My modelling is coming home to Kingston. Now that I need some (very recognizable) structures for my HO scale layout representing CN's Hanley Spur, I decided to build the first one visible when one 'enters' the layout - Kingston's
Grand Trunk/CN Outer Station on Montreal Street. This is where the
Hanley Spur begins, diverging just east of the prototype station and heading south while skirting Kingston's Inner Harbour and waterfront. The nearly-finished structure on the layout (top photo). But wait,how did we get here to the solid limestone structure located at Mi 173 of CN's Kingston Subdivision? I made a point of snapping in-build photos, captioned below...
I don't know which manufacturer makes the sturdy brick station structure that I used. It was a train show find for a few dollars. I had visions of making it into VIA's Brockville station, never dreaming my modelled locale would end up coming home to Kingston. It's shown above with a prototype photo (above).
January 10 UPDATE*** Thanks to Andrew Jeanes for finding a current source for this
Heljan Greenfield Village depot kit - Montreal's
Udisco Hobbies - in stock for any readers that now want one! It's based on
a Grand Trunk Western station, currently preserved at
Greenfield Village, part of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn:
Now, back to the build.....interestingly, the prototype had some changes over the years, and it has six windows, not five on the lower level. I largely went with the initial structure, rather than cutting in new windows or doors. Scaling out prototype photos, I found that my 7x4x3-inch dimenions almost exactly matched this existing station I'd picked up. Onwards!
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| Trimming overhangs at sides and front. It's Dremel time! |
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| Adding the false roof. Deciding to clad the brick structure, multiple rooflines would not be an issue. |
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| The roof is complete. Mansard? Gambrel? I'm not an architect! Could've been a little 'taller' though.. |
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| Photo-edited/copied/pasted 'limestone' paper printed off. Not exactly prototype limestone pattern, but I liked the depth of the design. |
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| Original brick paper - from GraphicBurger.com |
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| Applying the paper. I spent more time on the other two sides, since these two would be less visible on the layout. |
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| All four sides clad. Lots of cutting and piecing around those roof supports! |
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| Adding roof fascia, making use of the previous structure's eaves overhang. |
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| Adding fascia, with a second thinner layer added later. |
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| Painting around the windows and adding second-storey dormer(?) windows. |
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| Baggage door and signage plus quoins added to corners. Window sills and more fascia to come later. |
Twelve-hour build finished. Funny, that 12 hours went faster than 8 hours at work do!
In April, 2020 I added the breezeway connecting the original 1856 station to the later 1895 building:
Running extra...
Usually, I don't link to the blogs in my sidebar, since they're available there. My brother Dave has launched a new blog called Lachine Peas - an engaging mix of Montreal, Quebec, Lachine, people and culture, most family-related. Some favourite posts I've discovered:
When it comes to New Year's resolutions, Annie Murphy of CBC's S*****'s Creek (it's a family blog) said it well, "In past years I've made the terrible mistake of making such resolutions as 'excel at sports', 'study anthropology', 'learn Italian and Spanish', 'become a dancer', 'learn classical piano without ever being bad at it' and 'become really crafty and good at decorating houses.' Needless to say, I end up feeling like a real garbage human after not making good on even one-eighth of one resolution. So I'm just going to make a vague and untreaceable resolution this year, and that's 'be generally better'".
Now, back to the build.....interestingly, the prototype had some changes over the years, and it has six windows, not five on the lower level. I largely went with the initial structure, rather than cutting in new windows or doors. Scaling out prototype photos, I found that my 7x4x3-inch dimenions almost exactly matched this existing station I'd picked up. Onwards!
Really sharp looking station. As much as I love Ottawa's current station (and I do), there is something about the old GTR stations, many of them sporting stone work, that captures the imagination. The St. Mary's Ont. GTR station comes to mind, as does the old Ernestown station. Great job. Makes my nascent home layout (just recently operational on the main loop, but far from done) seem quite drab in comparison!
ReplyDeleteI had joked with my favourite module builders...who is going to build the Canadian Locomotive Co., Kingston City Hall and the Outer Station, all of which I thought were major builds. I did not expect to be one of them. But I'm a lazy model builder and will cut corners (no pun intended) wherever I can to get the build done quicker. Of the three structures for my new layout iteration, all three were 'recycled'.
ReplyDeletePrescott and Port Hope were also GTR stone stations. Let's get that nascent layout to makes its ascent!
Thanks for your comment, Michael.
Eric
That’s a Heljan Smith’s Creek Depot. Awesome kitbash...
ReplyDeleteThanks, A! The term 'kitaugment' comes to mind!
ReplyDeleteEric