough parts cut out to start assembling the un-finished platform as seen in the photo..
Although there are many adhesives that will bond the many types of plastics together, and you will find a bewildering array of choices displayed at your favorite hobby shop, one of my favorite adhesives that I have used for years while building RC models as well as many other projects is CA (Cyanoacrylate) adhesives. One of the main reasons is that I like to move along while building, and instant bond adhesives like CA work well for me. I keep it in various viscosities, as there are times that a joint has a gap, and a thick CA will fill this gap creating a strong joint when set.
Just some of my thoughts while I work on the service platform that is nearing completion, although requiring painting and weathering before installing it in place on my HO industrial switching layout.
Expand the photo for a closer look.....
The finished loading platform on the layout......
https://www.jerryclement.ca/Outdoor-Pursuits/DawnThreader/i-dntpb3n
