PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR A place in which to live Detailing kits for a unique home town look/Robert Bennett I
think that for most of us the struc- tures on our layouts are mainly rail-oriented or commercial and industrial based. This makes sense be- cause those types of buildings are what are visible from or are near railroads. They are where the materials and goods railroads carry are produced or used, so they are often close to the rights-of-way. However, there are obvi- ously other types of buildings that are vital to human activities, and in some cases, for survival. In recent years, as I have begun con- struction on my Maine-based O scale narrow gauge layout in earnest, I have built quite a few of these “other” struc- tures, from a post office, restaurants and gas stations to a fire house. Now, I have completed two of the most essen- tial of these buildings, private resi- dences. One is based on a typical New England connected house and stable, and the other takes its roots from a prototype kit house of the early 1900’s. Rather than a step-by-step descrip- tion of the construction of these two models, this article will focus on the
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additions and changes I made to allow them to better meet my, and their “residents’,” specific needs. However, the alterations I made can certainly be applied in fact or in kind to any number of types of models. Let’s start with the larger house.
Joined house and stable
This model is based on a kit from Mount Blue Models, a Massachusetts- based firm whose owner, Ken Berlo, is a dedicated volunteer at the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad Mu- seum in Phillips, Maine. In conversa-
Maine’s joined houses and barns or stables allowed people to go back and forth to tend the animals or get firewood without having to face the harsh winter weather. This O scale Mount Blue Models kit received a porch and details in the front and back yards.
MAY 2012
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