Building a complete 1841 Depot. roundhouse, shops, train shed and station.

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
*Tom I am a old worn out person. Young was better, and easier. At 72 my time here isn't guaranteed. So to the hinging of the doors, I'll try. If i fail a few times, I will stop. I would like to copy the seen on the Lithograph as done by the Artist of the period. It is the only view of this building found anywhere to date. This whole project is more a historic representation, to provide a view into the past of a historic place lost to time. So I think it should be more of a dorama than a train layout. A diorama can be made stronger to survive the moving and transportation from place to place. You see this in the construction photos I have released. Fixed doors don’t have to be secured to prevent breakage when moving.

*As to surrounding buildings that may have lined the streets, only the corner of Montgomery and Hudson remain the other really useable view available that has been recorded. This gives a view of the "Darcey House". A hotel restaurant owned and operated by a man who became the first Mayor of Jersey City. It is named after is friend who was the first president of the New Jersey Railroad. From what I read they were very good friends. The other 3 views go from horrible to questionable. Still add them all together with a bit of common sense and a good scene can be created.
 
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toptrain1

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* Change of work area from basement to Attic. I removed my old layout but kept the tables to use for modeling projects. In the 90 + degree heat we've been having here,moving up to a air conditioned attic works for me. I finally got everything i need plus the project moved to where I can better work on it. There is enough room and table space to layout out the entire depot. I can't do the distance completely in scale. When the actual length is almost 1000' from the west on Washington street to the Hudson River ferry, I have to condense the distance between structures. There are no views of the buildings along the street sides, and between the railroad structures that would allow me to model them so removing all this empty space is practical.
* That dorama centers on two long straight tracks extending the distance mentioned. It will include the combined maintenance and loco assembly building, the car maintenance building, the large train shed and the head house. If I am still functioning the Ferry terminal with its wharfs. I have seen sketches of two of the ferries that the NJRR used. Both are side wheelers with exposed walking beam drives, the Jersey City., and the “Arresscom”. I have no idea or can find out what the name of the second ferry means or represents. I would like to know it. The New Jersey Railroad seems to like this name for they used a very similar version of it on a locomotive built for them by Rogers of Patterson in 1837. It was the first locomotive built for them by Rogers. The name is “Arresseoh”. So now there are two names of NJRR equipment I have no idea what they mean.
* Well so much for now.

Frank
 

toptrain1

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I have completed installing track in all nine roundhouse stalls. Cleaned up the area between roundhouse and turntable. Now comes the door hinge work. I'll start by bringing out detail on doors first.
frankIMG_3292 -s.JPG
 

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
Well I worked on the doors and have then ready to glue to the front of the roundhouse. Here are the doors glued into position. I will first strengthen the top of the doors with a curved wood strip. Now i have to design and make one. I'll have to get some help from my Master Modeler.
frank
frankIMG_3296 - S.JPG
 

toptrain1

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The master modeler has joined me here he is. His name is NOAH . He is seen here Checking the roundhouse and giving me advice.

frank
IMG_3300 - S.JPG
 
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toptrain1

Well-Known Member
Your Roundhouse came out really nice. :)

I would say it is coming out all right for it is far from done. I still have the tracks to the turntable to do as well as the 3 roofs and some doors to mount. Also a possible second floor to the Machine shop. The roofs will be a lot of work. after that I have the car building and repair building to make. after that the train shed and the depot it self to make. These last two will appear as one structure. All buildings need to be connected to the two mainlines with the necessary switches. There is still lots and lots to do to complete this Jersey City railroad Depot of 1840.
Good news I have a complete boxed John Bull locomotive coming in a short while. On the first opening post of this thread is the lithograph that shows the Camden & Amboy Rail Road's John Bull pulling a train past the roundhouse.
frank
 
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zathros

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Your Grandson is adorable. I wish I had a Grandpa to have done that kind of stuff with. My own Father died when I was 5, so it was a childhood all over again, when I decided to stay home and raise my home, working out of my home (repairing electronics). Raising him was the hardest job I ever had, but the most fulfilling, and fun. What you're passing down, the Love and everything that goes with it is incalculable. It's good for him, you, your family, and society at whole. If threads whole everything together, you're weaving a rope.

I'm building a 8' x 22' shed roof on my house that the Tornado destroyed 1.5 months ago. Working in 1:1 scale kind of blows, (or sucks!)Tornado.jpg I am going with a Steel roof, as I imagine at my age this will be the last time I will be able to take on such a project, and it has a 45 year warranty. :)
 

toptrain1

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Gentlemen, I do appreciate you kind words. They make today a very nice day. Tom, Zack, thank you.

Zack I am sorry to hear about what had happened to your home. Who, or whatever it is we sometimes call Mother Nature, can be a bitch at times. There are things we do because we want to do them, and thing we do because we must. You know which one this will be. Keep your head straight and clear, work safe, and wear a good pair of gloves, head covering, and sunglasses. Don't forget the sunscreen. Some of those metal roofs can be very reflective which means it may be like working inside a toaster oven.
good luck
frank
 

toptrain1

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*I got something else done today.
*For some reason I am starting on the hardest of the three roofs I must make.
*I have made a floor which will be the lower part of a removable roof. I have placed beams above all lower support beams and the two side walls. You can see the floor and the beams under the weights. I'll do something else tomorrow.
frank

IMG_3307 -S.JPG
 

zathros

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This inside of that building looks great!! I imagine the outside will be just as good. ;)
 

zathros

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Paper, a form of realized wood. The beams look excellent, laminated, they become very strong. ;)
 

toptrain1

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*I am wondering if I should seal the pouris card stock with a paint on covering once put together in the A frame form of matching joists. This may stop humidity from swelling the card stock. But what to paint them with. spray primer, varnish, or what? It must cover and dry quickly not soaking into the card stock. Also I want to make a adjustable framing jig for making these a frames needed to shape the roof. Then they would match better making the roof look good. Also a trick or two may be used to make a even looking roof even though the curve of the front wall isn't correct. it makes the length of the base of a few of the A frames different.
frank
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
*I am wondering if I should seal the pouris card stock with a paint on covering once put together in the A frame form of matching joists. This may stop humidity from swelling the card stock. But what to paint them with. spray primer, varnish, or what? It must cover and dry quickly not soaking into the card stock. Also I want to make a adjustable framing jig for making these a frames needed to shape the roof. Then they would match better making the roof look good. Also a trick or two may be used to make a even looking roof even though the curve of the front wall isn't correct. it makes the length of the base of a few of the A frames different.
frank

My $.02 is to seal the porous card-stock to prevent swelling and warpage. I use Krylon primer in the spray can. It drys extremely fast. Then you can follow up with whatever color you like....I use acrylics.

This is a very nice build and I am enjoying following along.

Tom
 

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
* Thanks again everyone for all the support. It keeps me going!
Tom your last post is right in line with what has been happening, swelling and warpage. I'll get to Lowe's today and get some krylon primer. If I remember right, it comes in colors. The home made beams idea isn't a good one because of all the angle cutting for the a frames. Once primered they may be ok for straight roof support beams. I have enough other buildings to make. They will get used. So right now i am stuck on making my "A" frames. One idea that popped into my head while doing all the A frame cutting that wasn't working out was to make a mold and somehow pour some kind of stuff in. Out of the 10 A frames I need to make 7 are very close in size. The other 3 the same. a craft store Michel's is in the same shopping center as Lowe's. Maybe i'll just go back to building frame roofs in a simple way not to so particular about making something in a fussy detailed way, not necessary because once completed the roof sections will be totally enclosed lift out units made to allow for exposing whatever detailing will be on the inside of the buildings.
Lot's to think about, and places to go to get stuff at. Even some thinking out of the box to get past where i am stuck now.
"I'll Be Back"
frank
 
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