Mount Union Re-Development Committee

[david]

It's looking great Rick. I curved corner came out good. I don't know if you wound up using a section of the PVC pipe for the inner wall.

I really like the way you sloped the roof. Perhaps that reflects too much time spent at Village Inn with Jay in days gone by

It will be a real eye-catcher and introduction to the Mt. Union scene.

David

[RickBacon]

With this building's giant windows and it's prime corner location in Mt Union, a complete interior is a must!

The main counter, stools, fridge, and grill are all scratch built from styrene bits.  Work continues on bench seating including the curved booths in the corners. 

[Bob]

Looking great, Rick!

Any further thoughts about lighting the sign on the roof?

[RickBacon]

Thanks Bob!

I'm still researching my options.  Miller Engineering has some pretty neat electronic stuff that I'm comparing to the UV/florescent ideas.  My base concern is that the sign looks to "scale" and not just an oversized gimmick.  With the diner being so close to the front of the scene and right in the viewer's face, there is very little room to pull of this illusion!

I'll have to commit to something soon; I'm getting antsy to get started on the depot so I need to keep moving on the diner structure.  Not to mention there is only ten months until the O scale convention!

[david]

The parts and pieces look super. I have some "florescent" LEDs here for interior lighting if that suits your mental image for the diner.

David

[RickBacon]

I took advantage of the Turkey-day Ops session to test fit the full diner structure on it's corner lot. 

[david]

Rick,

I don't know if I've ever made this observation to you or not- but I like the way the Mt. Union structures rise in height to the middle, Union Hall, and then fall again. It really works with the eye, and photography, when viewed from all three aisle angles. Mt. Union is an eye-candy delight.

Grand Poohbah

[RickBacon]

Thanks David!  Not only does the scene rise and fall from left to right, it also rises from front to back.  I think these two sight lines help move the viewer's eye through the whole scene making for a balanced flow with logical pockets of detail.  Bob was a big help achieving this balance. His thoughtful critiques during the mock-up phase really helped refine the future scene.  As I design and build, I am very conscience that this whole scene is visible from nearly all sides to include the back.  This part of the layout curves nearly 90 degrees so I try to make sure that even the backsides of the buildings are complete and detailed since they are visible from around the corner.

[RickBacon]

136 days until the convention…
Most of the basic styrene shell for the diner is complete. I primed everything with flat black spray paint and followed that with a complete coverage of aluminum spray paint. I’m pleased with how smooth the silver coloring turned out.

[RickBacon]

The interior is also coming along…

[RickBacon]

So what to do while waiting for paint to dry? Start the next structure!

I’ve got the base walls of the Mt Union depot laid out. This will be a modest brick building with an operator bay, trainorder board, and covered platform.

[RickBacon]

Currently working on interior details for the diner.  Lots of color! Still need to finish the bench seats and tables, candy machines, fountain machine, brochure rack, and food service details.

A little bit of work has been started on the exterior signage.  Still not sure how I'm going to pull off the large neon roof sign!

[david]

Awesome.

Dave's Diner eh. 

Thanks

David

[Craig]

Just need a sound module in there…

“Cheeseburga….Cheeseburga….Cheeseburga….NO PEPSI!”

 

[RickBacon]

Weekend progress…a few details! With the diner’s huge windows, I’m going to need lots of details inside. An internet search landed some candy machine imagery that just might work! Combined with a simple styrene form, the images add the right amount if visual texture to complete this detail. I used another image melded with a styrene form to make a tourist brochure rack for the entryway.