James River Branch: Naughtright Library

Naughtright Library

The library has the distinction of being the very last new project added to the layout. And having been added on 17 July 2010, and the inauguration of this version of the layout being 5 July 2007, that was quite late in the game!

That said, the building that would house the library has been around for quite a while. It was originally to be a pharmacy. But in the last round of revisions to Naughtright, the pharmacy got moved into another structure, and this little building was repurposed for the library.

Without meaning to disparage Shire Scenes, their kit has a few minor issues. First, the brass is rather thin (.007 instead of the usual .010), making it more of a challenge to assemble, and possibly requiring internal bracing to keep the walls true. Also, there's no tab with which to join the main wall parts at the corner; there's only a slim etched detent, posing an alignment challenge that leaves no room for error. Finally, the surface etching is a bit shallow, making some of the textures hard to perceive—including some of the finest brickwork I've seen.

To their credit, the kit is loaded with extra details, including a choice of different signs and trim parts, as well as full interior window displays and a canopy. Alas, for my purposes, none of these will be used. But because the arch-topped side and back entrances were so interesting-looking, I've done my best to orient the building such that one or both can be seen.

Things got started with one of the more challenging soldering joints I've had to make, owing to the thinness of the brass, and the fact that there was no overlap—the corners just butted together. I might have been able to conjure up some sort of jig, but in the end I held the building with my fingers. Yes, things got a little hot, but I worked quickly, tacking the ends of the joint first, then working my way towards the middle.

This project was last updated on 18 July 2010. More as it happens.

This Shire Scenes kit provides a nice contrast to the Miller Engineering kits.

The thin brass stock will require internal bracing to keep the walls true.

This is one of the more difficult joints I've had to solder.