Untergroeningen: Locomotive Shed (6)

[ Untergroeningen posts ]

[ part 5 ]

After I went through the rather involved experience of cutting Auhagen BKS panels for the water tower in part 3 with an xacto knife, I remembered having read about how "nibblers" make cutting window openings much easier. I'm still planning to scratchbuild / kitbash the Untergroeningen station building and certainly was not in the mood to make the dozen plus windows I will need the same way I made the cutouts on the wall sections. It looks like there are only a couple models of nibblers out there, normally intended for cutting thin sheet metal. Should work fine for plastic. So I ordered the more common model.

I tested the tool with a scrap wall panel and installed an Auhagen door in the scrap piece. With a little bit of practice I was able to make straight cuts. Alright, moving on to the panel where it matters. Based on a prototype photo I chose the smaller Auhagen door for size and marked the location on the panel.

In less than a minute I cut the door opening. So easy. Yes, I can do the windows this way. Phew.

The brick arch over the door is a little bit more involved. I carefully scribed the edge of the arch on the brick panel, and then scribed it a bit more, so the edge is easier to see.

I used the nibbler to cut as close to the scribed line as I can get and then carefully enlarged the opening with a variety of files and emory board until the arch fit in the opening. On the scratch piece I did a better job matching the curvature of the opening to the arch. Here I ended up with an unsightly gap above the arch, which I carefully filled with wood glue. Elmer's White Glue should work as well, but I prefer the slightly more gooey consistency of Titebond II applied with the tip of a tooth pick.

Right. I'm done here.

... or am I? Another look at the prototype photo confirms that the door doesn't really fit. Let's build something that's more similar to the door of the prototype. The Auhagen door has a good size, so I just need a different boarding pattern. For starters I cut a the door shape from styrene. 

... and then decided that starting with a V-Groove pattern sheet (such as Evergreen 2025) would be easier, so I threw the styrene piece away and started over. I used 0.10" x 0.40" and 0.10" x 0.60" Evergreen styrene strips to make the door pattern.

And the result is a much better match for the prototype. I taped the door in position for safekeeping until it is time to paint the shed.

[ part 7 ]