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US Building/Depot drawings - source?


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Hi,

 

I am just about to start a US On30 layout (when Dock Green - my 7mm BR (E) layout is finished) and would like to scratchbuild the various railway buildings for it.

Is there a good book about US railway buildings with drawings in it? The scale is not important as I am quite happy to work from prototype dimensions and I will also probably need to customise/alter the buildings to suit the available space. What I am hoping for is the building equivalent of Carsten's excellent "Slim Gauge Cars".

 

I do know that the NG and Shortline Gazette is a good source of drawings and I have some of these but the coverage is somewhat random. My interest is in the East rather than Colorado.

 

Chaz

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Chaz 

Hi It all depends on what your actually wanting to build? Mine, water front, sawmill, engine shed (small or large) factories, housing, what era?

 

I find that its best to try out the US forums. I've had quite a few drawings from 'The railroad line forum' The on30 line.

 

See these:

 

Small Porter shed (I've actually scratchbuilt this myself its really good)  http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30267&whichpage=2

 

Stunning sawmill plans (Including machinery) - http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31166&whichpage=3

 

Links for ideas: http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=19950

 

 

However unlike the UK the US Library of congress holds thousands of drawings of buildings : http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/

 

hth

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One difficulty with On30 US prototype is that, of course, there were very few of those in the US, and none of them were really of the "cute" variety favored by the modelers in that scale. Some modelers use On30 to represent 2-foot prototype, but even that isn't "cute" in the way that other On30 modelers like to do things -- basically wild-west sort of stuff, or whatever variation. There are several things to think about here. If you're interested in a cute station, you probably aren't going to find it in a prototype oriented source. So the question is getting more toward what you really want to accomplish.

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Chaz 

Hi It all depends on what your actually wanting to build? Mine, water front, sawmill, engine shed (small or large) factories, housing, what era?

 

I find that its best to try out the US forums. I've had quite a few drawings from 'The railroad line forum' The on30 line.

 

See these:

 

Small Porter shed (I've actually scratchbuilt this myself its really good)  http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30267&whichpage=2

 

Stunning sawmill plans (Including machinery) - http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31166&whichpage=3

 

Links for ideas: http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=19950

 

 

However unlike the UK the US Library of congress holds thousands of drawings of buildings : http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/

 

hth

 

Many thanks for those ideas and links, which I will follow up...

 

Chaz

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One difficulty with On30 US prototype is that, of course, there were very few of those in the US, and none of them were really of the "cute" variety favored by the modelers in that scale. Some modelers use On30 to represent 2-foot prototype, but even that isn't "cute" in the way that other On30 modelers like to do things -- basically wild-west sort of stuff, or whatever variation. There are several things to think about here. If you're interested in a cute station, you probably aren't going to find it in a prototype oriented source. So the question is getting more toward what you really want to accomplish.

 

Thanks JWB. I am aware of the gauge problem but intend to ignore it. I have no desire to re-gauge to On3 although I understand why people do. I dislike "cute" and will try to avoid too much of that flavour creeping in although some is inevitable I suppose if I am running Bachmann On30 stock.

 

Chaz

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Hi,

 

I am just about to start a US On30 layout (when Dock Green - my 7mm BR (E) layout is finished) and would like to scratchbuild the various railway buildings for it.

Is there a good book about US railway buildings with drawings in it? The scale is not important as I am quite happy to work from prototype dimensions and I will also probably need to customise/alter the buildings to suit the available space. What I am hoping for is the building equivalent of Carsten's excellent "Slim Gauge Cars".

 

I do know that the NG and Shortline Gazette is a good source of drawings and I have some of these but the coverage is somewhat random. My interest is in the East rather than Colorado.

 

Chaz

 

If you're interested in a specific "east coast" prototype, like the East Broad Top or the Maine 2 footers, you might want to contact the hysterical historical society for the railroad.

 

East Broad Top

  - http://www.febt.org/

 

 

Maine 2 footers

  - http://maineon2faq.wordpress.com/  (this seems to be a good resource if you're going to be using On30...)

  - http://www.mainenarrowgauge.org/

  - http://www.srrl-rr.org/

 

Good luck!

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For general plans the HABS-HAER site is wonderful. If you want rural buildings, none railroad buildings its very good. Lots of pictures and examples and sometimes plans of houses and barns and sheds and the like.

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If you're interested in a specific "east coast" prototype, like the East Broad Top or the Maine 2 footers, you might want to contact the hysterical historical society for the railroad.

 

East Broad Top

  - http://www.febt.org/

 

 

Maine 2 footers

  - http://maineon2faq.wordpress.com/  (this seems to be a good resource if you're going to be using On30...)

  - http://www.mainenarrowgauge.org/

  - http://www.srrl-rr.org/

 

Good luck!

 

Not specific Mike - probably a sort of mix and match job. My railroad is fictional but I will try to avoid obvious absurdities. Think of a NG line surviving by using old equipment but not too ramshackle....

 

Thanks for the links which I will follow up.

 

Chaz

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For general plans the HABS-HAER site is wonderful. If you want rural buildings, none railroad buildings its very good. Lots of pictures and examples and sometimes plans of houses and barns and sheds and the like.

 

Thanks Dave, I will have a look at this, I'm certainly interested in barns and sheds.

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