Layers of intent…

A structure is a promise, a commitment to a project that goes beyond a collection of rolling stock. A deliberate act, to be incorporated into some future plan, a grand or humble scheme - a passenger train needs a station, so one is born…

North American N scale is noticeably smaller than British N. My adventures in British N have taught me a lot about what to include in a model, and where to suggest or omit details in other ways. Textures in N full stop can be awkward and I often use 3mm and 4mm scale embossed sheet in my structures and creations. Denton Road is full of this stuff! That said, sometimes there is nothing suitable - then I have two options. One, use a printed texture (such as on Paxton Road’s office) or scratch build the surface.

Adding the final window frame, carefully cut from bog standard A4 paper and secured with glue-n-glaze PVA adhesive.

I had found some drawings of ‘typical’ standard Canadian station buildings and had determined what I wanted to build. The prototype was clad in ‘ship lap’ overlapping horizontal planking. Nothing I could find would give the subtle shadow this construction imparts. I have previously used plain standard run of the mill paper for slates in N by just over laying strips of the stuff. I wondered if the same approach could work?

The back wall first showed promise, this project became a real labour of love. I could manage half an hour or so at one time of drawing and marking out the strips, cutting them and applying them to the model. Each visible overlap is about 1mm, the strips are 3mm to aid handling. There is a lot of overlapping - and a whole heap of intention.

The Rapido N scale Budd RDC, a passenger train needs a station.

Posing the model confirms the size feels right (above). More, it fuels the fire. Returning to the bench between commission work and other personal projects the cladding continued in short bursts of deliberate activity. Blindly hoping the result would work, once painted.

The paper, now primed, has a lovely subtle overlapping effect and soft shadow. Once painted and detailed this station will hold the intention of building that larger Canadian layout, and perhaps in the meantime play host to my day dreams in a smaller cameo.

As the model sits on my bench now, primed and ready for its roof and further architectural detail I already appreciate the positive ‘battery’ of intention that has been captured in these layers of paper. For whilst the dream of a large basement Prairie branchline will not be possible in the short or medium term, the models I am building for that ‘one day’ have the opportunity of a smaller home full of hope rather than a box of broken promises.