# Rebuilding an Aristocraft Victorian Train Station



## Tom Bray (Jan 20, 2009)

We have had our red Victorian Train Station outside for a little over 3 years. Before I put it out I sprayed it with several coats of Krylon UV protective coating which I was hoping would help protect it. The Alabama sun and the hot summers still took its toll on the building. I pulled it out of the layout last fall after the window in the door fell out. 

This afternoon I started to seriously examine the building. Not only is the roof badly faded and several windows loose but the glue holding the structure together is no longer doing its job. The building sort of fell apart. I was able to separate all the wall pieces from the base and each other and managed to remove all the windows (both sides and the "glass") without breaking anything. The roof is still together but it needs work too. The plastic itself all seems to be in pretty good shape. 

I still need to remove the dead glue from the edges and the several windows and the doors all have paint peeling. The Dremel on low speed seems to do a good job of removing the glue and lightly rubbing the painted surfaces with Scotch Brite seems to remove most of the dead paint and dirt. 

There seems to be some kind of brown or red colored glue used on the mating surfaces and the tabs that hold the building to the base. They also used hot melt glue on the roof. 

Any recommendations as to the type of paint, protective coatings, and what type of glue should I use. I also want to try to clean up the clear plastic windows so they aren't so opaque. 

I could also use a good source for stainless steel screws that have threads designed for plastic. 

Thanks 
@import url(http://www.mylargescale.com/Provide...ad.ashx?type=style&file=SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/providers/htmleditorproviders/cehtmleditorprovider/dnngeneral.css);


----------



## Tom Bray (Jan 20, 2009)

In looking further down the forum I see Pola buildings are have similar problems with glue. Is their plastic similar to what Aristo uses? The plastic has a bit of a foam structure to it which possibly means the solvent style glues may not do much for them. I haven't figured out if I could use a silicone and have it look right. It also needs to be paintable. 

I am wondering if the Vulkem stuff I use on my Airstream might work. It stays elastic just about forever. 

By the way, I have no idea where that @import.... line came from on the bottom of the post.


----------

