Construction Update #48 - Lizard Head Benchwork, The Lizard Head Bunk House & Adam's Models

The Plan

August 1, 2014 

The original plan was to place Lizard Head on a shelf above Ridgway (Construction Update #9)  That plan included a lift out section in front of the entry door.  Later on I decided to install a temporary reverse loop to postpone blocking the doorway (Construction Update #16).  More recently I decided to move Lizard Head and eliminate the lift section altogether (Construction Update #46).  Since the last update, I made a minor modification to the plan as shown below.  My mainline minimum radius is 32"  The legs of the wye are 28". 

 

Construction Begins

August 2, 2025 

 

It took about a half an hour to remove the existing reverse loop.  I managed to salvage most of the track and two turnouts.  Here is the before. 

 

And here is the after.

 

 

The Lizard Head Module

I decided to start the Lizard Head scene module in my barn and then move it into the train work once the basic carpentry was done. In order to minimize weight, I decided to use 3/8" thick shop grade plywood along with a 1"x 3" frame   The plywood was rested on a couple of sawhorses and the plan was drawn on the surface with a Sharpie.

The excess plywood was then cut away.

 

 

August 3, 2025 

The plywood was then flipped over and the 1" x 3" framework was glued, clamped and screwed in place.

The completed Lizard Head Module ready for cork roadbed.  

It turns out that HO-Scale cork roadbed is in short supply.  I finally found a box on the east coast for $54.95 plus shipping and tax ($80.00).  It's supposed to arrive on the 11th.  In the meantime........

 

The Lizard Head Bunkhouse 

 August 4, 2025

The lead photograph has a picture of my Lizard Head section house.  I build this several years ago.  I thought now would be a good time to build the section house.  I've done "how to" posts on building structures before so some of you may want to skip this section.

I like to start by laying out the parts and comparing them to the instructions.  My kit included everything but the black roofing paper listed in the instructions.

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Years ago I started painting D&RW/RGS structures with Floquil Depot Buff and Roof Brown.  While I am going to continue to use those two colors, for continuity, both Tru-Color and P-B-L Star brand paints have more accurate colors.  There may be others.  I don't recommend using acrylics on wood.  Water based paints tend to make the wood warp.

 

 

Normally I would use an airbrush to paint the wall before they were assembled.  In this case, because the structure is small and without a lot of contrasting trim, I decided to assemble the walls before painting.  To prevent warping, bracing from the scrap box was added on the inside of the walls.  Some of you may have noticed that I screwed up the back wall by installing it upside down!  At this point, there are two options; leave it since it won't be seen on the layout or fix it.

 

August 5, 2025 

Well...  I couldn't let it go; it had to be fixed.  The building was assembled with Aleen's Tacky Glue so all it took was a sharp Xacto knife and little prying to remove the back wall and interior bracing.  The old joints were scraped and sanded smooth, a new section of bracing was installed along the inside top of the wall and it was re-attached.  The whole process took about 30 minutes and then it went out for paint.

August 7, 2025

Here is the assembled model.  I like to mount most of my buildings on a piece of styrene and add a few details before I place them on the layout.  The roof was done with blue painters tape, painted with gray craft paints and weathered with powdered pigments. The windows were covered and the entire model was sealed with Tamiya TS-80 flat clear.

Here is the Lizard Head bunk house pictured along side the section house.

The Model Builder - My 12 year old grandson

Several years ago, my grandson Adam and I built the small warehouse (Banta Modelworks #4959) shown below.   It's now part of my Placerville scene.  He was around 9 or 10 at the time.  Adam did about half the work and I did the rest including the roof that has yet to be painted!

When I ordered the warehouse, Bill Banta was gracious enough to include a couple of extra kits for Adam.  Adam has wanted to tackle these kits from the day they arrived but I had him hold off.  I wanted him to build the kits on his own and I didn't think he was ready.  Recently he dug out the kits and went to work.  Here are the results.  The Hillside Water Tank (#4124) is about done and the Mner's Cabin (#4078) needs some roofing.  Adam built both kits over three days without any of my help.  Adam will be 13 in October.

 As always, your comments, suggestions & questions are welcome

sdepolo@outlook.com