Depot siding

[Norm Acker]

Hi group,
I'm just getting started on my Waterton depot and could use some help with the siding. I have a pretty clear picture of the end of the depot (see below) while it still wore the light paint colors. From what I could find in my research, the depot was 24 feet deep by 60 feet long. Pretty big for a tiny burg like Waterton (wasn't the Como depot main building 24 by 60 as well?). I've always assumed that having the Kassler Filtration plan nearby merited the larger size.

Anyways, back to my question. In the photo I count 23 1/2 boards from the centerline of the depot end to the trim piece. When I divide that into 12 feet I get siding board widths of a tad over 6", which seems kind of wide to me.
 
Was there a common siding size used on depots? And could six inch boards be the real deal?

And a related question: could that be a big round planter on the end of the platform? I've have yet to see one in pictures of depot platforms from days gone by...

Thanks for the help!
Norm



 

[Norm Acker]

Oops, I added the picture, it didn't show up in my original post...

[Jeff Young]

Hi Norm,

Is the siding board and batten, or tongue and groove?  Board and batten can be quite wide, even up to 12" on some rougher structures such as mine buildings and mills.  Tongue and groove is usually smaller, in the 3" to 4" range.

Cheers,
Jeff.

[ComoDepot]

Como is 4 1/2 and a bit. But Como is by no means Railroad typical, but relatively typical for non Railroad Building around here.

[ComoDepot]

Oops just saw the photo, I thought we were talking about lap but vertical is mainly 3 1/4, there is some 2 1/4.

[Jim Courtney]

Hey Norm,

How do you figure to model the doubled layer of siding up under the eave of the Watertown depot ends?

It looks like the individual siding boards overlap the boards beneath them, and each upper board comes to a point on the bottom, like an upside down picket of a picket fence.  I'm looking at the same issue with the upper layer of siding on the ends of the Pine depot, which support the roof brackets under the eaves:


Colorado Railroad Museum Collection, in the Klingers’ Platte Canon Memories . . . , page 119.


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/43689/rec/751


The Pine depot situation is more complex, as the upper vertical siding staggers down oddly, sometimes every sixth board, other times every seventh board, ending up at only 3 boards at the edge, all the while following the pitch of the roof.


The depot at Fairplay is similar to Pine, with the odd, staggered, pointy, overlapping upper siding:


Park County Archives, c1900-1910.

BTW, Chris, is that a depot privy I see in the distance . . . with a window??

Any of you carpenters or architects have any bright ideas on how to model this bottom "scalloped" edge, other than having some one laser engrave and cut the pieces??  I don't think my wife's pinkinshears will work.

Jim

[Jeff Young]

Craft scissors and heavy paper?  (Note sure if they'd work out to the right scale or not, but it might be worth looking in to.)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fiskars-Paper-Edger-Scissors-Set-of-6-Scrapbooking-Craft-Art-SELECT-YOUR-DESIGN-/231697726148

[Edit: oops, Jim already mentioned pinking shears.  Didn't realize they were the same thing.]

[Norm Acker]

Well Jim, it's not very glamorous but I'll probably just end up drawing a cad file of the zig-zag cut pattern and overlay the end of my siding with it and get old school with a sharp #11 blade... Probably easier to accomplish with wood siding rather than styrene.

And thanks for the Pine depot pictures, someday when I have a bigger basement (and lots more modeling time on my hands) I'll have that to model as well (not to mention the monster 8-foot long Coal Dock...)