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PWMRC Home >
Quantico Depot
> Projects > Fences & Signs |
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Fences & Signs
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One of the key things that separate a model railroad layout from "in-progress" to "finished" is the details. People, small objects and fences with signs make a layout look complete. There are fences everywhere and making an HO scale fence is easy. Signs also help set the time period of the layout. Club member Pete has mastered the art of making good looking fences and adding worn signs to really make the fences look great. |
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| To make an HO scale fence look good, you must be very careful to keep it straight (everyone will notice a crooked fence). And to make it easy, Pete used a simple jig so he can make many fences and they all look good. With a scrap piece of homosote as a base, Pete uses everyday pushpins to hold the horizontal piece of wood while he glues the vertical fence slats on. |
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| There are many ways to cut the wood to scale, but a device such as The Chopper makes it very easy to make the pieces all the same size. Of course, observe shop safety when using sharp tools. |
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Here is a finished section of fence. The back side on the left and the front side on the right. |
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| With a well-constructed fence in hand, it's time to really make it interesting with some signs. A wide variety of paper signs are available for little cost. On the right is a section of a typical sheet of signs. Signs on the layout help the viewer determine what time period your layout is set in. |  |
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| Put your finished fence on a firm base, in this case, Pete used a scrap piece of hardboard. |  |
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| Here is the sign that we will be applying to the fence. But first we need to "age" the sign. Using fine sandpaper, carefully rub both sides of the sign. With the sandpaper, you are trying to make the paper very thin and also to remove some of the material from the front of the sign to make the sign look "old". |  |
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| After a few minutes of sanding, the sign is ready for application. You can use a variety of glues for this...Pete uses a small amount of white glue to stick the sign to the fence. |  |
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Here's a finished fence with a nice sign for Jake's Welding. The thin sign allows the grain of the wooden fence to show through and the worn and missing parts of the sign make it look old and weathered. A very realistic looking HO scale fence in a few minutes. |
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| With a bit more time and careful work, Pete has added a great looking fence to this small shop building in Armstrong on our club layout at the Quantico Depot. |  |
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Updated 4/4/06 |
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