Southern Railway's Slate Fork Branch (N)

[Paul S.]

And here is their general location in relation to the company store and a coal tipple office/shop.

[john_plsn]

Those came out good, and I can see the color in the roof now. Will you build an outhouse or add a lean to structure as if a bathroom was added later?

[Paul S.]

Thank you. And outhouses, JP! I have an etched brass kit with two of them. Even though it's 1978, I have photos showing them still in use in some coal camps.

[Allen]

This one might be a good choice for a kitbash?

[Cody]

Somebody even makes a kit like that in N scale

[Paul S.]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

I might have to find a place for something like that.

[john_plsn]

The shacks looked to represent an era further back from 1978. My thinking came from a bit of life experience. My wife's grandparents(in Bradford Arkansas) added two tiny bedrooms with a bathroom in the middle onto a home they built from a flooded home in the early 30's. They simply bought the property and built a rock foundation, cut the bottom foot off the flooded dwelling, and moved it to the new foundation, piece by piece. The ceilings were low but the structure was solid. They had an outhouse for years. When the tiny town was able to bring water to the masses they added two tiny rooms with a bathroom in the middle. Funny thing is the town didn't think this through as waste was not part of the solution. So the grandparents simply ran a drain pipe for all the plumbing to the lowest spot which was next to the railroad tracks. I tried to sleep there a few nights but the railroad would have a couple idling units nearby to keep me interested.

Lesson learned. Small town life may seem attractive, but you never know what's hiding.

[Paul S.]

Finally finished the fascia for the entire layout.


The bit of white is spackle, where I missed two nail holes. Seems as if some things are never done!

[Russ C]

Well done!! that facia certainly improves the overall look Paul. I like the 'faux shadowbox' look.

[Paul S.]

Thank you, Russ C , N Scale Brad , and @Jerry Z . 🙂

[john_plsn]

I like the softness, if that's a thing. Just a touch off black that it doesn't become distracting.

[Steve H AC&Y]

The bit of white is spackle, where I missed two nail holes. Seems as if some things are never done!

Geez, don't look too closely at my fascia. 🙄 Yours looks very tidy and well finished. Mine is black, specifically done so to hide my poor finish work. Is the color gray or a greenish gray, grayish green? It looks great.

[Steve H AC&Y]

I agree 100%. And did I mention black hides my poor finish work? 8-)

[N Scale Brad]

Must be the lighting because at first glance I also thought it was gray.

[Paul S.]

Yes, it does look a bit grayish in the photos, N Scale Brad. I think that's the phone camera battling with the white balance.

[Paul S.]

Allen asked: No reason you couldn't go back over it with a different paint Paul?

None really, except I hate doing anything twice. Now, an alternative might be a low-luster clear acrylic top coat. I know Benjamin Moore makes one. I'm sure Sherwin Williams does too, and a true Midwest buddy who works for SW just might hook up a brother with quart. Just sayin'.🤣🤣🤣

[Allen]

Always a possibility!