# Omaha Union Station



## CBirnley (Oct 10, 2015)

My grandfather loaded mail for UP at this facility. I would like to model it on my HO scale layout. I have been unable to locate a model that even closely resembles the structure. Please advise as to how I can build a model of the station.


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

CBirnley said:


> My grandfather loaded mail for UP at this facility. I would like to model it on my HO scale layout. I have been unable to locate a model that even closely resembles the structure. Please advise as to how I can build a model of the station.


How good are you?

You could use styrene to make a model.
By the looks of the station it will take a lot of work.
I would think it could be made out of balsa wood too, still a lot of work.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Here are pictures of the Omaha Union Station.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...=yhs-mozilla-001&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

It's mostly nice straight lines would at least be easier to
model than were it festooned with various Victorian or
other classic stylings.

The many pictures would be a big guide for anyone going
the scratch build route.

Don


----------



## 4G-Man (Jan 2, 2014)

root'n around.... this is pretty cool to me because my wife's grandfather was the one who painted this. Her dad would go with him (his dad) in the summers. Many of the places his dad (grandpa) would stay was in rooms above bar rooms. Her dad, a youth, now 80, would wonder down into the bars while grandpa was out painting (buildings, bridges, whatever needed painted) he'd wonder down and the guys drinking took a liking to the little fella. Many of them pretty salty in pool taught him to play. Dad got pretty salty also, salty enough to become semi-pro; played guys like Minnesota Fats and others. Although he never went big time on the pool deal, he made more playing pool than his and moms jobs (both pretty good) combined. Not shabby for back in them days. He was even on TV a couple of times.


----------



## J.C. (Dec 24, 2016)

you would have to do a lot of selective compression to fit into a small layout, a starting point for the front section I believe could be a walthers bank building.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Well, given that the thread is over a year old and the OP hasn't been on since Feb 2016, this may be a waste, but for the benefit of anyone else who may ask a similar question, here goes:

Any time you say, "I want to model this exact building, or something very close to it", it's long odds against finding a commercial kit. You're heading off into the realm of at least kitbashing, and most likely scratchbuilding. As Big Ed implied, not something to be undertaken lightly by the novice modeler.

You might be able to find architectural drawings of the structure, which would help you in preparing plans for your model (giving accurate measurements), otherwise, you have to guestimate from photos -- assume a man is 6' high, or a car is 12' long, or whatever.

To kitbash, start with something similar (Walthers Union Station might be a good place for this particular one), and make changes as necessary. Focus on the details that stand out, like the ornamentation over the windows, because it's the little details that will make people say, "Oh, that's Omaha Union Station", even if some of the coarser details / measurements are inexact.

Scratchbuilding can be done using styrene or wood. Find a commercial window product that is similar, and consider using either Walthers or DPM modular pieces to develop the basic structure. Even if you decide to scratchbuild, consider selective compression, especially for a huge building like this, unless you can really afford the space. Consider modeling just the platforms and representing the station by either a flat or a photo on a backdrop.


----------



## 4G-Man (Jan 2, 2014)

Ya, I noticed the post was old, I was just root'n around, but just found it still interesting to me. And figured there may be a possibility someone else may be interested in building it and if not, it can fade away again.


----------



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

What a beautiful Art Deco building. The interior is stunning. Looks like it wouldn't be too difficult to replicate, either with plastic card or foam cored board. You could reduce the size and still have a reasonable representation. Here's a great site when sourcing all building parts: http://www.textures.com


----------



## 1905dave (Sep 18, 2016)

The pictures in the link were generally 3 different buildings. The smaller station with the tower is the first Omaha Union station (roughly 1880's to 1920's), the big white one was the current art deco Union Station (now the Durham Museum) and the third station with the columns is the CB&Q station (now a TV station) that has been offered as a kit by Walthers.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

1905dave said:


> The pictures in the link were generally 3 different buildings. The smaller station with the tower is the first Omaha Union station (roughly 1880's to 1920's), the big white one was the current art deco Union Station (now the Durham Museum) and the third station with the columns is the CB&Q station (now a TV station) that has been offered as a kit by Walthers.


So, in other words, the first decision that has to be made is WHICH station you want to model...


----------



## trenes115 (Dec 9, 2011)

Any suggestions on painting the Walthers Union Station? The one pictured is on a club layout and to me looks like "flat grey primer on plastic", at least up close. I was hoping to find something that might look a bit better. I don't know if there is a technique or paint that would give a slight amount of texture to the walls. I was thinking of doing mine in something closer to a sandstone color. 

Added to the existing thread as there was some discussion of this Walthers model.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I personally think texture is easy to over exaggerate in the smaller scales. You can't see it with the naked eye. 

That said, I do think the structure above looks unnatural. First of all, I think the gray is too dark. It doesn't look like a natural stone, and it's far too uniform. A sandstone or buff color would look much better. Then a wash of black to take the uniformity away. You can even add two different washes, a slightly lighter and slightly darker version of the base color, just to give the stone some variety. That and some streaking of dirt and rust would make it look better.

If you must add texture, one way is to paint a base coat, then sprinkle on a very fine powder, like baking soda or fine sand (talc is probably too fine, but might work, depending on your scale), while the paint is still wet. Let it dry, then paint another coat over the first. Some might recommend textured spray paints, but I think those would be too chunky.


----------



## Deane Johnson (Sep 19, 2016)

It's too dark by far. Looks like fresh poured concrete that hasn't dried.

Here's a link to a photo I shot back in 1965 on Kodachrome.

http://www.pbase.com/deanej/image/32659838


----------



## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Union Station*



CBirnley said:


> My grandfather loaded mail for UP at this facility. I would like to model it on my HO scale layout. I have been unable to locate a model that even closely resembles the structure. Please advise as to how I can build a model of the station.


CBirnley;

I think you will need to scratch-build, or kit-bash, or some combination of the two, to get the model you want. I had the same problem in getting a model of Union Station in Seattle; there aren't any! 
I built my N-scale model of Seattle Union Station using a combination of Design Preservation Models walls from two kits, the same firm's wall sections, styrene, Holgate-Reynolds brick sheet, odds & ends, and lot's of time and effort. Since your union station looks to be bigger and more complex than mine, You will need to think about your skill level, and how much time you can devote to the project. 

Good luck;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


----------

