The Doctors' Office

As recommended by a granddaughter and mentioned in the back story, the layout needed a clinic or doctor's office to meet the needs of the locals who took advantage of farmer Nick O'Tean's cash crop, tobacco.  Some progress was made over Mother's Day weekend, but this Clever Bros' kit was a bit more complex that others (and was just now completed).  Here's the start:

This is actually the photographer's studio, but it had the look of a small house that might have been converted to a doctor's office in the late 1940's to early 1950's.  The studio includes a large windowed dormer.  I couldn't see a use for that for the medical profession, so that was not installed.

The Clever Bros were VERY concerned that this structure have internal bracing.  Rather than just use cardstock, I decided to try my hand at foamcore backing.  That created a number of complications that I didn't do a good job of foreseeing -- like glue tab placement, interference from two pieces of foamcore when walls were folded together, etc.  Still, I think what I got will stand up pretty well:

Note that the front door has a "glass" installed to allow view into the interior.  This occurred primarily because the door blind had "Artistic Photography" printed on it so I cut the blind short and installed the window from a piece of bubble pack.  The Bros had included an alternative front wall without "Artistic Photography" printed on the wall, itself, but they left the blind as it was. . . .

With a window through the door, an interior needed to be installed.  I looked through other Clever Bros kits I had and found something that I could make work in the Hobby Shop.  Now, what good is an interior if you cannot light it up.  So, my first stab at installing a light emerged.  Just one complication after another.  Hope this will work out on the layout:

The "room" doesn't exactly fit the rest of the floor plan, but with the roof on, who will know?

Adding exterior trim and gingerbread proved to me that I need another glue or more skills.  I have been using Elmer's white glue (softens the cardstock too much) and CA (dries before parts get positioned and seems to get smeared easily).  Maybe more skill at cutting out would be good, also.  How in the world someone would build an N scale model is beyond me.

Once again, from an appropriate distance, the finished model looks OK.  Although it is not easy to read, I had to come up with two doctors' names since I could not conjure up a single name to reflect the ills of the community.  Notice, also, the "veneer" door that the Bros came up with.  By gluing the door to the steps, you could position the rear door anywhere you wanted.  I'll probably go with the side entrance. . . .