Cardstock Models

Well, I finished my three Clever Models (CM)company houses for “mill village hill” on my “Blacktop Crossing” layout that I’m doing with my grandsons -- small HO gauge model railroad, about 4X6'.  I think most of the rest of the work will be done with the three of us, together; but the structures seemed to be a bit tedious and intricate for them.

Maybe I should have made all three houses “off-white”, but I like the color variety.  Problem was, I haven’t seen too many houses with insulbrick in the Southeast, so I had to come up with a third clapboard color.  Used one of CM's textures to get the blue one.  I added more variety by using some material from elsewhere, too.  Added a longer porch on two houses.  I had completed an American Model Builders laser kit and had some “wood” left over so used it for the biggest porch – had to have room for the old, thrown-out couch – along with some of the hip roof from the garages on CM's Neighborhood CD.  Extended another porch with some more of CM's parts including vertical seam sheet metal from a textures selection.  I still have some development to do with my modeling, but for some of my first few structures, I’m pretty well pleased.

I’ve included (I hope) a couple of photos with the American Model Builders general store and post office kit along with a scratch-built cotton gin from Model Railroader’s September, 1978, issue.  I was able to use some more CM cardstock prints for the gin – the exterior walls of the boiler house are old brick and the sides of the unloading platform are vertical seamed metal, for example.

The older grandson and I have put together a small, plastic station kit and hope to do a cotton factory plastic kit during the Holidays.  That should be enough structures for our small layout featuring the cotton industry in the early 1950’s.  We can now spend much of our time with “scenicking” the layout and running trains.

I might get back with some things I learned during construction, but wanted to send this off and wish all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Mack