# A New Building for the Pizza, a New Low for Craftsmanship



## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a reputation for making something out of nothing, well Allen aka Mik was the true impresario at that, but I might be touching his robe with this one...

During the last Anaheim show on Saturday where we were flooded with children, many who despite their parents best intentions, just couldn't resist grabbing the powerpack controls and testing the top speed of my trains!!!

Luckily there were no dead mans curve incidents....However for Sunday I figured I really needed to do something to cover the packs from inquisitive little hands so I brought a small cardboard box to do the job, and for the 1st two-hours of the show it worked fine, but there were issues.

One, it was a real hassle to have to lift up the box from the sides to modify speeds.

Two, it trapped the heat generated by the packs not allowing it to dissipate. Those little packs can generate quite a bit of it without ventilation.

Three, it just plain looked farking ugly! Like someone left a package on the layout...

So given it was a little slower on Sunday and my little brain was just fixated on how ugly the box looked and that a building, even something I could just cobbled together that morning would look better than a farging box! So out came my Swiss Army knife, my tape, and my repair white glue.

About 1-1/2 hours of cobbing between visitor and questions, I came up with a rough, VERY rough building that I determined would best see service as a jailhouse. It worked, it worked very well, not a single kid despite a few that tried to climb into the layout, none attempted to seize control of the reigns.

In fact even as roughshod as it was still looked better than the exposed packs. I continued 
throughout the rest of the day to cut new windows and skylights to improve the heat ventilation. At the end of the show I was telling folks that for the next show I was going to do a permanent lift off building for the spot, and I meant it.

Fast forward to now, with the LSC Challenge Red Comet well underway and still having 3 weeks to go and not wanting to go bat-guano crazy and ruining the Red Comet by over doing it (its already a tad overcooked :-0 ) I decided to try and do this permanent replacement building for the pizza. But the more I thought about it, the more I remembered half jokingly telling Sandra Baxter that I was going to finish off the roughshod cardboard bodge-building, well why not???

So I give you, *a new low in model railroad craftsmanship*, the cardboard box bodge-building:










Here I have already started filling in the gaps and openings in the corrigation with caulking adhesive










The rear shows where I plan to have a jailbreak scene on the final layout, shades of Steve 
McQueen or Paul Newman in "Cool Hand" mode here.










Detailing almost done, all just whatever I could dig up, mostly cardstock balsa and lots and lots of caulking adhesive










Shows the lift-off slot handle opening in the roof plus added balsa to even out the roof

Next stop primer and paint, still a bit of a pigs ear, the silk purse is still somewhere over the 
rainbow.


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

Your idea after the incident I witnessed is looking real good there Vic. I'm not sure what moved faster that Sat morning in Anaheim. Your train at full speed or the speed at which you got out of your chair and reach the throttle. You were like "The Flash".

Tommy
Rio Gracie


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Victor;

Your jailhouse project looks pretty darn good to me. I have a bunch of old corrugated plastic campaign signs to use for buildings "someday." The crazy thing is that I am now semi-retired, and I still don't have time to start anything!

Your adventures with other folks children reminds me of a sign posted in one of our local restaurants: "All unsupervised children will be given a heavy dose of caffeine and a free puppy!" I still don't know where the restaurant is hiding the puppies!

Regards,
David Meashey


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave maybe I should post this next show LOL


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Victor;

That is a good sign, but I think it would run afoul of any and all laws against human trafficking. Just give them to the circus. 

(Hey, it worked for Mickey Dolenz. He originally played Corky, the circus boy, on Saturday morning TV.)


Best,
David Meashey


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

How about this one:


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Perhaps your dilemma can be solved by running your railway on 120 volt?

More efficient, eliminates costly transformers ... and provides a built-in remedial education when "don't touch" failed.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Victor;

Funny sign. Zombies are kinda' slow though, and kids can really dart around. Perhaps we should feed the parents to the zombies?  Or maybe just give everybody a free tribble? The tribbles would breed so rapidly that they would eat the unlucky family out of house and home. ( I trust that you are also savvy on Star Trek humor.)

Hey, it's your layout; post what works for you.

Best,
David Meashey


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Primed, shell painted, trim painted. Currently adding jail house bars to the door and windows, using straightened (more or less) paper clips. No pics as l'm too tired tonight.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Even hot live steamers don't deter kids with the touchies!


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Pics... finally










Painted, rattlecan white over gesso coating, then rattlecan "wheat", Tamiya acrylics everywhere else










signs over the entry, yep, Borracho is in Hekawe County, it got its name when the first greenhorn settlers left the Bronx, travel southwest for several months, then after getting lost in the desert for 2 weeks came upon the spring, after replenishing their water, looked around and said "whe da hek' awe?" (insert rimshot)










Adding jail bars, straightened plastic coated paperclips, glued down and subsequently covered with white tape over the gluedown points.










With a piece of paper behind so the fine craftsmanship can be appreciated.

Roof going on now, printed roll roofing from Paper Creek.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Roofing added



















Thats pretty much it for the basic structure, next will be details like posters and ads, then weathering, but its layout ready at least, the rest is gravy.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Finished, ready for the next show 














































As you can see the little escape scene at the back is ready for a more detailed next step. Sorry can't show it on the layout as the show set up is a different set up than the garage base. But I promise to at the next show.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Victor;

It really looks great! I think you have turned a sow's ear into a silk purse. Hope it gives you a lot of good service on the layout.

Best,
David Meashey


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Vic,

Really a wonderful building. Just super.

Best,
TJ


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