Photo Finish

The photo studio section of the Ensminger Brothers building is mostly complete, lacking only window glass, final weathering, and perhaps some signage.  A fence running between the brick building and wood entry will be added when the structure is installed on the layout, but I'm getting ahead of myself.  Here are some progress images showing how I built the roof, added shingles and painted the structure.

I used dense file folder material for the roof panels.

Normally I don't like Campbell shingles but they work well here.

I chose an aged white and slate blue for the walls and trim, with a dark mudstone for the stairs and a lighter mudstone for the shingles.  The shingles and stairs received a dark brown wash while the walls received a mudstone wash.  I used charcoal black for the roofing paper, then lightened and streaked for an aged appearance.  

In the third image you can also see the brick walls have received a mortar treatment.  I sealed the paint then applied joint compound, pressing it into the mortar lines.  This can be removed carefully from the surface of the bricks using a damp sponge.  In this case I wanted a sloppy application as seen on the prototype so I was careful to not wipe away too much.  This stands in contrast to the clean look of the facing brick, though most of that brick is hidden by the veranda.

Speaking of the veranda, it received some paint as well.  Moss green for the base coat (applied with a spray can) and cactus green craft paint.  In this image the parts need a second coat of the cactus green.

 Up next, masking and painting the remaining windows and doors!  Entering the home stretch...

Slingin Shingles

I was well on my way applying shingles to the Fallburgh station when I realized I'd need to do something about the valleys.  Usually there's some sort of flashing to direct rainwater down the roof, rather than allowing it to seep into the attic.  So I Googled cedar shake shingles images and found some inspiration.  Seems like most of the time, especially on older applications, the flashing is copper.

I used the same brown paper bag I had used for the shingles to make the flashing.  I painted a section of paper with a metallic copper paint and let it dry before cutting it into strips.  This I used at the bend in the roof at the change in pitch.  I actually creased the strip and applied the next row of shingles on the steeper pitched roof over the paper. 

For the valley itself where the gabled portion meets the main roof, I just painted the roof card with the copper paint.

As of this post the roof is 97% shingled, with only the top row of shingles to apply before I add the fancy decorative roof trim, an etched brass part, and then the horizontal 'cap' shingles alongside that.  The trim, along with all the metal castings in the kit, has been primed and is awaiting paint.