terrain blitz continues

January seems to have become terrain month, as I slowly clear out old terrain pieces and projects from the well of shame under the stairs. Since the urge to build/renovate/create has not waned, I continue on. This time up, an old 'O' scale Lionel kit (or kits?), originally kit-bashed by Daniel into a train depot for his long-forgotten Cowboys & Indians project. I think Daniel may have combined two kits into one and added a wooden trestle platform. It was all very Western-looking, rustic and with lots of rough-hewn wooden extras. It was also a large piece of terrain, measuring 18" x 12" on the base. I decided to put it on a smaller base (now 18" x 8") and make some changes to have it look a little more European. This included cladding the supporting timber sub-structure with brick and removing most of the wooden accents that so clearly made it from the old West. Some new loading platforms were also added, using various bits of card, plastic, and balsa. The end result can be a basic rail-loading platform and sheds or a more generic industrial piece.

Unfortunately, I took no photos of the model when first pulled from storage. It had fared quite well through various house moves and re-packings (over that 10+ years?) but it did have a substantial layer of dust. This dust proved a bit of a trial to remove and in the end some was left on the model (especially the roofs) and I simply painted over it. The basic model had been base-coated a dark brown and I decided to leave it as is except for the roofs, which I painted black and dry-brushed and washed with successive layers of greys, blues, and greens.

 The basic shell of the model has been re-based and white card added to cover the wooden sub-structure. Brick sheeting would be added later onto this white card.

Two loading platforms were added from various bits & pieces, replacing the original ramps and platforms (deliberately made to look rather rickety as part of the Western theme).

And the finished piece... 

The supporting base was clad with embossed brick sheeting (no idea where they came from other than the depths of my terrain bits drawer). The freight piles are, I believe, from Warlord Games and separate pieces that can be used anywhere on the table. I also added some posters from the interwebs (and appropriately re-sized) and a small notice board with individually cut posters, notes, etc.

Another view of the freight pieces. These are lovely resin castings and should prove quite versatile in our games.

The backside of the structure, clearly showing the brickwork sub-structure. I needed to put quite a heavy wash over the brick sheeting to tone down it's initial brightness.

Another of the various posters and ads downloaded from the interwebs. I've just noticed how in this picture the poster looks to be rather skewed on the end wall. I checked the model and it is quite level, so it must be a trick of perspective in the photo.