More Color More Color - O scale trains

This is a full view of the Rogers erecting shop model. That’s the realbuilding in the background.OST: You sure you want to say that in print?(laughs) Do you mind people sending you kits tobuild?RA: Sure, I’ll do kits. People have sent me kitsand when I open them up I can’t believe that anyonepaid money for the kit. What happens is, most of thetime, directions are almost non-existent. Piecesoften don’t fit together. A lot of kits need to be modifiedto look realistic. About a year ago I did an IceHouse for an individual. He sent me the kit. Most ofthe dock was wood, but the buildings themselves,which are supposed to be wood, were a resin casting.Why would you do a wood structure in plasticresin? So, I replaced the resin buildings with woodenones. The wood is easier to weather so it lookslike real wood. Plastic resin is more difficult toweather. I’ve done it but it is more difficult.OST: Do you generally work in wood? Whatabout styrene?RA: I like wood. I don’t use scribed styrene if thestructure is supposed to be wood. I’ll use styrene fordoors, sliding metal doors on freight buildings andthings like that. But, if it’s supposed to be wood, ISome of the small sheds that Reed has built.like working with wood.I do use plastic siding for various things. Brick Idon’t scribe by hand. I’m not that crazy.OST: On a clapboard building, do you build upthe sides piece by piece or would you use a manufacturedsiding?RA: Those sheets come in two and three footlengths by about 3 inches wide, so you could puttogether a building using those if you wanted twostories. But you have to double up and connect thosewith a seam. The barn I did, I did piece by piece,board by board. Some of my other structures that Ihave here at the show, they’re board by board. Ifthere is a wood roof, I do those board by board.OST: Would you build a stud wall like in a realstructure?RA: I’ve done that. One of the buildings I soldwas a house under construction. I had all the headers,etc. But there’s no need for that generally. Anythingthat’s not seen, as long as you have goodThis started life as a typical kit storefront which Reed embellished,detailed and weathered.support and it’s not going to fall apart on you,there’s no need to support it like a real structure.OST: Suppose someone asked you to do the singlestall engine house that Fine Scale Miniatures didon HO, based on the John Allen model. It hasexposed walls.RA: Anything that’s exposed inside has to bedetailed and appear realistic. That’s why you fog upwindows sometimes so you don’t see inside. ButI’ve had people want interiors to show so you blackenout the main part of the interior and create aspace around the windows for figures.But I did do a barber Shop for a guy. He wantedthe barber chairs, the mirror on the wall, the mugs,O Scale Trains • 23