A 1950's Service station

[gregh]

Over in the topic on Farnham Common signal box ,
http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?high=&m=78683&mpage=1#78846

Martino used that plastic ?board? with ?corrugations? sandwiched between flat faces - the sort of stuff that estate agents' signs and election signs are made of .

It?s a twin wall Polypropylene sheet called Fluteboard or Corflute in Australia (Known as Corex board in the UK ?)

You know, this stuff?

I got a great pile of it after elections 8 years ago and am still using it up. It?s a great material, which I?ve used for a few buildings.
By coincidence, I was building a ?1950s service station? at the same time. So I thought I?d post my efforts too.

It?s meant to look something like this:

It?s not going to live outside. Dimensions around 300mm wide by 350 deep and 250 high to the peak.
Here?s the bits all cut out from the front and the back showing the reinforcing wood I use.

I use contact adhesive to glue the wood to the board and nails where they won?t show. It?s so easy to work with ? cutting out windows and doors is a breeze.

The internal corrugations show through a bit and automatically give the effect of weatherboard for the walls (horizontal). The window frames are styrene.

And, it ?almost? looks like corrugated iron when used on the roof (?vertically?) too.

Here?s all the bits taped together to get a feel for its look and size.

If there?s one drawback, it?s that a fair bit of internal bracing is needed. This pic shows the ?warts and all? insides.

The awning roof is ?real? corrugated iron, made from plastic sheet and a corrugator tool, glued on to the board.

to be continued.........................

 

[Martino]

Very good Greg - like it.

I used the same stuff for the insides of my stop blocks too.

It will be interesting to see how it stands up to the weather.

I like the service station

 

[gregh]

Now here is the finished building. The signs are done by my usual method of printing the mirror image on clear plastic and glueing the ?ink side? to a white background (styrene usually).
The awning roof is ?real? corrugated iron, made from plastic sheet and a corrugator tool, glued on to the board.

The bowsers are signs as above, glued to wood, with wire and solder forming the hoses.

And finally, a view down Lilyvale street.

Total cost less than $10 of which $4 for the sign printing.

 

[Tony]

Excellent really looks the part love the street view as well
Tony

 

[stevedenver]

have to say that corner hotel(?) is great

as is the motor car in the corner frame

 

[Martino]

Very good Greg.

How are you making the corrugated iron on the plastic again? What does the corrugator tool look like?

 

[vasim]

.

 

[beavercreek]

Very very nice Greg. I have always used wood sides/roof with embossed plastic boarding or corrugation on top but this method is much lighter and also more weather resistant. The effect is great. And as Tony says the street view is cracking!

 

[gregh]

Thanks for everyone's comments. Appreciated.

Very very nice Greg. I have always used wood sides/roof with embossed plastic boarding or corrugation on top but this method is much lighter and also more weather resistant. The effect is great. And as Tony says the street view is cracking!

Thanks Mike. The Beaver Creek is my favourite and my goal to aim for.
I haven't left buildings outside as they get dirty. But I do use the same stuff as covers for my turnouts and they have been outside for 5+ years with no effect .

Yes Vasim, AMPOL was australian but now owned by Caltex. I wanted an Aussie feel for my service stn.

 

[C&S]

Excellent work. I do like that brick/concrete 50s-era frontag on what looks like a timber shed behind. The petrol pumps are great, too.

We were on holiday in Sydney last January - shame I didn't know there were so many G scale modellers living nearby. We also visited Tasmania, where I found this old motor showroom - I think it was dated about 1910. It's in Launceston which has a wonderful collection of preserved buildings from the first 30 years of the 20th century

 

[gregh]

Excellent work. I do like that brick/concrete 50s-era frontag on what looks like a timber shed behind. The petrol pumps are great, too.

We were on holiday in Sydney last January - shame I didn't know there were so many G scale modellers living nearby.

Anytime you make it back to Sydney, you (and any other G scalers) are welcome to come and visit.

 

[beavercreek]

Very very nice Greg. I have always used wood sides/roof with embossed plastic boarding or corrugation on top but this method is much lighter and also more weather resistant. The effect is great. And as Tony says the street view is cracking!

I haven't left buildings outside as they get dirty. But I do use the same stuff as covers for my turnouts and they have been outside for 5+ years with no effect .

Hi Greg
I am sorry if I I gave the impression that I was inferring that my method would be more weatherproof than yours, quite the reverse, I think that your method would MORE weather resistant than mine as there is no wood involved, apart from the bracing struts. The only benefit of my method would be the weight issue.
Also due to the wood construction, I have to make sure that if the building is totally wood, then it is always covered in bad weather to keep dry, or if it is plastic clad, to make sure that it is totally weather tight. Of course buildings from plastic kits are just left for the elements to do their worst!

I think that I will adopt your method to build a storage barn and see how I can try to keep it rooted!
Do you anchor or weigh down your buildings? What do you do with your buildings when it is particularly gusty and you are still running the trains?
My main problem is not so much the wind, but obese wood pigeons which perch then use the buildings as a springboard to take off from! I often find smaller buildings (mainly the plastic kit ones) resting on their side after a behemoth has taken flight! :wits:
Hedgehogs are also particularly adept house movers as they amble down the township avenues at night. Only the really heavy buildings seem to thwart their efforts :impatient:

 

[gregh]

Hi Greg
........ The only benefit of my method would be the weight issue.

I think that I will adopt your method to build a storage barn and see how I can try to keep it rooted!
Do you anchor or weigh down your buildings? What do you do with your buildings when it is particularly gusty and you are still running the trains?

The only buildings of mine that stay outside are made from pottery by my wife or Hebel concrete blocks. No weight problems!
I have a few small styrene ones outside all the time either screwed down or they get a half brick on top when I'm finished for the day.
This is my first major building from fluteboard and I am still trying to figure out how to weigh it down for when it gets windy. I totally forgot that problem until today when we had a storm and I just got to it in time. As I didn't put a floor in it, I'm stumped at present. Will have to add one and then a half brick maybe???? That means the floor has to be pretty strong, cause the brick will have to stay in it all the time.

I've never experienced birds landing on any of my buildings, thank goodness, but could be a problem with fluteboard. The possums seem to avoid them too.

Anyhow, good luck. Hope to see some pics of the barn soon.

 

[Richie]

Looks fantastic Gregh The street scene looks very authentic

 

[beavercreek]

Hi Greg
........ The only benefit of my method would be the weight issue.

I think that I will adopt your method to build a storage barn and see how I can try to keep it rooted!
Do you anchor or weigh down your buildings? What do you do with your buildings when it is particularly gusty and you are still running the trains?

This is my first major building from fluteboard and I am still trying to figure out how to weigh it down for when it gets windy. I totally forgot that problem until today when we had a storm and I just got to it in time. As I didn't put a floor in it, I'm stumped at present. Will have to add one and then a half brick maybe???? That means the floor has to be pretty strong, cause the brick will have to stay in it all the time.

Hi greg

Perhaps two stakes sunk a little way into the ground at a distance between opposite inside corners of the building. These stakes have a small hole made just above ground level and can then be fixed to with anything that passes through the building wall level with the hole and which is smaller than the hole like a flat head nail, screw etc. This would allow the building to be 'pegged' down when in use and easily lifted when the need to store arises as the nail is just slipped out of the building and stake hole.