NEB&W Guide to Structure Components - Table of Contents

Last Update: 2009-10-29

Structures Table of Contents
Scenery, Structures & Details Table of Contents
This section is intended to discuss the various components that might get added to a structure. Details that are separate are discussed in the Detail section. (There is a fuzzy line between the two.) As you might imagine from the focus of our layout, this section will mainly deal with urban Victorian structures.

Foundations

Walls

Arches, Lintels, Hoods, & Sills

Roofs

Windows

Doors

Decoration

Stairs

Storefronts

Paint Colors

Roofs

Most urban buildings had a so-called flat roof, although they actually had a slight pitch to let rain water drain. The roof could be pitched to the back, although a big roof might be sloped toward the center, like a very shallow "V". I almost always use 60 mil styene.
Most other buildings have a peak and symmetrical slopes. Normally there should be an even overhang on both the sides and the ends. (The overhang on the ends doesn't have to match the sides.) Sometimes the building itself is slightly out of square, in which case the best remedy (if you can't true it up) is to make the roof match.
Also see this section.

Fire-Escapes

Signs

Prior to 1923, it was common practice to decorate just about every inch of wall space with hand-painted lettering. In 1923, the neon sign was invented, and totally changed signage. Money was put into large elaborate marquees hung off the front. Some of these were several stories high and incorporated a ladder alongside to change bulbs.

In this last year or so (2001), model companies have come out with laser cut billboards for the tops of buildings. Modelers are going crazy over these, but a word of caution. On the prototype, these were extremely expensive. They were made as permanent signs and almost always only advertised the company located in the building. Thus you would see "Cudahy" perhaps on top of a meat packing plant, and you could see Cudahy and Old Dutch Cleanser regular printed billboards located all over, but you wouldn't see "Old Dutch Cleanser" on just any building.

For more information, see this section.

Industrial Components