Seems as though everybody’s building a depot this season so why should I be any different? 
The design is freelanced but based on a depot in one of “The Next Station Will Be” books. The original had a leanto type of add on for the baggage section but I didn’t really have room for that in the location I’m using. Instead I placed a baggage door at the far left side. Also the structure had to be flipflopped to better suit its location. I especially liked the steps on the prototype so I retained them for this model. Hopefully the depot will be unique to give a separate look to Bandon to differentiate it from Coos Bay and Port Orford while still retaining a “family” look.
The depot begins with the usual acrylic box. I won’t go into detail here because Bruce has covered the subject quite adequately.
The windows and doors were prepainted before being glued onto the assembled walls. I don’t usually have this much extraneous detail applied before painting the walls but it was easier in this case to have some items applied ahead because I was still partly designing as I was building.
Here the windows and everything I don’t want black is masked and the exterior is sprayed with Bondo black primer. The interior was given a quick coat of Bondo primer grey and then Krylon Jade Green.
Here’s the “raw” depot with the masking tape removed. The window interiors were framed on the lower floor only as that’s the only section of the building that will have detail. Both lower and upper floors will have lights however as well as the depot exterior.
This is the base upon which the depot will sit. It will be screwed down to the RR’s benchwork.
A quick look to see how the depot will fit before it is planked.
The deck is planked with cedar strips and secured with 23 gauge pins. The small openings in the planking on the ends are for the screws that will hold the base to the benchwork. They will be countersunk and then covered with small pieces of planking secured with caulk. This will allow access to the screws in case the base is to be moved or repaired.
This gives an idea how the depot will look on its base. Rail height on the track will be just about the same height as the top of the planking since it sits on ladder roadbed 1-1/2" deep so even though it looks like an elevated platform it won’t appear as such once installed and scenicked. A lot to do yet. Waiting room interior, lighting inside and out, sheathing the entire exterior with cedar boards per POC practice, removeable roof, chimney, etc. I’ll keep you posted in subsequent chapters as the work progresses.
