This was my first "craftsman" level kit, and it was a whopper. Saulena's Tavern was also one of the earlier Bar Mills kits, so the instructions are extremely lousy. It took me about a week to build this kit (off and on) and while frustrating at times, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I made some of the signs myself, and I also made the awnings since the ones in the kit had a funky yellow color on them.

Building the stairs was the most difficult and time consuming part, since each tread is an individual piece that must be aligned and glued in place. Yes...I'm serious. In N scale, these are some very tiny parts that made me want to and

There's always room for improvement, but I'm very happy with my results. From 6" away, the building looks flawless...and for N scale, I can't ask for much better than that. I picked up this kit at a train show for $10, but I believe it retails in the $40 - $50 range. Even at that price, it's worth it. This was an excellent kit and I look forward to my next Bar Mills project, the Majestic Hardware.

When I post a comment to a forum I note that for some unknown reason the name 'switchman' appears under my name! Where did this come from and how do I get rid of it? I looked under my profile and I can't see it either! Thx.

Eric Halpin

Product Review of Structure Assemblies
Part 2
By
Eric Halpin

Building of structures on the expanding Algoma and Rideau continues at a steady pace as follows:
1. Cornerstone ‘Prairie Star Elevator’ kit #2927: I really enjoyed building this kit for some reason. Maybe because it was an easy and simple structure to place together. This elevator is intended as a companion piece for the Prairie Star Milling complex reviewed last month. There are few detail components supplied or needed for this structure. It is designed to reflect a wood building and achieves that look nicely. However, I am getting tired of the same basic reddish brown plastic look and thus painted the walls before assembly. I think it looks grand! One construction difference noted with this kit was that the wall corners are NOT beveled to join together like most other Cornerstone structures. The walls in this case butt join and this requires a bit more care to get it right. There is a hidden loading door assembly contained within the railcar unloading shed. It would have better been placed on a side wall to fully appreciate the look of it. For some reason, Walthers included the base component for the milling complex also in this kit!!??

2. DPM ‘Whitewater Brewing’ Gold Series kit # 402: I don’t know what it is about the DPM kits that always intimidates me at the start of construction but it always does. Maybe it’s the many detailed structure components that require sorting or the multipage instruction sheet? Once I get into the kit however it is usually smooth going. As expected the DPM instructions are extensive, clear, extremely precise and very well illustrated. I was mildly disappointed to see several wall components slightly bent but still usable. The plastic is the typical red-brown color which I am getting very tired of seeing in most kits! Can’t they make this stuff in other brick tones?? Regardless, the kit assembled without issue and the end product was nice. I am not really sure of the design value in having separate pilasters rather than just molding them onto the walls initially. It does make the kit more complex in assembly but adds nothing to the final product appearance. I elected to paint the structure a mid tan color just for a change. The only thing that makes this a ‘Gold’ series model, are the numerous cast metal and assorted other detail components supplied. Now I just have to figure where this business will fit on the new A&R.

3. Downtown Deco ‘Addams Ave. Part 3’ kit DD-1003: This was my first plaster walled kit (actually Hydrocal) and what a joy it was to build the main structure. First off, you can tell you are going to handle a different kind of kit by the weight of the box with its superior packaging. It is also different than the plastic kits in looks, feel and detail. In fact the walls are highly detailed and it makes you wonder why the plastic kits can’t do something similar! Any misalignment in the wall butt joints can easily be corrected with a slight sanding. I used yellow wood glue to secure the walls and they held tightly. The instructions are VERY well prepared and include extensive suggestions for painting and weathering. I can hardly wait to do another one of their kits and highly recommend this line of structures for any urban scene, especially if you want that gritty downtown look. HOWEVER, the difficult step of installing glass onto the arched windows is greatly understated in the instructions. Prepare yourself for a tedious task in getting the ‘glass’ installed to the window frames and into the wall portals which are 1/4” thick. You must be prepared to measure and cut the glass to within 1/64” tolerance. I won’t go into the details here, but I finally figured out a method to complete this step without too much pain, so it can be done.

As a closing comment on the numerous structures I have built, there is little doubt in my mind that the Walther’s ‘Cornerstone’ series gives the modeler the biggest bang for the buck. The DPM kits are in my view overpriced for the end results. Even the DPM modular series are quite expensive if you want to build your own design of structure.

A Friend of the Scale inquired about Roundhouse HO locomotives translating to 55n3. Visit:

http://www.55n3.org/locomotives/roundhouse/



Thank you if you visit
Harold

Well this afternoon while waiting for glue to dry on the layout I thought I would start one of the many kits sitting in the cabinet.

So today I tackled the Angus Shops N Scale Loading Dock. I did forget to take pictures as i started the assembly but I can just type that part.

This kit is fairly simple and can be built with glue, tweezers, Hobby Knife, some paints and about 2 hours. The laser cutting is very good and little sanding in needed to remove the sprue's once removed from the sheet. I did find that the corners needed a little sanding to fit properly, as well the inner support braces need to be shortened slightly from front to back.

So here it is with a few minutes of sanding
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Once it was assembled I gave it a quick sanding to smooth the surface just slightly. From there I proceeded to paint the sides, to give it the distressed look I ran a tooth brush with the grain and worked the paint into the wood.
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Once that is completed, you glue the asphalt pads into place on the ramp and loading area. The ramp guards were painted with a light yellow and given the same treatment with the tooth brush.
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From there you are pretty much complete. There are braces that glue onto the sides all the way around, I gave mine a light brown/rust color to simulate older metal bracing.

Here is a quick shot sitting where it will live on the layout once the scenery starts. Picture is a little blurry, I will try to take a better one later
[albumimg]1714[/albumimg]

As many know the transiton was made in the 50's from steam to diesel. As i press on with the operation of our M&J ry i would like to keep near prototype time line as i want to make the line as i try to make a beleaveable story. So my qestion is this what would be the latest date for steam to mingle with diesel?

I got a kick out of this news story...

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1238069/All-aboard-polar-express-Steam-locomotive-takes-home-passengers-stranded-snow-delayed-modern-trains.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... rains.html</a><!-- m -->

Wish that had happened on my last visit!

In the spirit of New Year's Resolutions I've decided to make one about my layout. Mine is to try to make my caboose roster more realistic. (see the new blog: <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=2305">viewtopic.php?f=48&t=2305</a><!-- l -->).

Do you have a hobby resolution for 2010?

Ralph

I've decided to improve my caboose fleet this year. I plan especially to make my Penn Central cabooses/cabins more realistic but I'll also be creating some better looking cabooses for my freelanced Kings Port & Western. As a start I'm going to stop running these two PC cabooses that I bought several years ago.

I liked the way they looked and I had seen photos of Conrail wide vision cabooses so I assumed they came from the Penn Central. Some recent research revealed that Conrail's wide vision cabooses came from the Reading. Having learned that, I've decided to not use them as PC cabooses anymore and plan to make them new Kings Port & Western acquisitions.

This blog will follow that project as well as others to develop a more realistic PC caboose roster.

Ralph

We (the staff) have been discussing the posting of photos, and the suggestion came up to show where we began, by posting photos of our earliest works.
The purpose here is to show that we haven't always been as "accomplished" as we are now.
The hope is that those just starting, can see that improvement does come with time, and even the best, (not me :o ) had to start somewhere.
The one shot I have of my first layout,in the mid to late fifties, a 4' X 6' "table":    
One of my first attempts at scratchbuilding, all sheet and stick Balsa:        
And this, about 4-5 years later:    
There you have it. Now, let's all show where we started. There's no shame in being a beginner.