James River Branch: Naughtright Library

Naughtright Library

The library has the distinction of being the very last new project added to the layout. And having been added on 17 July 2010, and the inauguration of this version of the layout being 5 July 2007, that was quite late in the game!

That said, the building that would house the library has been around for quite a while. It was originally to be a pharmacy. But in the last round of revisions to Naughtright, the pharmacy got moved into another structure, and this little building was repurposed for the library.

Without meaning to disparage Shire Scenes, their kit has a few minor issues. First, the brass is rather thin (.007 instead of the usual .010), making it more of a challenge to assemble, and possibly requiring internal bracing to keep the walls true. Also, there's no tab with which to join the main wall parts at the corner; there's only a slim etched detent, posing an alignment challenge that leaves no room for error. Finally, the surface etching is a bit shallow, making some of the textures hard to perceive—including some of the finest brickwork I've seen.

To their credit, the kit is loaded with extra details, including a choice of different signs and trim parts, as well as full interior window displays and a canopy. Alas, for my purposes, none of these will be used. But because the arch-topped side and back entrances were so interesting-looking, I've done my best to orient the building such that one or both can be seen.

Things got started with one of the more challenging soldering joints I've had to make, owing to the thinness of the brass, and the fact that there was no overlap—the corners just butted together. I might have been able to conjure up some sort of jig, but in the end I held the building with my fingers. Yes, things got a little hot, but I worked quickly, tacking the ends of the joint first, then working my way towards the middle.

Next, I soldered on the front and back doors, a panel of cinderblocks to fill in the side door, and the cornice. This had the effect of giving the shell a bit more stiffness, which was a good thing. But adding the styrene roof was what gave the shell what it needed to keep it square and true.

Painting started with a unique brick color: I wanted a variation on the standard ruddy red, so I mixed in some bright yellow as I sprayed the shell to give it an orange hue. Next, I brush-painted the wall caps, window lintels and sills, and used sand-texture grey paint for the roof. The windows were sprayed dark green and then installed. As this is supposed to be one of the older structures in Naughtright, it received a fair bit of careful weathering with powdered chalks.

To wrap up the project, the front of the building got a rudimentary sign (a quickie DIY decal), the roof got a chimney (stolen from the bar), and the windows were glazed with clear styrene left over from old plastic N scale building kits. The large front windows received a set of "venetian blinds" made from scribed styrene siding with a pair of vertical lines added with a knife.

It may have turned out better than it needed to be as a background building, but assuming the layout is photographed from different angles, at least it won't be an embarrassment if a shot is taken looking down the street from behind. I've never been one to assume a layout is only ever observed from the front!

This Shire Scenes kit provides a nice contrast to the Miller Engineering kits.

The thin brass stock will require internal bracing to keep the walls true.

This is one of the more difficult joints I've had to solder.

The doors and other details are soldered onto the shell.

A new styrene roof adds a lot of needed stiffness to the shell.

The shell is painted brick, detail paint is applied, and everything is weathered.

One door is filled in with cinderblock to add interest.

A graphic for the sign is rendered and printed on white decal material.

The finished library is ready for the town's residents to enjoy.