A gas station for Carlin - Part 2

Basic assembly of this kit has been quick and easy.  The pieces cut out easily from the sheets and the tabs and grooves fit perfectly.  I used my flat sheet metal fixture along with some magnets to hold the pieces nice and square while the glue dried.  This fixture is something I made 35 years ago and has been a great tool used for many structure projects.

One change I did make was to remove the large square columns from the island that support the overhang and replace them with styrene rods.  The large square holes that were on the bottom of the overhang section were covered with a styrene strip and holes matching the round columns were drilled in it.

Once the basic structure was assembled, it's exact position was determined on the base and a perimeter of .040 strip and sidewalk was glued to the base.  This will hold the structure in place but it will still be able to be lifted out.  As I was installing the sidewalks along the front and one side I realized that I will need to adjust the height of the outside doors to the bathrooms and office.

The building got painted a gray color on the inside and white on the outside.  The trims will be red and I am waiting for the red paint to arrive.  I am going to wait to install the roof sections as that will make it easier to add details on the inside.

Next I painted the surrounding area to match the nearby road.  In this photo the paint was still wet and when it dried, the color did match.  The floor inside the structure is another shade of gray and a coat of gloss finish to simulate the type of polished concrete floors found in gas station garages.

My local hobby shop did not have the decals I wanted for this project so I ordered them directly from Microscale.  I got a set for Sinclair and another set which is a general gas station set.  With decals in hand I started to make the signs that are separate items that will be added to the scene later.

 

 

Converting old smart phones into Wi-Fi DCC throttles

Recently my wife and I both got new smart phones.  Our old phones were too old to have any trade in value so I decided to try using them as additional Wi-Fi DCC throttles as I have really liked using Wi-Throttle-Lite app to run the layout.  

After transferring data to the new phones I installed the Wi-Throttle Lite app on the old phones made a custom wallpaper for each of them.  The Wi-Throttle Lite app is the only one available on the first page with any others being on the next page in case they are needed.  The camera and other features still work on these phones after the phone services are deactivated. 

Next I wanted a holder for the phones at the layout.  I followed the design I had used for the Digitrax throttles using scraps of tempered hard board.  A link to that project is HERE.  These phone holders also got a hole in the bottom for the charger cord and a pair of standoffs cut from 1/2 inch plywood scrap so the phone is held up enough not to damage the charger cord.

After priming and painting the assembly was mounted to the staging yard fascia just as the Digitrax throttle holders are.

A gas station for Carlin - Part 1

There was this one lot left on Main Street that I have planned to have either a gas station or grocery store.  I had considered doing a gas station with the garage being converted into a convivence store but then realized that is a more recent trend and might not fit in with my mid 70's to mid 90's era. 

I had this gas station kit left over from an estate.  It looks like a well designed laser cut wood kit that I have been looking forward to building.  But it seemed to me to be a different style of building than most gas stations I have seen so was not sure how it would fit in.

As I have done with the other buildings on this layout, this scene will be built on a removable base made from fiberglass reinforced plastic sheet.  It was verified that this building would fit on this base and leave enough room for the surrounding scene.

So, a gas station it would be.  But what brand, or should it be an independent?  After looking through some photos of gas stations on the internet, I found inspiration in this photo of a Sinclair station housed in a smaller, but similar style of building as my kit.  This photo will also serve as a guide for paint colors.

Microscale makes a nice decal set for Sinclair gas stations.  I'll be making a trip to the local hobby shop to look for it and if they don't have it, I will have to find it on line.