The Ripon Model Railroad Club is set in modern times -- no need for crossing towers. But I had this old Atlas kit in my stash. So I decided to build an abandoned crossing tower. Why the RR hasn't knocked it down yet is anyone's guess, but there it is. I built it straight out of the box, weathered it with craft acrylics, and added cardstock weathered tarpaper roof and corrugated metal panels from Paper Creek. It's no contest model, to be sure, but it was a fun 2-evening project.
I built this for a branch line at the model railroad club. It is pine(?) and basswood stained with Hunterline's Dark Brown weathering stain. I also used Tichy nut-bolt-washer (NBW) castings (the kit-provided castings looked too small), steel wire, and Atlas Code 100 rail. Build time: about 25 hours. It's a nice kit, reasonably priced, and with a little effort and patience, it makes a fine-looking bridge.
At this point, I've gone "off the route." The third building in FSM's Dexter's Dead End is a small garage. I decided to do something different. I scratch-built the little hubcap shop from Bar Mills' "Raglan Road" kit. I based my model on photos of the one built by Vilius Biliesis. The wood siding is from Clever Models, the corrugated metal and rolled roofing are from Paper Creek. Doors and windows are from photos of Vilius' model. Roof details are from my scrap box. Hubcaps came from a photo on the Web. The ladder is scratch-built. The model is about 3½" x 1¾" and it was fun to build.
The second building in the FSM Dexter's Dead End kit is the painter's supply company, with a newsstand in the lean-to on the side. I built it from scratch in HO scale using diagrams from the FSM kit. The wood walls are from a barn siding sheet I made from a photo of a local barn. You can download that sheet here). The shingles on the staircase are from Clever Models. The roof paper is a free download from a gaming site. I've long forgotten which one.
Windows and doors are from my digital parts box. The roof details come from Fine Scale Miniatures and Tichy Train Group. The ladder is scratch built. The newsstand interior is a photo from the Web. Building the model took about 10 long evenings.
I also made a new sign for the tire company building (Part One).
The Ripon Area Model Railroad Club layout has a long straight stretch of open prairie on its upper deck, about 25 feet long and 15 inches deep. The layout's "location" is strictly freelanced, but John Stein, a long-time member named the prairie section "Nebraska." There is a long passing siding there, and I thought Nebraska begged for a small country depot. I decided to name it "Nebraska Station," as "Omaha" would have been too much selective compression.
The model is scratch built, mostly of paper and card. I used clapboard and shingle papers from Clever Models, laminated to 0.5mm card (cereal box) with balsa wood inside bracing. Windows and doors came from my digital parts box. I drew the freight doors in Photoshop. The bench is scratch built. The two figures are from Preiser, and other details come from Fine Scale Miniatures, and Tychy Train Group. The posts and scratch-built stairs and railings are Midwest dimensional lumber, and lighting is with LEDs from Evan Designs. I adapted the plans from Detail Associates' "Foothill Station" kit, which I built and sold long ago. The kit can be found occasionally on Ebay and at swap meets
I had to cut out some foam scenery to set the station on a hillside. I'm happy with the results.I was going to put some flats behind it to suggest civilization, but there's only about an inch between the rear platform and the wall. I might install some scaled-down flats to suggest a town just over the rise.
Based on suggestions from some fellow modelers, I have dropped my plan to put storefront flats behind the station. There is only about an inch between the station and the wall, and the consensus is that flats would clutter up the scene and draw attention away from the station.
