Once in awhile, you find some detail that is normally neglected on most model railroads, but when you add it, it is so subtle, it is barely noticeable but just makes the scene look better (without most viewers being aware of why). One such detail, in my opinion, is coping. Most plastic kits dont have it or sometimes represent it as stones. (Never have stone used in this fashion.) On the exposed top edge of any wall (including parapets), it was necessary to keep rain water from collecting and seeping into the mortar or other wall components. (Subsequent ice formation is especially damaging.) Therefore some form of coping was added. (The word is from cope, as coming in contact with a problem person or element. Others attribute it to the word that also gave us coat and cape - in other words, a covering.) Several types of coping were used on parapets, such as Spanish tile, cap tile, or concrete. The most common type, particularly on Victorian buildings, was a strip of tarpaper or tin (tinned steel) folded over the top. I model this using Evergreen channel. Actually, with the material extending down the sides a few inches, another way is to simply add a 40 mil. strip on top that is just a little wider than the thickness of the wall. Mostly I paint this grimy black, but at random, I paint the coping to represent the jade green of copper. I actually paint the coping grimy black first, then dab on the jade green, as if it was peeking out from under the dirt. This adds a nice bit of flashy color to an urban scene without overdoing it. Buildings in the 1890s and later tended to use cap tile (available from Rix). Copper used to be cheap enough to make pennies, but now is very pricey. Many older examples have been removed since steam days and replaced with aluminum, which is why you dont see it as common today as in earlier days. - JN
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 15:12:13 +0000
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