When looking at vintage (or even moden) photographs, most urban structures over three stories in height have some form of fire escape system. In many cases, fire escapes are attached directly to the main facade of the building and can add a lot of interest to an N scale structure.  

N Scale Fire Escapes

One of the best options for adding this structural detail is to use photo etched brass. These are extremely thin, light weight and easy to use. Their thin size keeps them nicely in scale and because they’re brass, they’re still relatively sturdy.  They’re etched out of a single piece of brass which is folded into shape.  

The etched fire escapes we prefer here at N Scale Limited are produced by Gold Medal Models (GMM). They can be ordered directly from GMM or from model railroad retails such as Walthers or N Scale Supply.  

Gold Medal Models make four different varieties of these fire escapes:  

• Standard Fire Escape, Three Stories (basic set) – GMM #160-3
• Standard Fire Escape, Three Stories (extender set) – GMM #160-4
• Fancy Fire Escape, Three Stories  (basic set) – GMM #160-5
• Fancy Fire Escape, Three Stories (extender set) – GMM #160-6

The basic sets include two landing and roof and ground level ladders as well as stairs between landings.  Extender sets include three landings each with only stairs between landings. Each retails for $10.00 per set, but can often be found on sale.  

Constucting an N Scale Fire Escape from a GMM Kit

As I mentioned, the kits are designed as a sheet of brass that is cut and folded to shape.  Here’s how I construct them, which is basically following the simple, visual instructions included with the fire escapes. The purpose of this article isn’t to reivent the wheel and duplicate their instructions but rather to show you how easy this detail can be to add to a structure. 

1. Cut out etched parts. I cut out one of the main fire escape pieces using a photo etch shear. The one I have is a Micro-Mark photo etch shear. These shears work very well on brass and make very clean cuts. They’re fairly easy to work with, especially if you keep them sharp by only using them on etched brass.  

With the main piece cut out, I file any edges that were not cut flush from the brass sprue.  

2. Fold first side.Using a metal staight edge, place it over the location that the fire escape is to be bend to a 90 degree angle. Use the GMM instructions as a guide. Each side of the flat brass is to be bent back to form the sides of the escape that enclose it and attach it to the wall of your model structure. The straight edge keeps the main portion flat while you bend the side. You can bend the sides by hand if you feel comfortable with that or you can use another thin straight edge slid under the side to help move it uniformly across the bend.  

 3. Fold second side. The opposite end must be folded in the same way. Because of the small size of the fire escape and the fold created in step 2, you may not be able to easy fit your straight edge against the fold line. For this, I angle the ruler and use just the very edge of it to create another 90 degree fold. 

4. Fold bottom. Once the two sides are folded into place, the bottom of the fire escape must also be folded to a 90 degree angle. This forms the “platform” of the escape — the portion you would stand on. 

Like any of these folds, you could do this one by hand as well, but it’s always best to use a straight surface to fold against. In this case, none of the straight edges I have would fit into the space. 

The key is to find a straight surface to use that spans most of the length you’re going to fold. Meaning, if you’re folding a 1/2″ length of brass, you should use something to fold against that is close to 1/2″ long as well or you might fold the piece unevenly. For this, I used the hard plastic edge of the case from a N scale Preiser figure set. 

I do not fold this piece to a true 90 degrees all at once. Instead, I fold in most of the way with the plastic case “inside” the 90 degree angle. Then, I switch it so the case is on the “outside” of the angle and fold the remainder of the way. I do this because the Preiser case has slightly rounded corners and this helps keep the edge on the brass more true. 

4. Glue or solder the joints. With the main section assembled, you need to glue or solder the piece together. Personally, I use a very small dot of CA glue at where the end of the sides and bottom meet. In the photo above, that would be along the bottom edge closest to you (right above the closest verticle support beneath the first escape bottom). 

5. Repeat for the number of escapes necessary. The process of the first four steps is repeated for the number of floors your need to cover on your structure.

6. Add ladders. Once the main fire escapes are assembled, you just need to attach the steps and ladders. I don’t have a photo of this step, but the ladder application is extremely simple and can be completed following the steps in the Gold Medal Model instructions.

The kits come with three types of ladders — ladders with saftey rails to fit between floors, without rails to reach from the second floor to street level and one made especially to reach the roof.

Prototype fire escapes have a variety of ladder arrangements, so the ladders may be applied a number of different ways. For example, some escapes have the ladder that reaches to street level stored vertically and others have them stored under the escape at an angle. Examine prototype photos for ideas for ladder arrangement. The kit ladders can be applied in almost any arrangement you could imagine.

Important note: When applying the ladders, if you cut them down to fit your specific structure, be sure to remove the bottom rung of the ladder, which is the more prototypical appearance. In the photo at the start of this article, you’ll notice I did not do that. Removing that rung would have created a better appearance.

Prototypical Paint Colors

Through photographic research as well as personal preference, I belive the best color choices appropriate for most eras are:

• Black – Grimy Black or Tarnished Black are good choices. Black escapes will usually contrast with most surrounding brick detail, but depending on your lighting could blend with the shadows the escapes cast and not look as detailed.
• Brown – Rail Brown or Roof Brown would work well. Brown escapes tend to blend more with typical brick color but are more visually offset from shadows.
• Green – Coach Green, Pullman Green or any shade of olive drab work best. Green is my personal choice for fire escape color. It’s prototypical for most eras and contrasts well with both brick and shadow.

Painting the Photo Etched Brass

I would recommend assembling the entire fire escape before adding paint. Painting before assembly (folding and gluing) can cause issues with the paint cracking or breaking down on the fold lines.

By far, the best choice for painting the GMM escapes is with an airbrush. Airbrushes allow you to put a very thin coat of color without “clogging” the fine openings and without any prep work. I’ve painted a number of these kits without cleaning, priming, sanding or other prep. I’ve used acrylic paints followed by a coat of Dullcote and have never had an issue with the brass not accepting the paint, scratching or chipping.

I have not tried brush painting these details. However, if you do brush paint, you might want to consider spraying with Dullcote first. This should add some “tooth” to the surface for your paint to stick to and work similar to primer. Brush painting should work fine from that point provided that you do thin, light coats and be sure that you’re not leaving paint between openings in the brass. If you have brush painted these, feel free to leave us a comment and share your techniques.

Weathering the Fire Escapes

As with any type of weathering, there are obviously many different methods that will produce very good results.

I prefer to use weathering powders — mine are made by Bragdon Enterprises. They come in a variety of colors, including black, brown and green to match the appropriate fire escape color you’ve used.

These powders contain a light adhesive and they bond to the surface of your model when you use them. Using the powder with an escape of matching color (ie. green powder on a green escape) will age them and make them look more realistic and weathered without changing the overall color.

Depending on your method of weathering, you may find it easier to weather the escape before it’s attached to a building — especially if you’re using greeen powder as I’ve mentioned. Otherwise, you may accidentally turn portions of your struction green unintentionally. The good thing about these powders is that they set and adhere well, so once they’re applied, you shouldn’t have issues with the powders rubbing off on your structure.

Completed Fire Escape

Attaching a Fire Escape to a Structure

Once your escape is assembled, painted and weathered, you can attach it to your structure. You can drill small holes in the structure using a small drill bit and pin vice and CA glue the supports of the escape into those hole using the smallest amount of CA possible. If you don’t feel comfortable drilling into your structure or don’t have a pin vice, you can also just glue the fire escape directly to the structure wall.

I have used both of these methods and both can work well. However, drilling into the structure first creates a much more secure bond and creates less risk of marring the wall during application.

For those of you that haven’t tried brass fire escape (or any brass detail), give it a shot. It’s a quick but impressive way to add some great detail.