Hammersmith

A recent trip to San Francisco gave me an opportunity to visit a lesser-known landmark, the Hammersmith building.  Located at 301 Sutter Street, it was built in 1907 just after the 1906 quake and fire that destroyed much of San Francisco proper.  It has retained its historic architectural character despite having been home to a variety of businesses over its nearly 120 year existence.  The current tenant is Zoox, using the building as a "rider lounge" for their robotaxi service...I'll return to that shortly.

Out of all the beautiful buildings in a city packed with fantastic architecture, why visit this structure?  Because Scale Structures Limited produced an HO scale kit for this ornate pile that has always caught my eye and I wanted a closer look at the prototype inspiration.  I say "inspiration" because while the SS Ltd model looks like the Hammersmith from three feet away, the details are less than perfect, by a wide margin.  The general proportions are off as well, with the kit including a brick extension on one side; a concession, perhaps to the "millwork" kit they offered which provided a rudimentary interior with floors and staircases.  

The major discrepancy, besides the brick extension, is the arrangement of floors.  A post card from the time of the building's opening describes the layout; a first floor showroom, mezzanine, second and third floors, and a basement (with a description of what was included on each floor, though I don't need to go into those details here).  The kit only gives you a very tall first floor with a second and third floor above that.  The mezzanine windows of the prototype were replaced by some ornate panels in the kit.  From the outside it is clear that there's a floor there - though no longer open to the first floor below as a mezzanine would have been, by definition.  A large rosette adorns the ceiling of the "mezzanine" level and I suspect it would have been visible from the showroom.

Enlarge the image for a closer look at the Mezzanine ceiling rosette.

I don't intend this post to seem like such a harsh kit critique of an old kit.  To be fair, I can imagine that SS Ltd might not have have the most accurate source material to work with back in 1982.  And, at that time, prototype fidelity mattered less than the general impression, an idea I still endorse.  None of this matters if you simply want a lovely Art Nouveau structure for a corner location.  The castings, while not accurate to the prototype, are still in keeping with the style.  However, it's worth saying that if a person wants an accurate replica of this "jewel box", they may have to do some significant kit modifications or start from scratch with design software and a 3d printer.  

Anyway, back to Zoox.  The company was offering free rides to promote their service in the city.  My wife and I had never been in a self driving car - in fact, it was my first ride in a fully electric car of any sort.  The experience was surreal; familiar yet novel.  It was only a short tour around a couple blocks to demonstrate the car's capabilities, but it was comfortable and we felt safe.  The car navigated the traffic, including pedestrians, without any difficulties.  We came to see the historic building and ended up riding in a futuristic car.  Go figure.

Your blogger, buckled up for safety.  Note the MUNI "sunset" scheme hoodie.
More on that in a future post...

Ensminger Veranda Part 2

 ...in which our blogger attempts to bend styrene sheet and glue dissimilar materials together.

Having successfully beveled the posts of the ornate arched trellis castings from Scale Structures Limited, and finished the fancy brickwork on the facade, it was time to assemble this veranda.  First, I needed to determine exactly how and where this veranda would fit on the structure.  I had a pretty good idea that the whole thing would fit between the brick pillars on the wall.  After gluing the castings together and offering them up to the wall, this proved to be the case - exactly so.  

The castings assembled, using a straight edge and spacer for alignment.

Next it was on to the deck.  Rather conveniently the kit has a line of brick protruding from the base of the upper wall that would act as a good ledger.  A quick measurement of the available vertical space between this brick and the storefront below gave me what I needed to begin constructing the deck.  

In true kitmingling fashion I used material from one of donor kits; in this case, the scribed wood floor from the SS Ltd Gazebo.  I measured the assembled castings and cut the sheet to fit.  I pulled some scale lumber from my supplies and created a framework on approximately two foot centers, attaching it to the scribed sheet with wood glue.

Once the glue had set, I attached the deck to the lattice using gel superglue.  I find this works best when gluing wood to metal, especially when there may be a gap to fill.  The gel doesn't absorb into the wood as quickly as a lower viscosity glue, allowing it time to bond to both surfaces despite their different porosity.

Next, the roof.  The prototype is standing seam metal, and I happen to have some styrene "metal" roofing.  But the prototype is also gracefully curved and my styrene is thick.  After a little research I decided to try the hot water method for softening the styrene.  This worked well enough after some grunting and coaxing.  

The other challenge I faced with this roof was creating the ornate rafter tails.  Yes, Tichy makes some, but I don't have them and didn't want to order any and potentially stall the project while I wait for them to arrive.  I decided to try "rolling my own" so to speak by taping scale 2x4s together and gently shaping a profile on one end using files and sanding sticks.  I'm pleased with the results though I'm not sure how visible this will be once the veranda is painted.  It may just be one small detail that adds to the overall ornate feel. 

I measured and marked the underside of the roof and glued the styrene rafters to it using Tamiya extra thin styrene cement.  I love this stuff for bonding styrene to itself.  It goes tacky almost immediately on application and bonds quickly.  This let me apply each rafter at the front edge the go back and gently bend the rafters to the curve of the roof.  The fast acting glue made this a quick and painless process.

To finish the roof I cut and wedges to fit in each end between the curved roof and the top of the arched lattice parts.  On the prototype this is lattice, however, since my ornate posts include lattice already, I decided to use the same v-groove siding as the wooden extension, but running vertically.  I glue the standing seams into the provided grooves on the styrene roof panel and after some trimming and sanding the roof was complete.

I used the same gel superglue to attach the roof to the posts, double checking the alignment to the wall.  Once the veranda is attached I'll add a strip of material as flashing, though I'm pleased to say there's no real gap to hide in this case.  I'll be repeating the same steps on the side porch roof, but first, I need to do something about the storefront doors.  That'll be the subject of the next post.

The completed veranda set in place (image rotated).

 

Ensminger Preparations

As of the writing of this post I've got a short window in the winter weather for priming the Shifter over the next few days.  I do my priming work in the garage - search the blog for that keyword for more information on that space and its shortcomings.  It looks to be cold again after our current warm snap so I'm not sure when I'll get to actually paint it after allowing time for the primer to fully cure.  It could be a while.

With that in mind I've begun preparing for the next project.  Behold the "Ensminger Building" (my name for it based on the sign on the fence):

Sanford, Florida has been a gold mine of inspirational photos for modeling central Florida in the 1920s.  While perusing old photos online this structure caught my fancy and wouldn't let go.  I knew someday I'd have to model it.  To that end I contacted the Sanford Historical Society to see if more views of the building were available.  I was delighted to see this image arrive in my inbox:

  

Open in a new tab for a much larger image.  Photo courtesy of the Sanford Historical Society.

I've always maintained that no matter how neat a structure kit might be, that is, a structure created simply from the imagination of a kit designer, there's almost always a more interesting prototype structure waiting to be miniaturized.  Of course someone had to design the prototype but they're not thinking of how it might work on a train layout, rather how it would function in the real world where it will really be built and inhabited.  I think we lose something when we rely solely on our imaginations to create a structure kit instead of following a suitable prototype.

That said, I'm not recreating the town of Sanford in miniature, nor building a replica for a museum, so I won't be building a strictly accurate reproduction in miniature.  I could invest the time learning CAD and having those ornate porch railings laser cut no doubt at great expense, or creating the brick walls in 3D and resin printing them (I don't own a resin printer but have friends that do, so it isn't a far off notion).  However, while I might enjoy that process, that's not the direction I'm going to take on this building.  Inspired by a recent trip to the California State Railroad Museum, specifically standing in the presence of Malcolm Furlow's San Juan Central, I'm going to kitbash it.

I've got three donor kits for the cause: a Walthers Lee's Grocery kit, an SS Ltd Gazebo and a Life Like General Store.  These should allow me to get reasonably close to the prototype but more importantly will capture, I hope, the character of the place.  Features of the core core structure, such as the storefront and the tall arch-top windows, are interesting, but those elements are overshadowed by the signs, porches, ornate brick cornice and the photo studio tacked on the back.  

I measured the spot where the structure will sit, displacing the fire station that I had planned to put there.  It will fit - just - but that's even better.  I like the look of urban scenes in which the tracks seem a little too close to the structures, creating narrow passageways, alleys, etc.  See the image below for the tracing I made as a template.

I also took into account the porch extending over the sidewalk.  In my research into historic Florida buildings I found many such structures.  These verandahs were one way to manage the heat, providing shade for the structure itself and a place for its occupants to sit and catch a breeze.  However, it is a feature I see seldom modeled.  (That could be due to porches and verandahs falling out of favor as the air conditioner and changes in architectural style made them unnecessary or undesirable.  Not many modelers accurately model the 1920s.  However, they should be more prevalent on late 1800s or turn-of-the-century era layouts)  Another case of reality being more interesting than common kit stock.  Here's the ornate casting from the SS Ltd gazebo laying on the resin sidewalk casting; a perfect fit.

Meant to be.

I won't get into the details beyond this overview until I begin the project in earnest.  The other reason I'm choosing to kitbash and come close enough is time.  I don't want to take forever and a day to make the perfect structure, rather, I'll be happy with a unique structure that captures the flavor and character I'm looking for and is done in a reasonable amount of time.  

More to come as it happens.  Thanks for reading.

Drug Store Saga, Part V

This is the final Drug Store Saga post for the present until the NMRBO24 diorama has been constructed, and perhaps long after that.  I did recently have to resist the urge to throw the uncompleted structure.  It has become time to set it aside, not only due to the impending diorama construction period (March 1 - July 1) but also for reasons to do with the structure itself.

Even if I had not decided to modify the thing into a different shape I can say with some certainty I'd have still struggled at this point.  The problem lies with the storefront entrance and windows.  I thought I was doing a good thing when I made this jig:

The notch on the corner holds the doorway in position so the windows can be glued to it - glued on a thin sliver of metal at a sharp angle.  I used gel superglue for its gap-filling properties but still the dadgum assemblage managed to break loose twice.  

And once I got it all to hold together, even tenuously, and could offer it up to the building, I realized that the entryway, though at a 45 degree angle, did not match the corner bay window.  Not even close. To add insult to injury, the walls adjacent to the windows weren't long enough, by about 1/8th of an inch.  

I can make new walls; there's plenty of wall texture card.  I can make a new jig and reinforce the weak joint and get the thing to align with the tower.  All of these problems have solutions.  But right now I'm not going to.  I'm stepping away.  As I'm writing this the kit parts have been back in the box for a few days and the structure sits in place on the layout, propped up by a bit of sidewalk because the metal castings on the facade make it tip over without its entry door and windows there to support it.

Sometimes just walking away from a project is the right thing to do.

Drug Store Saga, Part IV

I began adding color to the trim using a palate similar to what I used on the Queen Anne Cottage for the NMRBO22.  In fact, the colors are identical - Black Cherry, Almond and Butter Cream (doesn't that sound delicious) but the placement is not.  Whereas on the Queen Anne the windows were Butter Cream, here the windows are Black Cherry, though they look more like Cranberry.  See, I was going to make them white, so I primed them gray and applied the white paint sprayed from above allowing the gray to make an artificial shadow (aka, the zenithal highlight technique).  Then I changed my mind and decided to airbrush them Black Cherry.

Oh I was so happy with how well my new compressor worked, how I was able to dial in the pressure and thin the paint just right to achieve a smooth even coat.  Yes, craft paint can be airbrushed as long as it is thinned and strained and sprayed using a higher pressure than say, oils or inks, but not so high as to spatter.  The appropriate thinner, in my case I used Liquitex Acrylic Airbrush Medium, will allow the paint to lay down and spread out before drying instead of going on all speckly.  It all looked so good.

The windows have been "washed" but still appear slightly brighter than the other parts.

But then I compared the Black Cherry on the windows to the Black Cherry on the other details, the ones I had only primed gray.  Reds are usually translucent (relatively) and this red was no exception.  Over the white primed windows I had a brilliant sanguine glow and on the gray primed parts, a dull purple.  Ugh.  So to fix this I've been slopping on a thinned mix of Black Cherry, black ink wash and brown ink wash to fill the recesses.  I like the brighter red on the raised areas so I'll keep it while darkening the shadows and filtering the whole paint job overall slightly darker.  On the gray-primed Black Cherry bits I'll simply dry brush highlight with a lighter shade of Black Cherry.  Fingers crossed.

Still needs paint (and roofing material).

I rolled a little snake of Miliput to create a fillet behind the parapet wall castings.  They weren't really deep enough to cover the thickness of the wall itself.  This repair looks realistic, like something masons would do to cap off a wall and tie in the ornate front detail.  I also began painting that detail, opting for a simple Butter Cream background and Black Cherry on the raised bits.  In studying actual Victorian paint schemes, I found that most original schemes were not as ornate as we've painted them since.  What we think of as "Victorian" color schemes today are really quite gaudy and complex compared to what was often done originally.

I also added the quoins to the corners between the upper and lower trim.  Let me tell you...that was the easy part.  Fitting the parapet trim was challenging, but not terrible.  Fitting the lower trim where the bay window section must be made from three pieces took some forethought and engineering.  Fortunately I could follow the example of the upper detail and miter the corners to match.  I think it looks pretty good.

Up next?  Who knows.  This project has been all over the place in terms of any logical sequence or lack thereof.  I've got the floor/base cut to fit.  Maybe LEDs.  We'll see.  Plenty of painting to do and some details still to make.  I'm going to try applying dry transfer letters to clear styrene for the big storefront windows.  Still shooting for a March 1 completion in order to begin work on the NMRBO24 diorama at the starting line.

Drug Store Saga, Part III

Here's the belated but as-promised continuation of the Scale Structures Limited Drug Store project.  Let's start around back:

 
The windows and doors in this image are merely set in place for now to avoid dings while heavier construction continues.  The vertical gaps will be covered by drain pipes with scuppers near the top and the horizontal line will be hidden by a wide sign attached to the wall.  In this way the wall can remain removable to access wiring and details inside the building's second and third floors.  I had thought I might use magnets to hold the wall in place but a simpler solution will be sticky wax or even double sided tape.  Below, the view with wall removed:

Access granted.  You may proceed with detailing.

The above image shows the structure from beneath being braced before the brick had been applied.  I have since broken one joint in order to "straighten" one wall.  Just like real house construction, there's no such thing as a truly straight wall.  Everything must be shimmed and even then it doesn't quite make it true, plumb or square but in the end it looks pretty good.  More on shimming and imperfection in the next post where I discuss the fancy trim. <shudder>.

I'll close this post with an image I shared on Instagram recently.  I'm quite happy with how this little bar turned out.  The actual serving counter is complete as well but isn't shown here.  Still need to make bar stools and a display stand for the middle of the room but otherwise the detailing for the interior is coming along nicely.  Oh and of course it needs paint - that should go without saying but I'll mention it to be clear.  Probably a wood stain, but we'll see.

Drug Store Saga, Part II

Stone paper overlay applied

Work continues on the Drug Store and in fact has progressed far beyond these images.  However this is a good place to make a few notes. This stone and brick paper has been a real challenge to work with.  First, the paint/primer I had sprayed on didn't stick.  After scraping it away I sanded the texture and applied a matte varnish.  So far this second application of paint has stuck, though where the paper has been bent around the bay window the cracks in the surface show the orange color of the paper beneath.  Still not happy with the color of the stone work...oil wash didn't work as expected, and a drybrush helped, but I may play around with it a bit more.  We'll see.

Apartment stoop in place - first castings installed!

This doorway had to be installed before any more work could continue so that I could take measurements and lay out the Drug Store furniture.  The stoop steps and door are metal castings which, like the rest, I had primed with good old rattle-can gray.  However I had forgotten that this particular can is particularly "sticky" when dry, taking at least a week to really cure.  Not sure why, it just is.  Anyway, it means that when I spray one side of a casting, let it "dry" a few hours then flip it to spray the other side, the primer sticks equally as well to the parts tray as it does to the parts, often pulling away.  Ugh.

Mysterious explosion at drug store leaves only cabinets standing.

 
Finally, the layout of the Drug Store interior has been decided.  A mirrored bar will be built along one wall with a counter in front, on which the cash register will sit.  The two large cabinets will be merged into one and will occupy the other wall along with the door to the back room.  A small display case will sit in front of one of the large windows.  This is about all I can fit in and that's fine.  I've cut the mirrored glass from a dollar store handheld mirror using a glass scoring tool, something I'd never done before.  

Up next, the solution to the removable wall, bracing, and more.  Thanks for reading.

Drug Store Saga, Part 1

I'm calling this a Saga right at the get-go because I can already tell it's going to be one of those builds.  The drug store in the title is the Scale Structures Limited Corner Drug Store.  A classic structure, to be sure, but the model is not without its flaws.  Even on its release in 1972 the folks at Model Railroader took note of how the angles of the bay walls don't match the angle of the ornate wall cap casting.  (More on that later.)  However they also noted one of the kit's strengths; the construction allows for easy rearranging of the walls.

Early in the process, before the fitting frustration set in.

In that regard I have taken things one step beyond.  The space intended for this structure in Ocala Springs is located on an intersection and bounded by a spur at the rear and the next building down the block.  I've got leeway down the block as that next building hasn't been decided yet.  But between the street and the spur I can only go so far.  However, the problem was not that the building was too wide, rather it was too narrow.  I envisioned an alley between the building and the spur, but this space was large enough to shoehorn in another structure.

The solution was to lop off some of the long end of the drug store and glom it onto the shorter side.  Now my structure is a bit more squarish.  Careful measuring meant the window openings could be kept evenly spaced without trimming and the surgery was relatively painless.  But I'm making it sound all too easy.  Before I even reached this point I had struggled with the aforementioned angle difficulty, and realized another aspect the folks at MR noted; the need to carefully read the instructions (many times).  

Note the original rectangular "floor" set onto the roof of my reconfigured structure

This freedom and flexibility in construction means the kit doesn't drop together in a simple sequence of tabs and slots.  The stiffeners inside the structure are the floors.  To begin with I cut new ones from thicker card as I couldn't see the thin stuff provided doing a good job for the long haul, even sprayed with sanding sealer.  This allowed me to correct the issue with the bay wall angles.  You are instructed to measure and mark the floor levels.  The plans give you an indication of where the first floor goes, and the roof along one wall, but not the others.  

And you're instructed to build the thing "upside down", aligning walls from the top.  That's fine for the front walls and bay, but not the back walls which are two different heights.  Add to that the challenge of a too-small wall and laying out the floors gets confusing quickly.  This tiny wall is some sort of mistake, a wrong part.  At first I thought it was N scale but a quick examination with my scale rule checked against the plans and no, I have no idea what this shrunken wall is.  I didn't lose sleep over it but, using the plans, I was able to fabricate a new one which is fine since I had planned to move that wall's windows to a different wall.

"Shrinky Dink" wall in the center, replacement on the left, relocated windows on the right. And all this before I decided to reconfigure the walls.

To recap at this point; building the original kit as instructed is already challenging and then I had to go and make it even more so.  But the problem became the solution.  I don't have a set of precast plastic walls that don't fit, I have cardstock.  Cardstock can be easily replaced.  The card in the kit for the die-cut walls appears to be good quality material.  It cuts cleanly and sands well.  No watermarks but I'd suspect a quality similar to Crescent or Strathmore board.  

This post has already gone far too long so I'll save the tribulations of working with the castings and printed wall textures for another part.  Thanks for reading.

Station Details

Some old, some new, some no longer available except second hand.  Scale is HO.

The chair is from Vector Cut, and is laser cut taskboard.  Brilliant little kit; too bad the company is on hiatus with no sign of returning anytime soon.  The spitoon (cuspidor) water cooler, stove, desk lamp, typewriter and clock with signs are all Scale Structures Limited.  I scratchbuilt the little table beneath the water cooler.  The signs I will scan in and whiten in Gimp, while the clock may be a candidate for Oyumaru and Milliput reproduction, keeping the original as a master.  The benches are Atlas, I believe, but I can't be sure.  The calendars, Chero-Cola signs and election posters are all found online.  Lastly, the pattern at the bottom of each shot is a tin ceiling tile image I found and 'tiled' using Gimp image editing software. 

The station has been under construction for far too long now.  It is time to push forward and finish this structure, so look for more posts in the weeks ahead.