0 Gauge BR(S) Lineside Huts

The first wagon I want to make is a 15T ballast wagon with the drop sides removed as this was used by BR to transport its concrete permanent way and tool huts from their concrete works at Exmouth Junction to all parts of the Souther Region network.

Whilst waiting for some parts to arrive for the wagon I set about designing and building the huts. These were designed in CAD and 3D printed on my own printer. Each hut consists of three parts, these being the main body shell, roof and door.

The PW hut was fitted with window blinds and the chimney placed inside during transportation. Being ex works the finish is pristine. My best guess at the concrete colour is a greyish white, judging from the monochrome photos I have seen.

The 3D print reveals the vertical layers of plastic resulting from the process. These were smoothed to some degree with sand paper for large areas and smaller areas given a coating of acrylic matte medium, which has a gel like consistency. Any imperfections left in the plastic has enhanced the concrete look. The hut is spray painted with Halfords Primer and artist acrylic top coat sponged on, which gives better control than a brush to allow a little of the grey primer to show through (did not want the setup/cleanup time and mess of an air brush). The acrylic top coat was mixed 50:50 with the matte medium to reduce gloss. (Matte medium is proving very versatile and can even be used as a paper glue.)

The plastic model wagon will need some weighty ballast for stability. Rather than weight the wagon I have glued into each hut floor a 1 mm steel sheet. The two huts together weigh 140gms, which I hope will be adequate ballast for the wagon.

The photo shows a 00 gauge hut alongside for scale comparison.