New Old Structure Completed

The new dilapidated looking building for the JSSX (actually, it's located on the GTW line) is pretty much finished up, and installed.  Only just a couple of little things to do with it, like some rooftop details, maybe a bit of fencing.  Here's a look...

I'll pick up with this same photo that I left off with last time...

I streaked rust and grime downward from random points along the building's facade.  I used Burnt Umber artist acrylics to do this. Just a small dab of paint, and then a water-dampened flat brush pulled straight downward to create the streaking.

In this closer view (below) of the right-hand end of the facade, you can see I also made use of the burnt umber to highlight minor imperfections in the spackle that I used to represent the concrete.  I did this to further the impression that the concrete is aged and worn.

When concrete starts to break up and fall apart, I believe the term is "spalling".  This occurs when water finds it's way into the concrete and then causes the surface to begin to break up.

The concrete stairs and railing received a heavy weathering as well.  There was a building in a YouTube video that was the inspiration for my model. It had horizontal pieces on the lower row of wall panels.  I don't know what they were there for, or even what they were made of.  I wanted to include them as a feature on my building, so I glued .040 square styrene rod to the dried wall spackle.

Getting closer to the finish line now, I've added gravel and sifted dirt along the MDF base, as well as planted a little bit of ground foam and a few small bushes from "Super Trees".

Below is a closer view of the single panel that I left open.  I made a false floor and dropped a bit of gravel onto it, along with an old board, a steel bar, and a drum.  The back wall is only about 1.5 inches from the front, so the colour difference between the floor and the back wall is more obvious than I might have like it to be. 

Space in the foreground is limited, but there's a weathered and tagged dumpster that's been dropped off below that open panel now as well.  I have to get together some scrap to layer in there.

Set into it's place on the layout, I think that this building is fitting right in.  That's one end of the scrap yard in the foreground, and then the Midwest Plastics plant further at the far end.

And from the opposite direction, a final view for the time being.  I've quite enjoyed working away at this whole project.  As I mentioned, I'll be adding some rooftop details in the future, and soon work on ballasting the tracks in the area as well.