Model Railroad Myths and Memes: Whose Train Set is it?

  

I recently came across this cartoon, fed to me by Facebook.  I asked an AI art generator to redraw this comic strip - apologies to Bill O'Malley - with a different ending that showed the father and son playing together.  I prefer a "both-and" scenario to an "either-or" in this case.
 

There's much more that can be said about this, much more.  But I'll let the images speak for themselves and leave the interpretation up to the beholder.  The question still stands: Whose train set is it?

 

The Back Door and The Signs, with special guest, AI

I felt bad for the back wall of the Candy Shop after talking it up in the previous post but not sharing an image.  So, I took a picture of the wall to show its concrete stoop and details as well as a couple close-up shots of the posters.  The little vent fan on the wall is from Vector Cut, sadly, now out of production.  The rest are metal castings of unknown origin.

Why wasn't this included in the kit? (and why isn't the door inset?)

You can still get coffee at the candy shop.  The little face is a period-accurate election poster.

The roof was stippled but painting that brick was a back-and-forth process that took forever.

But I'm burying the lead here...after a conversation with Jim at 30 Squares I decided to play around with AI to generate a sign.  I used Canva, as it was the first search result returned.  The process was super easy, turning text into an image.  Here's the prompt I used:

Rooftop Sign for a 1920s business called the "Lemon Drop Candy Shop" featuring a large lemon with leaves and the text "Lemon Drop Candy Shop" in a period appropriate typeface

Here are the results that I liked best:

WOW.  I had thought I'd get a graphic, not a photo-realistic image.  But boy am I glad I didn't get what I expected.  Novelty architecture really became popular in the 1920s and 30s and these signs are a nod to that style, perfect for my railroad's era.  It wouldn't be too hard to make a big lemon out of Milliput along with some stylized leaves.  The large panel means the text could be used on both sides for a ridge-line sign.  I've got some raised styrene letters, though I might search around for a different typeface for variety's sake.  

This is exciting.  Happy modeling, and thanks for reading.

 

From Coffee to Candy

This is a post I've been waiting to make and the reason may be more interesting than the result.  You see, for a short while I worked remotely for Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. as a copywriter.  One of my tasks was writing kit instructions, and this kit is "one of mine".  Since I live in California and Walthers' headquarters is in Wisconsin, I was sent pre-production samples in order to assemble them and get a feel for any difficulties or challenges a modeler might have when assembling the kits.

I completed this handsome little building almost exactly one year ago, however the kit wasn't available to purchase until recently so I had to sit on the pictures until then.  Since this structure could easily fit into my 1920's era I decided to complete it and add some interior detail, just for fun.  The multi-pane windows means much of that detail won't be visible, even when lit, but I have left the roof removable - easily done in this kit due to the one-piece roof - so that the interior can be shown to visitors.  

I added a little concrete pad to the rear entrance (not shown) and used it as a place for adding exterior details such as a trash can, bottles, etc.  I'm not sure why it wasn't included in the kit as the door sits high above the foundation otherwise.  My sample didn't come with any signs but I believe the kit does; I chose a few from my stock that work for my interpretation of the structure.  As marketed by Walthers it is a coffee shop, however, it could easily be repurposed for any number of uses.  I chose to make mine a candy shop.  Ocala had one back in the old days called the "Candy Kitchen".  When I get around to making a sign for mine it will be the "Lemon Drop Candy Shop", to help anchor it in Florida.

The interior was made mostly from scratch, with only the sink, chairs, fruit basket and a few cans on the shelves from castings.  I'm most proud of the glass case and the scale on the counter.  The scale is a replica of a "Toledo" type counter scale, a detail I imagined would be useful in a candy shop.  I don't know if they came in red, but I like it and it stands out.  The "tile" floor is made from the interior pattern on a security envelope; I collect these for just this sort of purpose.  The colored plates under the candy in the case are cut from a printed cereal box; they're the color registry circles for the print inks.  The candy is simply construction paper cut into bits.  

Without going into the details, the copywriter position at Walthers was eliminated and we amicably parted ways last summer.  However, during my time there I was sent a small pile of kit samples and no doubt more of these will make their way onto the layout - Lee's Grocery is the next one to be used as the Ensminger building, though I didn't write the instructions for that kit...why I have that kit is a different story for another time.  I'm still debating if the Candy Shop will have a home at Ocala Springs or elsewhere.  I'm just glad I can finally blog about it here.  Thanks for reading.

Prime Time

Our winter warm snap provided a window in which I could prime the Shifter.  Prior to priming I repaired a few fallen details (Super Glue wasn't so super after all...) and Dremel'd out a bit more space in the tender for the new decoder.  I masked headlights, motor, electrical connections and a few other places, then set the boiler on a home made stand.  The other parts I sprayed on a turntable or held by the tape.  The Tamiya Fine Surface Primer, Gray, laid down well and smoothly.  That's a big worry off my mind!  Up next...will I airbrush the black or paint by hand?  We'll see.

 

Ensminger Preparations

As of the writing of this post I've got a short window in the winter weather for priming the Shifter over the next few days.  I do my priming work in the garage - search the blog for that keyword for more information on that space and its shortcomings.  It looks to be cold again after our current warm snap so I'm not sure when I'll get to actually paint it after allowing time for the primer to fully cure.  It could be a while.

With that in mind I've begun preparing for the next project.  Behold the "Ensminger Building" (my name for it based on the sign on the fence):

Sanford, Florida has been a gold mine of inspirational photos for modeling central Florida in the 1920s.  While perusing old photos online this structure caught my fancy and wouldn't let go.  I knew someday I'd have to model it.  To that end I contacted the Sanford Historical Society to see if more views of the building were available.  I was delighted to see this image arrive in my inbox:

  

Open in a new tab for a much larger image.  Photo courtesy of the Sanford Historical Society.

I've always maintained that no matter how neat a structure kit might be, that is, a structure created simply from the imagination of a kit designer, there's almost always a more interesting prototype structure waiting to be miniaturized.  Of course someone had to design the prototype but they're not thinking of how it might work on a train layout, rather how it would function in the real world where it will really be built and inhabited.  I think we lose something when we rely solely on our imaginations to create a structure kit instead of following a suitable prototype.

That said, I'm not recreating the town of Sanford in miniature, nor building a replica for a museum, so I won't be building a strictly accurate reproduction in miniature.  I could invest the time learning CAD and having those ornate porch railings laser cut no doubt at great expense, or creating the brick walls in 3D and resin printing them (I don't own a resin printer but have friends that do, so it isn't a far off notion).  However, while I might enjoy that process, that's not the direction I'm going to take on this building.  Inspired by a recent trip to the California State Railroad Museum, specifically standing in the presence of Malcolm Furlow's San Juan Central, I'm going to kitbash it.

I've got three donor kits for the cause: a Walthers Lee's Grocery kit, an SS Ltd Gazebo and a Life Like General Store.  These should allow me to get reasonably close to the prototype but more importantly will capture, I hope, the character of the place.  Features of the core core structure, such as the storefront and the tall arch-top windows, are interesting, but those elements are overshadowed by the signs, porches, ornate brick cornice and the photo studio tacked on the back.  

I measured the spot where the structure will sit, displacing the fire station that I had planned to put there.  It will fit - just - but that's even better.  I like the look of urban scenes in which the tracks seem a little too close to the structures, creating narrow passageways, alleys, etc.  See the image below for the tracing I made as a template.

I also took into account the porch extending over the sidewalk.  In my research into historic Florida buildings I found many such structures.  These verandahs were one way to manage the heat, providing shade for the structure itself and a place for its occupants to sit and catch a breeze.  However, it is a feature I see seldom modeled.  (That could be due to porches and verandahs falling out of favor as the air conditioner and changes in architectural style made them unnecessary or undesirable.  Not many modelers accurately model the 1920s.  However, they should be more prevalent on late 1800s or turn-of-the-century era layouts)  Another case of reality being more interesting than common kit stock.  Here's the ornate casting from the SS Ltd gazebo laying on the resin sidewalk casting; a perfect fit.

Meant to be.

I won't get into the details beyond this overview until I begin the project in earnest.  The other reason I'm choosing to kitbash and come close enough is time.  I don't want to take forever and a day to make the perfect structure, rather, I'll be happy with a unique structure that captures the flavor and character I'm looking for and is done in a reasonable amount of time.  

More to come as it happens.  Thanks for reading.

Golden Time

Upon returning from an inspiring visit to the California State Railroad Museum, I spent a lovely vacation day adding bits to The Shifter.  It took the whole day, in a way, because I'd add a bit then step away to let the glue cure before adding the next bit, waiting, adding another, and so on.  The process is enjoyable, especially when all the parts are at hand and ready to install.

There are still a few bits to add.  Careful observers may notice that at some point in the sequence one of the pop valves falls off the auxiliary turret - not to worry, I have it and will reattach it along with the whistle.  There's also one pipe to run from the engineer's side tank back to the cab, and I need to decide if I want to run piping for the air hoses beyond the pilot.  Otherwise, the detailing is done...well...except for adding the headlight but that's more about the wiring and getting a little in-line plug installed inside the boiler.  That's next.

cab seats

piping from turret to injectors

piping from turret to compressor

"water glass" piping

gauges, before moving, and brake stand

gauges after moving and quadrant

injector control rods

injector water feed line and overflow with diffuser

 

Another Use for Weldbond

Moving ahead with the Shifter, I turned my attention to the LEDs.  I selected two 0804 SMD LEDs, pre-wired, that I had purchased from WEHONEST on eBay.  Since the headlight housings are metal castings I needed to insulate the back of the LED where the 30 gauge wires are soldered in order to prevent a short circuit.  To do this I used two generous coatings of Weldbond adhesive.  I'll use the same adhesive to hold the LEDs in place before soldering them to the appropriate wires in the locomotive and tender.