My big purchase at Springfield this year was a pair of BESTTrains kits:
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The barn kit even comes with cows.
These will go on the hilltop across the farm bridge that I'm finishing (You can see the footer for the bridge ramp on the far right.)
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The barn is designed so the bottom opens out at a lower level than the top, but that's OK for the intended location. The barn has plaster cast foundation pieces. I squared them up and then measured the footprint:
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Then I constructed a wood template of the front and one side, including the proper height, to make sure I could fit it on location including the front lower level opening.
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Obviously if this is the final location, I'll have to cut a hole in the scenery. But first I'll need to double check the top of the foundation to see where that ends up on the hill.
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The footprint for the house is set by a plaster foundation casting. It's a bit hard to see on the left side, to the left of the clamp. I'll probably play around with the arrangement, including deciding if I'll use the annex from the BESTTrains kit. It might not fit, or it might need to be cut down a bit.
I'm not entering this in the winter build challenge, since at the rate I work, I probably couldn't finish in time. :-X
dave
These look like some really cool kits, Dave.
I think the Georgian home with extension will look fab if you can fit it in. It might pay to think about vehicular access at the same time. Looking forward to watching this one come together over the next few months.
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on January 25, 2026, 06:50:25 PMThese look like some really cool kits, Dave.
I think the Georgian home with extension will look fab if you can fit it in. It might pay to think about vehicular access at the same time. Looking forward to watching this one come together over the next few months.
Cheers, Mark.
When I did the plaster wrap, I kinda envisioned the road running in front of where the structure mock-ups are in the bottom photo. The bridge over the tracks to the right is almost complete, so this continues the road up to the farm area.
The house definitely fits without the extension, but I hope I can figure out how to make use of those parts, too.
dave
The BEST display at the Springfield show offers so many temptations.
Mike
They should be nice additions to that part of the layout.
Jerry
I look forward to these kits coming alive Dave. You may be slow but you do excellent modeling.
Dave, have fun building those kits and fitting them into the layout.
Quote from: Michael Hohn on January 25, 2026, 09:35:51 PMThe BEST display at the Springfield show offers so many temptations.
Mike
Yeah, you can spend a small fortune on the castings alone. Then, if you have any money left, you can walk next door and buy FSM castings from RailroadKits...
dave
I'll be watching with interest as I have the barn kit in "the stash".
Jeff
James Van Bokkelen and I swapped emails over the weekend. He lives in a similar historic house with a barn. My question was "what's the color history?" He replied "Both this house, and the old house I grew up in, were painted lead white as far as I know. I've seen no other color when scraping old paint." So my approach will be to do the house in 'lead' white, and the barn in 'whitewash'. For the barn, I've stained the wall siding pieces with HunterLine Driftwood, that's now drying under weights to prevent warping.
On the barn foundation, the siding dips down to sit on part of the foundation. I want that wall to sit flush on all the parts of the foundation, but the lower section was too high. I clipped a (fresh) fingernail file to sand down that part of the wall. You can see the line across that as the target mark for sanding. I now have a good tight fit across this plaster casting. (A conventional file wouldn't fit between the two outer edges of the casting.)
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I went back to the location and asked myself, "How will the barn sit when the structure is actually level on the foundation? Will I need to do any terrain adjustment? To figure that out, I used my wood mock-up of the foundation and ran a level line against the terrain:
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It's actually a pretty good fit. The front of the barn (that plaster piece I worked on above) is represented by the piece of wood the level is sitting on.
So good progress.
add: The foundation has been 'dug' for the barn:
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dave
I've often noticed that barns here in the Northeast, have a ramp up to one side and ground floor entrance on the other. My assumption has been the cows are housed on the ramp side, and the manure hauled away from the lower side. I would suspect the wagon is placed under a hole in the upper floor, and the droppings shoveled or broomed down the hole to the awaiting wagon for field fertilization
Dave I don't think I've ever seen a full size white barn.
Dave,
Those look like nice kit and the location seems right.
I'll be following along on this journey.
Tom
Quote from: Dave Buchholz on January 26, 2026, 02:57:05 PMI've often noticed that barns here in the Northeast, have a ramp up to one side and ground floor entrance on the other. My assumption has been the cows are housed on the ramp side, and the manure hauled away from the lower side. I would suspect the wagon is placed under a hole in the upper floor, and the droppings shoveled or broomed down the hole to the awaiting wagon for field fertilization
That's a particularly large space for manure... It's my very vague recollection that the cows went to the upper level, and the lower level was used for wagons and other farm gear.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 26, 2026, 03:19:25 PMDave I don't think I've ever seen a full size white barn.
I think I have, particularly one that was whitewashed. But frankly, this barn is probably under-sized for a full-scale farm. The instructions have prototype photos, showing it's painted white. James' barn is also white, if I remember correctly.
dave
Topic of barn designs came up on RR-Line once. My full-size "English Barn" was built with three bays, main door in the center one. Then another bay was added on the road end. When my grandfather was in the butter/milk/eggs business, he kept his cows on the main floor, hay above it, silage in a wood stave silo opposite the main door and the manure spreader in the cellar, waiting for gifts from above. My barn was sheathed with shingles when I first recall it, painted very weathered red. But AFAIK it must have been built with clapboard or board siding, as shingles weren't plentiful enough for sheathing in the early 1800s.
Another dairy barn on my layout is a resin kit from Sylvan. According to RR-Line members with farm backgrounds, this later style had hay on the main floor and in the loft, with cows in the basement and one door for people, another connecting the cows with pastures. Keeping the cellar passable must have involved strong backs and wheelbarrows
Quote from: Dave Buchholz on January 26, 2026, 02:57:05 PMI've often noticed that barns here in the Northeast, have a ramp up to one side and ground floor entrance on the other. My assumption has been the cows are housed on the ramp side, and the manure hauled away from the lower side. I would suspect the wagon is placed under a hole in the upper floor, and the droppings shoveled or broomed down the hole to the awaiting wagon for field fertilization
The ramp to the one side was for brining in the hay and other assorted feed for the cows. Which was then dropped through holes in the floor to the cows below. The cows were on the lower level which was concrete.
There was a trough in back of the cows with a chain type auger the would push the manure out to a manure wagon.
I don't think you'd want cows in the upper part on wooded floors. Your equipment below would not fare well.
Here's the offical word from Duck Duck Go AI:
I can't display images, but I can describe a barn design that fits your request.
Barn Design with Ramp and Open Bottom
Structural Features
Ramp to First Floor: The barn has a sturdy, wide ramp leading up to the first floor, allowing easy access for equipment or livestock.
Open Bottom Section: The ground floor of the barn has large openings on the sides, allowing cows to enter and exit freely. This offers ventilation and natural light.
Appearance
Material: Constructed from wood, giving it a rustic look, with metal roofing for durability.
Dimensions: The barn is spacious, typically around 30-40 feet wide and 20-30 feet tall, with the first floor raised to accommodate the ramp.
Functionality
Loft Area: The first floor can be used for storage of hay or equipment.
Cows' Area: The open bottom provides shelter and space for cows, keeping them protected from harsh weather while allowing them to roam freely.
Feel free to ask if you're looking for specific design elements or functionalities!
This barn is more for cows to roam freely. My parents land boarded up next to a farmer's land that had a barn open on the bottom. He kept his heifers in there till they were ready and old enough to produce milk. Used to play in the barn after the farmer quite farming and went to work for Kodak.
It also depends on what animals the farmer is rasing. Is it milk cows? Is it beef cows. Is it horses? Is it sheep? All depends on the type of farming you do and the landscape avialable to you at the time of setting up the farm.
Here's a couple of pictures of those barns for milk production. More so for the second one because it has windows in the bottom part. Also note auger for loading manure into the manure wagon
barn-1.jpg
barn-2.jpg
Bernd
Thanks for all the feedback and discussion. The good thing is I don't really need to solve the problem of what's where, since the way this kit is designed, those lower floor doors are closed. But it could impact where I put fences and cows around the barn... :o
dave
Nothing to show, but I constructed the baseboards for both structures from my 1/4" plywood cut-offs. I'm still pondering the position of the house, having the plywood template for the structure will make positioning and then 'excavating the foundation' a lot easier.
I also experimented with the white HunterLine stain. It didn't produce the result I wanted, so tomorrow I'll try more conventional thinned white paint.
dave
Dave, I'm watching with interest.
To respond to the Q&A about what goes on in the upper and lower parts of hillside barns, I can answer from experience on the farms of cousins and schoolmates in PA's Cumberland Valley. Most barns like this are built into low hillsides or natural embankments, with a not-very-steep ramp making up the difference to the floor of the hay loft, which is essentially the whole barn. The ground floor, really the cellar, is where the live stock are housed ... on a dairy farm, that's where the milking takes place, as well, and where the livestock stay during inclement weather.
During the growing season, baled hay (something that is becoming a lost memory in favor of hay rolls stored in concrete trenches covered with plastic) and straw is stacked from floor to wall tops on either side of the barn doors leading from the ramp, leaving just enough room for an aisleway from the big doors to smaller doors that open above the barn yard (opposite the ramp), where the cows are fed when there's nothing to graze on out in the pastures. There are usually trap doors in the loft for hay to be dropped into the stable area to feed horses & mules (horses need cereals, too) and the cows when the weather's too bad for them to be let out into the barn yard ... some modern dairy and beef cattle farms are called "feed lot farms" because they don't have pastures, just large barn yards, or feed lots, where the cows and steers are fed and exercised.
Hay was for feeding; straw for "bedding", with the "used" straw mixed with manure somehow being moved from the basement floor to piles outside and from there to spreaders for fertilizing.
Somewhere I read that, back when tractors were first being marketed, a Fordson slogan held that "this horse only eats when it's working" received the rejoinder, "a'yep, but she don't make manure when she's not, neither."
Vagel, that's consistent with some notes on the model instructions, where the 2 doors on the main floor (versus the lower floor) are labeled "hay doors". (Those are the square doors on the 2 gable peak walls below.) Thanks for the info!
Here's the current coloring, thinned craft paint white over HunterLine Driftwood stain:
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I stained the trim pieces, they're drying under weights. Tomorrow I'll paint to match the walls, and then I can get on with assembly.
dave
I look forward to seeing it put together.
Dave the "whitewash" looks pretty good.
Jerry
Looking at my parts, I've found a small problem. The laser-cut wood frame over the big door on the lower level is the one that warped the worst. Plus, I think there's a "bug" in the kit with that part and how the wood wall fits over the plaster foundation. But I think I can do an easy work-around: (1) I'll file/sand the foundation piece behind that door so there's more space there. (2) Then I'll build new frame and door from wood strips, custom fit to the location. If I can increase the depth of the foundation space by 1/32", that'll preserve the overall shape/depth of the 1/16" framing.
But first, I think I'll assemble the other 3 walls. The kit instructions say to do that, since the 4th wall dips below the base of the other 3 walls. Usually I assemble right angle pairs of walls. One other comment on this kit: There's no corner post, as I understand it the edge of one of the walls is exposed at the corner. I might add thin stripwood corner covering if that bothers me once it's assembled. Again, easy to do with stripwood stock.
dave
Quote from: deemery on January 29, 2026, 10:31:26 AM...But first, I think I'll assemble the other 3 walls. The kit instructions say to do that, since the 4th wall dips below the base of the other 3 walls. Usually I assemble right angle pairs of walls. One other comment on this kit: There's no corner post, as I understand it the edge of one of the walls is exposed at the corner. I might add thin stripwood corner covering if that bothers me once it's assembled. Again, easy to do with stripwood stock.
dave
My 220-year-old barn has cornerboards about 6" wide, foundation to eaves. So does my house. So do the Newburyport structures I've scratchbuilt. All between 3/4" and 1" thick.
Dave,
OK, those definitely look like whitewashed walls.
Judging from the photo of the kit at the BEST site, there are corner posts. I must be misunderstanding what you're saying.
I like the paint.
Mike
Howdy Dave, the whitewashed walls look realistic. Nice work. Have fun, mike
I added bracing to the insides of the 3 walls. It would be a bit easier to do the window framing first, but the wall pieces can be a bit fragile. So tomorrow's task will be window framing, and then some work on the 4th wall. Coloring of the trim glued to the back wall looks pretty good.
There's a pair of drilled holes in one wall, and I can see the same spots on the prototype. It looks like there are NBWs for that, but I'm not quite clear what the purpose would be on the prototype.
dave
The two gable walls have bracing added in the back, and the other wall has been assembled from 2 pieces of scribed siding and a laser-cut piece of trim:
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The difference in paint treatment between the siding and the trim is OK, it's something I've seen in the prototype. I'll add the window trim and doors, and then decide if I'll assemble these 3 walls and add the eave trim, or do the eave trim first. More later today.
I'll also slightly touch up the paint in the joint line on the eave side walls That's where 2 pieces of scribed siding had to be joined, I think a little bit of white will make that line go away.
dave
Dave,
The walls look pretty straight now.
Here's a mock-up. The back 3 walls are assembled, and with that I can make sure the foundation is sized correctly and glue that together (tomorrow's project.)
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That block of wood to the left is a bit of a stand-in for the house.
dave
Great work, so far, Dave.
Now I really want the barn to sit properly on the foundation. That means it should be either flush, or even better the walls should overhang the foundation a bit. Given the location, i could get away with just fudging it to make sure the front and one side are OK.
Three of the wood walls are assembled, the fourth is held in place with the clamps. The foundation pieces are arranged with squares inside and outside to hold them square and in position.
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The front looks pretty good.
Here's the visible side:
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You can see there's some overhang at the back. The question is whether I can redo the foundation to remove that.
Here's a look at the back.
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And a look down the front.
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Another concern I had was whether there'd be spacing between the foundation and the wall that dips down in front to add some bracing. There's some warp on the wood siding piece, and I really should get bracing all the way down in front. Good news is there's space there for bracing.
So it looks like I need to remove about 1/16 from each side wall. The walls have a flush edge against the front piece, and a dado on the back where the back wall fits. I'll need to carefully remove that 1/16 from the edge here:
trim.jpg
I'll need to do this on both side pieces. I'll do that with my framing sander, I think.
dave
Much better!
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I'll need to add some filler in the back. That's not a problem. First I'll glue a spacer to align the back and sides. Then after the 4 walls are assembled, I'll go back, fill the gap with plaster, and re carve the rocks.
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Here's the framing sander, this is used for sanding the corners of picture frames. It wasn't cheap, but it does a good job. It's hand-powered.
framing sander.jpg
If you ever see a framing shop going out of business, see if they have one you can get at a good price. ???
This is it for today, I'll glue up the foundation tomorrow.
dave
Dave great work getting things correct. Should be a nice addition to your layout when finished; have fun.
Coming on nicely Dave.
I agree, the weatherboard should be slightly proud of the stonework. I assume a barn like this would have 6x2 or 8x2 framing. It looks like there will be quite a bit of material to remove.
Cheers, Mark.
Howdy Dave,
The barn is looking good. I like the way you are mounting the wood on the stone. I've seen a lot of similar barns on my travels up north. Is the stone base going to be shades of grey?
Have fun,
mike
Quote from: friscomike on January 31, 2026, 05:49:14 PMHowdy Dave,
The barn is looking good. I like the way you are mounting the wood on the stone. I've seen a lot of similar barns on my travels up north. Is the stone base going to be shades of grey?
Have fun,
mike
Yeah, consistent with the other stonework on the layout (more-or-less granite....)
dave
I had to do similar adjustments to Sylvan's resin "Barn With SIlos" kit. I recall using sandpaper glued to a marble off-cut as a leveling tool.
Dave,
I was unaware that this kit had a cast hydrocal foundation. It looks like a really nice kit and
your method of handling each segment looks great to me. It will be nice to see this in it final
location.
Rich
A lot of great modeling going on here.
I measured and sanded the foundation pieces to be slightly smaller than the structure. Then I glued the foundation pieces together, face down (so where the wood fits should be flat.)
IMG_1393.jpeg
As my brother the carpenter said, "You can't be too rich, too strong, or have too many clamps." Because the various bearing surfaces on the plaster pieces aren't perfectly square, the structure has a tendency to skew. Hence the clamps and blocks to hold the beastie square all around.
The other thing I noticed last night was that a piece of trim (that sits at the top of the wood part of the front of the barn) was NOT parallel. It was slightly tapered. Of course, that means something wouldn't sit right. So I cut a new piece, painted it, and glued it to the front clapboard siding. (That's sitting under weights and clamps just off the bottom left of the photo.) Later today I should be able to glue the front to the rest of the wood piece. Then I'll have to be a bit careful, since the front hangs down. Tomorrow, I'll remove the clamps and then epoxy 1/4" corner reinforcements to the 4 plaster foundation pieces. I'll flip those over and sand the base flat on a full size piece of sandpaper glued to a tile.
Making progress!
dave
Dave,
That is a lot of progress. :o While the plaster foundation was a lot of work to get it right it was worth it in the end as the barn sitting on it will look right.
Here's the underside of the foundation. I epoxied those 1/4" square corner blocks, then after the epoxy set, I ran this over a piece of sandpaper glued to a (stone) tile. That makes sure the bottom is flush.
I also glued the wood front to the rest of the structure. So 2 steps with one photo.
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Here's the alignment of the front wood on the foundation. I'm expecting to do a bit of shimming to fit. Once the front glue is set up, I'll remove the clamp and get a better perspective on the fit.
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While this sets up, I think I'll add glazing to the styrene windows. Then I'll address the door frames (2 doors) on the front. I'll need to fill in the cracks on the plaster foundation, too.
I also wanted to check that the top of the foundation was flush. So I used the old carpenter trick of adding pencil marks:
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And then carefully/lightly sanding on the tile. High spots lose the pencil marks, low spots retain the marks. I don't want to remove too much since that will throw off the window openings, etc.
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Overall, this wasn't quite as flush as I expected, but it'll be OK and I can adjust the front and right side (the visible parts on the layout).
dave
You're making good progress, Dave.
Some of these kits seem to demand a lot of fudging around. Fortunately, I have a very good recipe for fudge.
Cheers, Mark.
Small hiccup: The water spray I used to prep the existing plaster for the filler also loosened the glue joints, and 3 of the 4 corners separated. So I reglued them, this time using epoxy. And when I refill the cracks, I'll just put a dab of water on the crack with a brush. Lesson learned!
dave
Did you use white glue or the somewhat orange kind? I brought home a gallon of "yellow glue" left behind by a tenant 20+ years ago and I've never had it come apart when dampened.
Quote from: jbvb on February 02, 2026, 09:24:58 PMDid you use white glue or the somewhat orange kind? I brought home a gallon of "yellow glue" left behind by a tenant 20+ years ago and I've never had it come apart when dampened.
I used Titebond II, which is not a waterproof glue. But the epoxied wood bracing also came loose.
dave
I wonder if the epoxy took off a little plaster when it went. Never heard of a water-sensitive 2-part epoxy.
Well, I just discovered when I reassembled the foundation pieces and epoxied them together, I glued one piece UPSIDE DOWN! I've contacted Brian to see if I can buy new foundation pieces. I could cut and reassemble them, filling in the gap.
So I think I'll find something else to work on for a while, while the anger and frustration works its way out.
dave
Quote from: deemery on February 03, 2026, 03:49:01 PMWell, I just discovered when I reassembled the foundation pieces and epoxied them together, I glued one piece UPSIDE DOWN! I've contacted Brian to see if I can buy new foundation pieces. I could cut and reassemble them, filling in the gap.
So I think I'll find something else to work on for a while, while the anger and frustration works its way out.
dave
Dang. Done something similar, and I'd guess a few others have as well. That's too bad but I'm sure you'll overcome it one way or another.
My sympathies, Dave. A razor saw could probably cut them apart without losing more than .015 at each joint. That could be made up with paper, laserboard or thin wood strips.
I thought only I assembled pieces upside down. Hopefully you can get new pieces.
Jeff
It happens to the best of us Dave, not that I'm the best. :o
Howdy Dave,
The base construction looked great until the water hit it. My sympathies, it's something all have experienced. This too will pass; just step away from the bench for a few minutes. ;)
Have fun,
mike
Brian is sending me replacements!
dave
While waiting for the replacement foundation pieces, I can make progress on the rest of the structure. Today I glazed and installed windows, eave and corner trim. And then did a test-fit on location, with the roof on you get a good sense of how the structure fits in its spot.
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Tomorrow I'll start on the shingles. I need to decide between the BEST shingles in the kit and Bar Mills wood shingles, which I really like for wood (versus slate) shingles.
dave
Dave,
Nice job on the barn shown in the above photo.
I've also been my own victim of gluing a wall or two upside down of on the wrong side of the structure. Guess it comes with the hobby.
Tom
I got the shingles laid down, I'll glue the edges down and trim them tomorrow. Picture then.
dave
Quote from: deemery on February 05, 2026, 07:56:34 PMI got the shingles laid down, I'll glue the edges down and trim them tomorrow. Picture then.
dave
I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Your barn is looking good.
Mike
Dave,
The barn is looking great, looking forward to seeing the next picture with the shingles in place.
Underside of the roof under construction:
IMG_1406.jpeg
Yesterday I did the Bar Mills grey wood shingle strips. i attached them using a glue stick. This is something I learned from Bob Van Gelder's kit instructions. Talking to Bob, he said "no problems with the glue stick failing over time." After the strips are all installed, while the roof is still flat cardboard, I run a rubber roller over the roof to press down the shingles. Then I flip the roof back over, and run a small line of liquid glue (I'm using Testors clear canopy glue equivalent) along the edges of the shingles. This locks the shingles into position so they don't come loose later (particularly when trimming the shingles to the edge of the subroof.)
Then I started adding bracing. The lower piece has a piece of wood cut to the gable shape, with 1/8" square glued to it. Once the glue sets on the one side, I'll add the bracing strip (top) and glue the subroof to the other side of the bracing. Then I'll add bracing running the other way on the roof. When that's done, I'll trim off the shingles from each edge of the roof.
I painted the edges of the cardboard subroof BEFORE trimming the shingles. That way any slop was caught by the underside of the overhanging shingles. Then using a -brand new- X-Acto #11 blade held at a shallow angle, I trimmed off the shingle edges.
Then I drybrushed 2 colors onto the Bar Mills shingles. The first is 'Barnwood', which I drybrushed (using a bristle fan brush) in both directions. This tones down the grey and adds a bit more texture. Finally, I used a light yellow and drybrushed solely from the bottom to the top, to catch the edges of the shingles. I also ran that along the sides of the shingles.
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And on location:
IMG_1409.jpeg
The darker roof will look good against the forest green backdrop. Now really what I should have there are open fields, particularly given my era (when forest cover was at its minimum.) But you go with what you can get...
Next up, the farm house.
dave
There's still some details to add to the barn, but I opened the house kit. This is interesting, the walls have 2 pieces, a wood subwall (laser-cut from basswood) and a wood outer wall (laser cut from clapboard siding.) The first step is to laminate those two pieces of wall together (x 7 sides of wall all told.) I brushed on diluted yellow carpenter glue, brushed onto both wall pieces. Then I aligned them and put them under weights. After about 30 minutes, I went back and double-checked alignment. Once the glue is set, those walls are probably permanently aligned. Tomorrow I'll double check everything, do a test fit, and then probably spray paint the walls white (outside) and dark grey/black (inside). Then back under the weights for a day to cure.
dave
The Bar Mills shingles are a favorite of mine, using them on several projects. They look perfect on your barn.
Mike
Very nice looking shingles.
Dave very nice looking barn and the shingles are spot on.
Dave, sorry about your foundation mishap.
Happens to all of us and glad you were able to get a replacement.
Great colors on the roof.
The nice thing about tab-and-slot is it's really easy to do a mock-up of the structure. It's a bit hard to get the full shape without the roof.
IMG_1411.jpeg
These look good together, although the exact position of the house is not set. I figure I'll build it, then play with the assembled structure. The height of the structure above scenery is approximately correct, given the foundation, etc.
dave
That's a nice looking kit. Wise choice. Should be fun.
(I really like the looks of all the B.E.S.T. products. I'd build more if I didn't do so much scratchbuilding.)
Mike
Most Center-Chimney Colonials' front doors face the road. Mine doesn't, but "why" was told to my grandparents when they moved here.
Quote from: jbvb on February 07, 2026, 09:37:22 PMMost Center-Chimney Colonials' front doors face the road. Mine doesn't, but "why" was told to my grandparents when they moved here.
One thing I've noticed here are some houses of the period have 2 doors, one that faces the road, and another that faces the driveway. Yours is that way, right James?
dave
Dave great job on the roof.
Jerry
Dave,
The roof of the barn looks treat.
Once done the house looks like it will complement the barn.
Quote from: deemery on February 08, 2026, 10:13:34 AMQuote from: jbvb on February 07, 2026, 09:37:22 PMMost Center-Chimney Colonials' front doors face the road. Mine doesn't, but "why" was told to my grandparents when they moved here.
One thing I've noticed here are some houses of the period have 2 doors, one that faces the road, and another that faces the driveway. Yours is that way, right James?
dave
In my case, the Big House (Center Chimney Colonial) faces the hilltop and main road about 1/2 mile away. The door we use goes into the Little House, then to the driveway (and farm fields) opposite the road. The Big House also has a less elaborate door facing the road, but there's always been a relatively steep bank there, so I doubt it ever got a lot of use.
I reworked the road going from the bridge up to the farm:
IMG_1414.jpeg
There's still some road grading to do. The road now curves around that little bump about dead center in the photo, rather than running on the near side. With some scenery there (an orchard?), that'll add a bit of space between the bridge and the barn.
I also did some painting for the trim/doors. That's currently drying underneath weights. There's part of each door that bent a bit, I need to decide how I'll handle that when I assemble the doors from the laser-cut pieces. It might turn out to be a 'happy little accident', we'll see.
The instructions say to assemble the doors onto the walls before assembling the walls together. Once that's done, I'll look again at the wall segments and decide if I need to add bracing before assembly, or afterwards. The 2-part wall pieces are quite sturdy, but they can still get a bit of warp since grain runs the same way for both pieces.
add One thing I'm considering is there is no door on the farmhouse wall that faces the barn. That strikes me as a bit unlikely. So I'm thinking about whether I can add a door on the 'annex' one story addition.
dave
Wish I'd done a better job of documenting how I split the Colonial Georgian House into two. Here's the previously unphotographed back side of the "big house":
IMGP5899_v1.JPG
IIRC I cut the RH (facing front door) wall down and used it for the hidden end, putting the LH wall in its place. I guess I also made a new rear wall from Northeastern clapboard and put a door in it too. In your case, a back door in the 1-story "little house" part would face your barn and make pretty much a mirror image of my full size house.
Quote from: jbvb on February 08, 2026, 09:00:05 PMWish I'd done a better job of documenting how I split the Colonial Georgian House into two. Here's the previously unphotographed back side of the "big house":
IMGP5899_v1.JPG
IIRC I cut the RH (facing front door) wall down and used it for the hidden end, putting the LH wall in its place. I guess I also made a new rear wall from Northeastern clapboard and put a door in it too. In your case, a back door in the 1-story "little house" part would face your barn and make pretty much a mirror image of my full size house.
I freely admit to being inspired by your house!
dave
I found a Tichy masonry door casting that's wide enough to fill the window space. So I cut out below one window, then trimmed the transom off the casting frame and added the trim:
IMG_1418.jpeg
And a test fit. That's .020 x .060 for the frame, and .015 x .030 for the door sill.
IMG_1416.jpeg
I'll prime these white. I haven't decided if I'll paint the new door itself red to match the other doors, or leave it white.
I did lightly repaint the main doors a lighter shade of red, pictures once the paint is dry.
dave
That'll do the job.
Well, less done today than I hoped. The taskboard/laserboard door pieces had one segment that warped with the moisture in the paint. When I tried to straighten that out, it broke. So I dug into my Evergreen stash, pulled out .020 x .030, cut and CA'd a replacement. Then I repainted the piece to blend everything together. That went well. I also tried painting the styrene door casting after I primed it white. That did not go so well, so I think that door will remain white. (And I had to take one dog to the vet, she had a couple accidents and I wanted them to check for an infection.)
So I should be able to complete the kit doors tomorrow. I also should have dug out the kit windows and painted them when I had the airbrush out, but I'll do that tomorrow, too.
dave
Dave, your plan to add a door makes a lot of sense. Good job.
Mike
Terrific looking barn roof.... :D
Howdy Dave,
The shingle job is outstanding. Aligning that many small shingles is a real challenge, and you met it masterfully.
Have fun,
mike
Looking good, Dave.
Shingles have come out well.
Cheers, Mark.
Dave, roof turned out well and it's shaping up to be a good looking scene.
Dave,
I agree with all the others, shingles and roof turned out fantastic looking.
Tom
Yesterday, since the windows were glazed, I added window treatments:
IMG_1424.jpeg
Then I started test-fitting the windows to the walls. One thing I've noticed consistently with BESTTrains kits, the window openings are a bit too small. I guess that's better than too big, but it results in a lot of filing and test fitting. On this kit, the double thickness walls are a lot sturdier than traditional walls with the openings laser-cut into clapboard siding.
To make it easier/quicker to widen the window opening, I ripped a tongue depressor slightly smaller than the window sides. Then I glued sandpaper to that custom sanding paddle:
IMG_1429.jpeg
Once that was done, I started assembling the walls themselves. As usual, I assembled opposing corners.
IMG_1427.jpeg
Then when that was dry, I glued the two L assemblies together. I used the laser cut tab roof to help ensure squareness:
IMG_1428.jpeg
All of the walls are now assembled (I did the annex after taking the assembly photos, but you can see the roof on the annex in the 2nd photo above), and the glue is drying. I think I'll go back and add corner bracing along each inside corner. This'll make the structure pretty much bombproof, although it's already very sturdy with the tab-and-slot assembly and double walls.
Next step, wall trim (1/16" square corners and the eave trim pieces.)
dave
Very nice!!
Jerry
OK, I couldn't resist a quick test position:
IMG_1430.jpeg
dave
The house and barn looks very good Dave.
Very nice and tidy work there, it is going to be a very exciting scene with this hill side!
Thanks for sharing!
Yannis
Pondering exactly how to place the farmhouse:
IMG_1433.jpeg
IMG_1432.jpeg
IMG_1431.jpeg
Once I decide, I'll cut the hole in the hardshell, then build a stand for the sub-foundation, the same way I did for the barn.
(First thought, bottom arrangement. But I'll head off to PT and take another look at this when I get back.)
dave
The last looks best to me too. You could reinforce that by locating the road parallel to the front, at least right in front of the house.
Quote from: jbvb on February 16, 2026, 07:09:45 PMThe last looks best to me too. You could reinforce that by locating the road parallel to the front, at least right in front of the house.
Yes, with a bit of a curve to it... That's been the general intent. Now the terrain to the left falls off a cliff, so that's not quite the most prototypical scheme, but a bit of scenic break should help hide the discontinuity. I did a bit of work on the road today, from the bridge starting up the hill.
I'm thinking a bit about the scenery here. Maybe an orchard on the near side of the road in front of the house/barn. (Orchard would be a nice break, but not too thick nor too tall. ) Maybe a fence along the road.
dave
Quote from: deemery on February 16, 2026, 07:18:25 PMQuote from: jbvb on February 16, 2026, 07:09:45 PMThe last looks best to me too. You could reinforce that by locating the road parallel to the front, at least right in front of the house.
Yes, with a bit of a curve to it... That's been the general intent. Now the terrain to the left falls off a cliff, so that's not quite the most prototypical scheme, but a bit of scenic break should help hide the discontinuity. I did a bit of work on the road today, from the bridge starting up the hill.
I'm thinking a bit about the scenery here. Maybe an orchard on the near side of the road in front of the house/barn. (Orchard would be a nice break, but not too thick nor too tall. ) Maybe a fence along the road.
dave
In your era, barb wire was relatively new and generally cheaper than wood rails. So barb wire around the orchard, the kitchen garden and any fields with vegetable crops (keep deer and stray domestic animals out). Barb wire around cow pastures and horse paddocks to keep them in. I don't think mesh like I make from old fiberglass window screen had appeared in 1890.
Quote from: jbvb on February 16, 2026, 08:05:12 PMQuote from: deemery on February 16, 2026, 07:18:25 PMQuote from: jbvb on February 16, 2026, 07:09:45 PMThe last looks best to me too. You could reinforce that by locating the road parallel to the front, at least right in front of the house.
Yes, with a bit of a curve to it... That's been the general intent. Now the terrain to the left falls off a cliff, so that's not quite the most prototypical scheme, but a bit of scenic break should help hide the discontinuity. I did a bit of work on the road today, from the bridge starting up the hill.
I'm thinking a bit about the scenery here. Maybe an orchard on the near side of the road in front of the house/barn. (Orchard would be a nice break, but not too thick nor too tall. ) Maybe a fence along the road.
dave
In your era, barb wire was relatively new and generally cheaper than wood rails. So barb wire around the orchard, the kitchen garden and any fields with vegetable crops (keep deer and stray domestic animals out). Barb wire around cow pastures and horse paddocks to keep them in. I don't think mesh like I make from old fiberglass window screen had appeared in 1890.
I don't have much space for the farm, it'll all have to be "selectively maximally compressed between the structures and the backdrops. But your point about the barbed wire is a good one, I can do some cow pasture down to the right side from the barn (using the cows that came with the BEST kit), and a white fence between the road and the orchard.
I'll also need to find a couple chickens to add to the scene.
dave
I installed the corner posts and worked on the chimneys:
IMG_1435.jpeg
Pretty much all that's left is shingling.
dave
That looks very good Dave.
Very nice!
The chimneys for this kit are interesting. They're pieces of 1/16 thick basswood laminated together, and then covered with brick sheathing. The prototype for this kit is a thick chimney with probably a slate top.
We saw a place in York, ME today that was a close match to the farmhouse, including the annex on the right. I should have stopped and taken some photos.
dave
Dave,
The house came out looking great. This will be a very nice scene.
Tom
I was just thinking that a spit rail fence would look good following the edge of the rock face on top.
Fencing depends a lot on the location and era. I don't recall much split rail fence in New England after the Civil War - in places settled by 1820 most of the hardwood big enough to split for rails had already been cut, and each plowed field generated new stone every spring. I don't know the upper Delaware and Susquehanna drainages that well, but I have the idea that split rail would have been an option through Dave's period.
As part of the benchwork, there's a flat piece of plywood about 11" below the ground level. I constructed a stand where the base is on that plywood, and the shelf is the right height. There's a piece of benchwork in the way, hence the cut-out in the shelf.
IMG_1442.jpeg
Then I put glue on the base, made sure it was level, and added weights until the glue set.
IMG_1443.jpeg
I have a sub-foundation piece that will sit on the shelf, and then the plaster cast foundation fits on that. Here's a view of those parts:
IMG_1446.jpeg
And a test-fit
IMG_1444.jpeg
The other accomplishment today was prime spraying the roof panels. I used a spraycan, but they still warped a bit. So I think I'll do the shingles first, then add bracing to pull the warp back out of the roof pieces. After consultation with James Van Bokkelen on his house & barn, I decided to use the same Bar Mills shingles on the farmhouse as on the barn.
dave
Looks good, Dave
Quote from: jbvb on February 19, 2026, 07:40:45 PMLooks good, Dave
It does get a nice "foundation buried in the ground" look. ;D
dave
Dave, the house went together nicely and looks great.
Interesting how you made the base for the house.
I like the way you put the house at an angle.
Looks good.
Dave nice sub foundation work and the house looks really good. The architecture reminds me of the farmhouse my grandparents had many, many moons ago.
Nice job Dave. It should be a really nice scene.
Jerry
The foundation is a pair of good quality plaster castings. (Russ Greene's work?) Now my plywood sub-foundation was cut to match the footprint of those castings, but I realized my stone technique would work best if the foundation overhung the sub-foundation a bit. I figured out the offset, took the sub-foundation to the table saw, and cut off about 3/16.
IMG_1451.jpeg
Then I glued the plaster pieces to the sub-foundation. The square on the right side makes sure the two pieces are aligned (to form a single face, once I patch the gap between the two pieces on the stone side.)
IMG_1450.jpeg
The next step will be to prime the mortar color (light grey). When that's dry, I'll do the stone with sponges (that's why the overhang is needed).
You can see the start of the roof shingling in the background.
dave
Dave,
Just catching up on your build and you're making great progress. I like how you have built the foundation into the scenery and the fact that you're mounting the building on an angle to the barn.
The foundation looks great
Foundation is primed.
IMG_1453.jpeg
My general pattern is to prime stone with the mortar color, and brick with the brick color. Tomorrow I'll work on the stone pattern. The glue sticks for the shingles also arrived today.
dave
Nice work on the foundation Dave. Good idea on the priming, are you going to continue with drybrushing next on the stones?
When the mortar lines are deeply incised, it's easy to do the stonework. I used a wedge shaped make-up sponge and a fan brush.
First step is to drybrush the primary stone color, here a grey with a bit of brown into it. I dab the sponge into the paint, wipe most of it off on paper towel, and then lightly go over the stones both horizontally and vertically. The idea is to get paint coverage across the stones, but not into the cracks The stones on the right have been sponge-brushed, on the left are the primer grey.
IMG_1455.jpeg
The second coat was a brown. Again I used the make-up sponge and made sure most of the paint was removed on the paper towel. I lightly dab, rather than wipe across the stones. The idea is to get random amounts of darker brown onto some of the stones.
IMG_1456.jpeg
The third step uses a light grey/off white and the fan brush. Again I remove most of the paint from the fan brush, and move this strictly top-to-bottom. This picks up highlights on the top edge of the stones. I also hit the corners.
IMG_1457.jpeg
And that's it! I'm doing granite foundations, so the color is pretty uniform. If you're doing another more colorful set of stones, then do a couple more colors using the intermediate step, and also paint specific stones (using a Q-Tip, again drybrushing.) The thing here is to get thin non-uniform colors on the stones.
dave
The individual stones stand out nicely.
Looking good, Dave.
It's really nice looking stonework.
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on February 22, 2026, 03:48:05 PMt's really nice looking stonework.
I'm pretty sure that's Russ Greene's stonework. He's very good at carving the masters.
I got the shingles glued on, but not trimmed. I'll do that tomorrow. The roof panels developed a bit of warp as I was applying the shingles (rewarp, I should say, from when I spray primed them.) So I glued some 1/8" square bracing in place. That's curing under weights overnight.
dave
Dave nice work on the stonework.
For sure that's Russ's stonework.
Jerry
Dave, it's looking good. The stonework is excellent. Have fun, mike
I've found it's a good idea to lock the edges of shingles after they're installed. For this I'm using Testor's canopy cement, which is thinner than Canopy Glue so it spreads between the shingles and the subroof. A pointed round toothpick makes a good applicator to get the glue into the crack.
IMG_1458.jpeg
When the glue is set, I use a -new- X-Acto knife blade to trim the shingles. To color them, I use a beige color and a bristle fan brush, dry-brushing from the top down. The idea is to add a bit of lighter tone to the shingles, the bristles produce a bit of extra wood grain. This is subtle, but it's effective. Then I go back the other way, using an off-white color, and dry-brushing from the bottom up. The idea there is to catch the edge of the shingles providing highlights. I also highlight the edges of the roof on the left and right side, plus the edges of the bottom shingles that overhang the subroof.
IMG_1460.jpeg
And of course, a test fit to compare the barn and farmhouse shingles. The roof on the farmhouse is just set into place.
IMG_1461.jpeg
Also, I constructed the dormer on the farmhouse annex (walls and shingle roofing), and did a bit of touch-up on the chimneys. Tomorrow I'll glue the roofs into position, and then add eave trim. That'll finish up the kit, so I'll start on the scenery.
dave
Great job with the shingles Dave.
Dave, foundation and shingles are both looking very good.
Classic New England, Dave.
Dave,
Well done and looks great.
Tom
I did the eave trim today and attached the chimneys. This pretty much finishes the kit. Pictures tomorrow. Now to start on farm scenery. I ordered some more farm critters from BESTTrains (the barn came with cows and milk cans.) So we'll have chickens and hogs, as well as cattle. Plus I plan a small orchard. The row crops will all be "behind the hill" ;)
dave
If you have room for it, chickens were usually housed in a coop of some sort. Without a home place with nest boxes, you won't find many eggs. Or maybe a corner of the barn.
Quote from: jbvb on February 25, 2026, 08:23:13 PMIf you have room for it, chickens were usually housed in a coop of some sort. Without a home place with nest boxes, you won't find many eggs. Or maybe a corner of the barn.
Also need a pig stye and fenced area for the porkers, too. Right?
dave
Quote from: deemery on February 26, 2026, 07:39:13 AMQuote from: jbvb on February 25, 2026, 08:23:13 PMIf you have room for it, chickens were usually housed in a coop of some sort. Without a home place with nest boxes, you won't find many eggs. Or maybe a corner of the barn.
Also need a pig stye and fenced area for the porkers, too. Right?
dave
Keeping pigs wasn't as universal. Year-round pigs need a significant investment in fencing and a good source of food waste or money to buy feed through the winter. In this part of NH it was common to buy or trade for a piglet or two in Spring and turn them out after a couple of months growth on farm garbage. They'd stay around for continued garbage breakfasts, and get rounded up in Fall after they fattened on mast (old term for tree nuts).
Howdy Dave, nice finish to the barn and house. The shingles look nicely done. Have fun, mike
Looks great Dave!
I need to do the stone stairs, otherwise this is done:
IMG_1463.jpeg
The foundation looks a bit dark, I might redo it once I get the scenery if it doesn't pop as much as I want. Easy fix, just go over the rocks with a thin coat of a lighter grey.
I'm not planning to add light, but if I change my mind, I could remove the main roof and the structure is not glued to the foundation.
dave
Outstanding Dave.
So some review comments on the 2 kits: Overall, these are great kits. They go together well, and the double wall approach on the house produces a nearly bombproof result. A trend I've noticed on a lot of BESTTrains kits is that the window/door openings are slightly undersize, resulting in extra sanding. The NE Brownstone foundations are a particular feature. The house foundation required no adjustments, but the barn foundation needed some filing to get a good fit. (Be sure to assemble that correctly, which I did once and then screwed up.)
The instructions are relatively minimal. They cover the kits, but a beginning modeler might have problems figuring out what was intended. Some additional jigs (e.g cutting the eave trim) would help assembly, as would an exploded diagram. A couple of times I had to study the photos to figure out exactly what I was supposed to do. The best example of that is the glazing for the two fancy doors. Should the glazing be placed behind the subwall, or between the door pieces and the subwall? I did the latter. The laser cut window glazing is a feature, but I'd prefer glazing that fits inside the Tichy casting, rather than the pieces that fit over the back of the casting. (Tichy now includes glazing that, for double hung windows, has separate pieces for top and bottom of the windows.)
As usual, I added more bracing, particularly to pull out the warp on walls and roof panels.
Including cows and milk can castings in the barn kit is a really nice added feature.
dave
That's a fine looking farm house Dave.
Jerry
Great work, Dave. I especially like the shingles.
Jeff
Dave fantastic job on the builds; they will make a nice addition to your layout.
Amazing work in every step. Thanks for the details on painting the stones!
Looking really great, Dave.
Howdy, Dave, the farm scene looks great. Both the house and barn look constructed and modeled well. Good luck with the stairs. Have fun, mike
Another farm question: Do the chickens run 'free range', or are they fenced in? And if they're running loose, do they find their own roosting spots, do they naturally go into the barn, or do they have to be rounded up each night? (I have near zero experience with a farm, just a week spent on a 'gentleman's farm' when I was in grade school. Mostly what I remember from that was going fishing in the farm pond.)
Over the last couple of days, I've done plaster where the dirt road will run, and Sculptamold around the roads, both covering plaster wrap. I'll need to ponder scenery next steps. I have lots of materials, but not much experience using any of them.
dave
Quote from: deemery on March 03, 2026, 06:22:06 PMAnother farm question: Do the chickens run 'free range', or are they fenced in? And if they're running loose, do they find their own roosting spots, do they naturally go into the barn, or do they have to be rounded up each night? (I have near zero experience with a farm, just a week spent on a 'gentleman's farm' when I was in grade school. Mostly what I remember from that was going fishing in the farm pond.)
Well Dave when I was younger and lived at home I had a chickens in a chicken coup. The chickens had free range of the yard. When it started to get duck they would slowly work their way back to the coup. Their water and feed was kept in the coup so that's where they would go. The hen's would head back to the coup to lay the egg's if a nesting box was provided for them. I did occasionally find eggs in the yard in tall grass. The only reason for a fence would be to keep the chick predators form catching a chicken, like a fox.
Bernd
Bernd, thanks. That's what I thought, chickens are smart enough to go home to roost at night ;D
So I'll have to build a chicken coop alongside the barn. That should be a fun little project, a chance to raid the scraps bin.
dave
Here's a chicken coup and corn crib to feed the chickens. I got these out of the "Easy-to-Build Model Railroad Structures" by Willard Anderson a Kalmbach Pup. Hope you can use them.
farm001.jpg
farm002.jpg
farm003.jpg
Bernd
Here's my free-range chicken flock scene:
IMGP7244_v1.JPG
The chicken coop is a kit my 2nd wife built. Chickens are also commercial. Sorry, I can't recall either manufacturer.
Bernd, thanks for the information/inspiring photos.... This will be a great 2 evening project when I get frustrated with something else...
dave
Quote from: deemery on March 04, 2026, 11:39:53 AMBernd, thanks for the information/inspiring photos.... This will be a great 2 evening project when I get frustrated with something else...
dave
You're welcome.
B
Quote from: deemery on February 23, 2026, 04:30:45 PMI've found it's a good idea to lock the edges of shingles after they're installed. For this I'm using Testor's canopy cement, which is thinner than Canopy Glue so it spreads between the shingles and the subroof. A pointed round toothpick makes a good applicator to get the glue into the crack.
IMG_1458.jpeg
When the glue is set, I use a -new- X-Acto knife blade to trim the shingles. To color them, I use a beige color and a bristle fan brush, dry-brushing from the top down. The idea is to add a bit of lighter tone to the shingles, the bristles produce a bit of extra wood grain. This is subtle, but it's effective. Then I go back the other way, using an off-white color, and dry-brushing from the bottom up. The idea there is to catch the edge of the shingles providing highlights. I also highlight the edges of the roof on the left and right side, plus the edges of the bottom shingles that overhang the subroof.
IMG_1460.jpeg
And of course, a test fit to compare the barn and farmhouse shingles. The roof on the farmhouse is just set into place.
IMG_1461.jpeg
Also, I constructed the dormer on the farmhouse annex (walls and shingle roofing), and did a bit of touch-up on the chimneys. Tomorrow I'll glue the roofs into position, and then add eave trim. That'll finish up the kit, so I'll start on the scenery.
dave
Great project, Dave. Nice work and so look forward to seeing the scenery done.
What color should I paint my (1890s) chickens? White? Brown?
I'm guessing an assortment of colors, ranging from white through tans to reddish brown.
dave
Quote from: deemery on March 07, 2026, 12:49:40 PMWhat color should I paint my (1890s) chickens? White? Brown?
I'm guessing an assortment of colors, ranging from white through tans to reddish brown.
dave
Make some of each color the Rooster doesn't care!!!!!! ;D
Jerry
Today I worked on farm animals, painting chickens, pigs and I started on the cows. (I forgot to prime them earlier.) We'll see how things look tomorrow once the paint is dried, but so far I'm pretty happy. Photos tomorrow.
dave
The matte varnish is drying on the critters:
IMG_1473.jpeg
dave
Nice job on the animals...no red bull? 8)
Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 09, 2026, 03:38:51 PMNice job on the animals...no red bull? 8)
No. I don't have the space to pasture the bull separate from the cows...
dave
Dave those are some fine looking critters; well done.
Someone will get flogged~ RUN~ :o
Sharpening the axe now! 8)
Nice work Dave!
Quote from: deemery on March 09, 2026, 04:49:43 PMQuote from: PRR Modeler on March 09, 2026, 03:38:51 PMNice job on the animals...no red bull? 8)
No. I don't have the space to pasture the bull separate from the cows...
When my grandparents moved here 25 years after Dave's era, there were only a few bulls in town. The owners would bring them to your herd of milkers for a fee.
Well, when I last posted on the barn construction, I had discovered I installed some parts of the barn foundation upside down. Over the last week, I corrected that. Sorry I didn't take photos of the entire process.
First I cut a brace the width (between the corner bracing) of the foundation wall. I wanted a tight fit, to hold the wall into alignment after the one piece is cut out of the foundation. Then I used a razor saw to cut the piece that will be visible, cutting close to the corner braces and being careful to cut perpendicular to the ground. (A razor saw gave me the smallest kerf.) I flipped that over, test-fit, and then glued the wall segment, right side up, to the piece of bracing and to the rest of the foundation. I used yellow glue for the original joint, and then went back with 30 minute epoxy to lock things into position. The next day, I filled in the (vertical) cracks and re-carved mortar joints. I used (Deluxe Materials) acrylic putty. In the past, I've used plaster to fill plaster joints, but the plaster doesn't bond as well to a painted surface. Here's a look at the reassembled foundation from the bottom.
IMG_1497.jpeg
Then I reprimed and painted the rock foundation to match the farmhouse foundation. I added the missing window castings on the right (visible) side, and filled in the window holes on the other side using scribed siding.
IMG_1496.jpeg
Now the last problem was the lower doors in the foundation. The parts for that warped badly in ways I couldn't fix, so I had to recreate the door framing. For the larger right side door, I measured and noted the distance from the foundation casting to the front of the wall (clapboard) was a bit more than 1/8". For the top beam, I cut 1/8" square, painted to match, and glued into position on the foundation. Then I positioned the structure to make sure the top of the beam was tight against the bottom of the structure. I added 1/8" x 1/32" posts on either side. Then I glued the laser-cut scribed siding door to the foundation casting (between the posts.) Turns out there were gaps on either side, so I filled those gaps with 1/32" x 1/16" pieces. I did a different process on the left side door. There I glued the scribed siding piece, which was larger than the actual door opening, into position. Then I added 1/16" square pieces for framing, glued to the wood scribed siding piece.
Finally, I filled a small gap at the bottom of the wall against the foundation with a 1/32" x 1/16" piece of stripwood, and then sanded that down to get a tight fit between the wall and the foundation casting. Here's the result:
IMG_1495.jpeg
I do need to go back and lightly sand down the top of the window castings, to get a tight fit on that wall and foundation.
Somewhere I know I have a casting of a pulley on an arm that I'll add to the eave of the barn. That's to haul the hay bales through that small square door in the middle of the gable wall.
dave
p.s. I'm guessing those two doors slide towards the center of the structure on a vertical hanger, i.e. they are "barn doors" in the structural sense. BEST includes prototype photos, and there's no visible hinges or dividing line for those doors to swing into the structure.
That's a good looking barn Dave.
Dave great job on the barn.
That's a good-looking barn, Dave. Worth the work, in my opinion. (Easy to say; I'm not doing the work.)
Mike
Looking good, Dave.
Worth the work.
Cheers, Mark.
It's a little detail, but the pulley will explain that door 'hanging in midair' on the terrain.
IMG_1501.jpeg
dave
That is a nice detail.
Quote from: deemery on March 24, 2026, 05:39:12 PMIt's a little detail, but the pulley will explain that door 'hanging in midair' on the terrain.
IMG_1501.jpeg
dave
Didn't they use the pulley and door to get hay/straw into the upper part of the barn? It is a neat little detail. Now all you need is a rope and some kind of hook on the other end.
The shingles look great. The color and unevenness make it really good looking.
Bernd
I've been thinking about fishing a rope through the pulley. I did drill out the hole so I could do that. But then I'd have the typical modeler problem of how to make a piece of thread look like a rope.
The shingles are Bar Mills, slightly worked over. I described that a couple pages back.
dave
Nice looking barn. I also checked in a page or so back, Credible Critters too!
Ok, a question for you 'teamsters' out there.
IMG_1502.jpeg
The hay wagon rolls up the slope underneath the pulley, and they start unloading. But how does the hay wagon get out of there? Would the teamster back the wagon down? There's not enough room to turn the wagon. Or, the teamster could back the wagon up the hill.
I'm thinking "pull-up the full wagon, back-down the empty wagon," but I know nothing about managing a team of horses.
Anyway, the plan here is to spray that part of the grass mat and remove most of the grass, and then put road-dirt in place.
dave
Not sure the designer of that barn kit had any experience with 1:1 farming, just mho. That end of the barn should be at a higher fill, the hay entrance a higher level.
Most barns stored the hay on a higher level inside the barn and the loading equipment often was on "trolley's" that ran the inside of the peak of the barn. Here is more info than you would ever hope to know, https://haytrolleyheaven.com/hay-trolley-basics/what-is-a-hay-trolley/ I really enjoyed that, hope it helps. Or not. :o
Here are pictures of the prototype (from BESTTrains website)
image.gif
There's no pulley on the prototype, but that door hanging in mid-air on the wall is definitely in the prototype. There's more space on the prototype to turn a wagon than I have.
Mebbe there was a hay door in the gable where the window is now, and I should have put the pulley right under the eave.
Anyway, thanks for the 'hay trolley' link. Interesting stuff! Now I need to figure out what to put on the running end if I add the rope to the pulley.
Screenshot 2026-03-25 at 12.00.49.jpg
dave
Can't see the image.
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on March 25, 2026, 11:42:26 AMCan't see the image.
You know the 'rule', wait 10 minutes.:'( It's the picture of 'hay forks' from that link you provided.
dave
The second one from the left looks dangerous to me!!
Jerry
Quote from: deemery on March 25, 2026, 11:20:14 AMI'm thinking "pull-up the full wagon, back-down the empty wagon," but I know nothing about managing a team of horses.
dave
My ex-wife's father used to have Belgium workhorses that they took to stone boat pull's. Similar to tractor/truck pulls were a weight is pulled till it can't be pulled any further down a track. And that's not a railroad track.
In order to hook on to the "stone boat" you had to back the horses up. So I say your statement of backing down an empty wagon would be correct through observation and critical thinking.
Bernd
Dave,
The barn is coming along nicely.