Today I placed the Ensminger Building on the layout to get a better feel for how it will look at the end of the block, so to speak. Seeing it there made me realize what had been bothering me about the previous arrangement of structures; in short, some didn't quite fit as I'd hoped. So, my attention turned from the Ensminger Building to its neighbors, and I found two alternatives to the problematic structures.
Let's start at the other end of the block. The Drug store on the corner was slated for that site long ago and despite its current unfinished status still serves to show its mass and silhouette. Moving down the street is a new addition, DPM's First National Bank aka the Grand Hotel if you've got the kit in the structure pack for Woodland Scenics' Grand Valley layout. I'll be using the structure as a hotel, built as it comes.
I've written before about other mock-ups I've made from paper and foam core board but these "new" mock-ups are made using the structure parts held together with hot glue. The Rosenbaum building however is a paper and cardstock mock-up representing DPM modular wall panels which will be combined with parts from Rail Scale Models to make a large 5 and 10 cent store. This structure will have a deep awning (not shown) across the entire facade positioned beneath the transom windows but above the large display windows, a common arrangement in the '20s and into the decades beyond.
Lastly, the tan building is a structure I had planned to kitbash and use on this street but in a different form. "Granny's Cafe'", as it is called in the Grand Valley structure box, aka "The Other Corner Cafe'" normally, was always going to be a smoke shop with a residence above. It will continue as such, but in a wider two-story form instead of three. I'll be borrowing the side walls from another DPM kit but using the wide back wall from the original; a true two-kit-mingle. Those arched windows will have awnings using the vacuum-molded parts provided in the Grand Valley box, a thoughtful inclusion.
Right away I feel MUCH better about this line-up of mock-ups. The trolley station across the street also seems more at home opposite these facades. Oh, and I didn't forget the back alley; I like how it looks as well. There are several good surfaces for painted-on signs and a visually interesting variety of windows and wall depths.
The Ensminger Building still needs signs and some weathering. I will add some interior details to the photo studio and front display windows, but likely not for some time. I'm itching to get this structure done enough to move on to other projects. I've also got one more mock-up to make while the Grand Valley kit collection is out, but that's a topic for another post. Thanks for reading.
The position of the Ensminger Building in the 'corner' made by the branching pieces of track looks quite good, and I think will be picturesque when scenicked. It's an innovative departure from the usual creation of a building with a triangular plan for such spaces. Also, is it possible to take an overhead view of the layout, or at least the part you've showcased here?
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