Peter's Model Railroading | Articles | Structures | Henderson Tower
Exterior Details

Gluing the second floor landing was relatively easy to do, but it did require some test-fitting. The part has to fit in between the door and horizontal trim. I am using these lightweight plastic clamps to hold the landing surface to the brackets. I had installed the brackets to the structure, first.

The two brackets for the staircase were next.

There are three parts to the staircase structure. The one with the demarkation lines needs to be on the outside/front of the staircase assembly.

There are a few treads that have indentions on both sides. These are peel-n-stick, and those need to be installed first. I decided not to paint or stain these treads. However, I did cover them with a coating of clear lacquer while they were still in their sprue, to keep them from being damaged over time. In the photos they appear white, but they are still the stock basswood color of the kit parts.

It was then just a matter of applying the remaining single-indentation treads in the remaining slots. I pushed them all up against the building wall, but I am not sure that was the right thing to do. The handrails that were installed later were slightly bowed in. It isn't really noticeable unless you know what to look for.

The handrails of the landing were actually surprisingly difficult to install, because you have several glue joints that need to be made, but there are no mechanical connections until the glue grabs.

The two staircase handrails go on pretty easily. And this completes the basic construction.