Modeling the C&S Como roundhouse scene
attached to some additional braces to make it free-standing. To complete the scene a wooden platform adjacent to the track was added together with some clutter of buckets and barrels.
DAVID STEER: COMO, CO; 1994
Although it no longer has the two transverse beams that helped to support the roof, the boxcar shed at Como still stands (top). Over the years the structure has been repainted to protect the wood. The model of the boxcar shed (above) reflects an earlier era when trains were still running. The crane (below) was kitbashed from an SS Limited kit.
pairs. The SS-Ltd. kit was modeled after a standard gauge, Virginia & Truckee Railroad crane that was attached to
their roundhouse. This didn’t fit the smaller Como roundhouse as it was too high. The derrick leg was shortened and
The car shop Nearby the Como roundhouse was a wooden building that stored materials and tools for car repairs. In the proto- type Como, this building was adjacent to a siding for bad order cars. In the model scene there was not room for the siding and the building was placed be- hind the roundhouse. As for the black- smith shop, the building was estimated and sketched based on what could be surmised from vintage photos. In this case, photos of three of the four sides were available. It was assembled from stained, painted and distressed wood over a cardboard frame. Windows are from Grandt Line. The corrugated iron roof is Campbell sheets distressed with acid etchant and paint. As the model represents an old and tired railway scene, but one that is still safe and func- tional, the distressing was limited to discoloration, not to the point of leaking. The car-shop was extended over the years with a lean-to to provide addi- tional space for tools and supplies. Finally, to tie the scene together, some small trees and piles of clutter were added. There are few trees in the South Park area due to its exposed lo- cation and the altitude. To create these, a couple of Aspen like trees were fashioned from Craft Store wire arma- tures painted white with dark spots and with ground foam foliage added. A pipe rack (from a Scale Structures Limited kit) was placed near the car shop for storing long sections of boiler tubes used in the repair of locomotives. There is also a rack for fire buckets (also an SS-Ltd. kit) placed near the foundry. Such fire protection stands of-
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