Make Your Own Victorian Train Station
This kit is for personal use ONLY. Please do not copy, distribute, or sell any part of this design or the instructions without my permission. Pre-Cut & Digital Victorian Train Station @2021 Jacqueline Smith
This pattern is inspired by the Train Station in Point of Rocks, MD. Built in 1875 by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), this Victorian station is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it is used by MARC passenger trains.
Please read all instructions prior to beginning the project. Instructions are given for both the digital and pre-cut versions. If you are new to making houses, make sure you read and understand each step before placing your glue.
I consider this an advanced pattern and it is more challenging than any other pattern I have designed.
Before you start your new kit, think about how you will want to decorate it. You can paint the house, paint the house and glitter it, glitter just parts of the house like the roof, use the kit pieces as a guide to cut out decorative paper that you can glue onto the house, or just leave the building white for a modern look. If you leave any portion of the house as unpainted cardboard, I suggest spraying with a matte acrylic sealer like Krylon or Modge Podge Sealer.
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Suggested Material List . . .
- Pre-cut kit has been cut from White Kraft Board. This is equivalent to 120 lb cardstock or cardboard.
- Materials for Digital version: White Kraft Board, Cardboard or Quality Cardstock. Cricut fine point pens in the colors of your choice.
- Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue. I put it in a bottle with a thin metal tip. If you are new to making kits, you may want to use Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue as this allows more time for you to reposition your pieces if you make a mistake.
- Bone Folder – A bone folder helps you make sharp folds when you are using cardstock or cardboard. While the kit comes pre-scored, I strongly suggest you make the scoring lines deeper with a bone folder.
- Multi-surface satin finish acrylic paints in your color choices. I find that if I use the multi-surface paint I do not need to gesso the cardboard first. Two coats are usually required.
- To glitter the house: Extra fine glitter or extra fine iridescent glitter and Spectra Glitter Sparkling Crystals (mixed 50/50) and Modge Podge. I like to apply the Modge Podge with a foam brush to one side of the building at a time, glitter, then move on to the next side. You may like your building glittered with only the extra fine glitter, but I liked adding a slightly chunkier glitter to it too.
- To make the snow: Woodland Flex Paste, Woodland Soft Flake Snow, and Hemway White Ultra Sparkle Glitter. Apply the flex paste and sprinkle a combination of the soft flake snow and Ultra sparkle glitter over it while it is wet. Use a little Modge Podge on a brush to add more of the snow mixture once the flex paste is dry.
NOTES . . . (read before starting)
- The horizontal score line that runs through the sides of the building area is NOT a FOLD LINE but a guide to help in placement of the horizontal trim.
- Due to variations by each builder you may find a trim piece a tad longer than needed. If this happens, simply trim it down to fit.
- DO use the cutting guides in the kit/files to identify all of the pieces! It’s always a good idea to lay out all of the pieces before you start so that you have everything in the correct place.
- The color coding of shapes in the guide are only used to help you identify pieces. Digital users should change these colors inside their software to suit their own needs.
Cutting Guide …
For reference, the front piece is 5.872 x 4.63
Your kit will include either the Regular Back, Regular Bottom Insert and Trim, OR the Putz Back, Putz Bottom Insert, and a strengthening ring for the Putz hole, depending on which option you chose when you purchased the kit. Putz Back, Bottom & Strengthening Ring are shown in the picture below.
The SVG files were created in a way that combines elements to help with possible confusion on trim pieces. If you will be using various materials to create the project and need to separate these, simply “Ungroup” the selection.
Let’s get started . . .
The following instructions are to show you how the building should be constructed. I show the order of construction without any paint or glitter. Think about how you will finish the building and if any parts will need to be painted or finished before being glued in place. I have taken many of the pictures using colored cardstock to aid in seeing each step.
Digital users should think about what colors they want to cut pieces from. Change the shape colors inside your software program to cut pieces from the colors you decide upon.
There is no wrong way to paint, glitter and glue. Personally, I like to paint the trim and walls when flat, then glue the trim onto the building, add the vellum, and then glue the building together. I then glitter the completed building. However, I know people who glitter the building while flat before gluing it together. I suggest you try different methods until you find out what works best for you. Tutorials for various ways to decorate your house can be found on the A Cottage in the Forest Website
Constructing the Building
1. Sort each of the different sized window trims by type and size, and match them to windows before gluing. If you are going to use a brick façade paper for your building like my model, glue it on now. My digital kit includes two brick façade pdf files, one portrait, the other landscape. Print these out on your own printer at full size on 8 1/2 x 11 paper. For those of you making a pre-cut kit, the brick façade PDF files can be found here.
Fold on the score lines (mountain folds.) Note: on the tower side, there are two vertical score lines on either side of the big rectangle cutout. These are placement lines, not fold lines.
Glue on the doors and window trim. I suggest you glue on the doors and window trim and then the trim in step 2 immediately to make sure everything fits tightly, OR use a slower drying glue so you have a little time to move around your pieces.
You can glue on all of the trim pieces once the building is glued together, but I find it is easiest while it is flat. Repeat with other building pieces. For the baggage doors, the thickest part of the doors are on the bottom.
2. Once again, lay out all of the trim on top of your pieces before you start gluing. Glue on the trim above the upper windows, then the trim above the doors. Use the horizontal score lines as a guide. Leave the ends of the trim long at the edges until you glue the building together.
3. Glue vellum to the back of each building piece if you are using it.
4. Glue the Tower into a square, then glue the four walls of the main building together. Match up the horizontal trim at the edges and cut off any excess.
5. Place the Bottom Insert inside the building. The corners and the folds may need to be adjusted slightly. I found it easiest to lower it in from the top and push it down onto my work surface. Repeat with the bottom insert for the tower. Glue tower on to main building, using score lines to place tower.
6. Add the trim under the windows, and at the top and bottom of the buildings, creating a sharp crease at each of the folds. The shorter trim goes on the Baggage Wall, with the notched trim under the baggage doors. When adding the trim to the front and back pieces, wrap the trim around the edge to the Tower Side piece. Cut off any excess. Cut the horizontal trim to fit between the doors.
7. Build the Tower Roof from the bottom up. Starting with the Tower Roof Base, glue on the three Tower Trim pieces. Unlike in my picture, the Tower Base you will have has a square cut out of it so light can reach the tower windows. Glue the Tower Roof Base onto the tower.
8. Glue together the Tower Roof. Glue onto the Tower Roof Bottom, centering on the square.
9. Glue together the Tower Spire Base
10. Glue together the two Tower Spire pieces. Then glue the Tower Spire onto the Tower Spire Base, and glue onto the top of the Tower Roof.
11. Glue the Main Roof together.
12. Position both the Main Roof and the Tower Roof on the building. You can either glue the Tower Roof onto the Tower Base, making sure the cutouts for the dormers are facing outward and then glue on the main roof OR glue the main roof onto the building, and then glue on the Tower Roof. I have done it both ways and they both work fine.
Around the tower, you can trim the sides of the main roof so they are flush with the Tower Roof Base.
13. I decided to shingle my roof so many of the rest of the pictures will show the shingles. I have included a shingle piece you can duplicate in with the digital files. For the pre-cut kits, you can find a PDF of the shingle here. You can use it to cut out a template.
The roof fits snuggly around the tower. Push down on the main roof until you have a good fit. Glue the point of the main roof to the back of the tower.
14. Glue together the Tower Roof Dormers. Glue the vellum to the inside if you are using it. Fold the sides.
15. Glue each of the small roofs together. Glue the trim under the Gable Roofs. Glue the Tower Dormer Roofs onto the Dormers.
16. Glue each of the little roofs and the dormers onto the building.
17. Attach the Porch roof onto the front of the building. Note that where it attaches to the tower it is glued so that it slopes down. Use the Porch Roof Braces to determine how much the Porch Roof should slope.
18. Glue together the chimney pieces. Attach chimneys, signs, and the steps under the front doors.
This building can be built from a variety of materials and finished with any method you are used to. Have fun decorating yours!
Enjoy making your Victorian Train Station!! I would love to see your finished buildings. Please share a photo with me by emailing me at Jackie@acottageintheforest.com.
Examples for Inspiration
