This 2017 thread documents researching and modeling a distinctive bridge type that survived longer on the B&M than anyplace else, as far as I know:

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12-Feb-2017:

The Boston & Maine used wood for many bridges into the 1920s. Our Library of Congress' Historic American Engineering Record documented a couple (links valid 5/2025). This one still stands AFAIK:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/nh0283/

This one in Arundel, ME was replaced in 1995, but it's a better example to follow for the Chipman St. overpass west of Bexley Depot on my B&M Eastern Route layout:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/me0275/

The Sinnott Rd. (Meetinghouse) bridge from railroad west (Boston side):



The signal bridge stands but is unused - 8 years later I still need to photograph it.... The end of one of the enclosed trusses:



One of the angle braces keeping the skewed trusses from folding up or falling over and collapsing:



I wish I'd known where this was in 1990; when I cross its replacement I'm about 5 minutes from Seashore Trolley Museum.

Our chickens and barn cat are fed, so I'll load the urn with Crescent Wrench blend,lay out some donuts and fruit and leave the rest for when the cook gets in...

Shortly I'll be off to Seashore, this time to work on Track Dept. machines.  The NH seacoast is sunny with high haze, headed for 70. The forecast for tomorrow through the weekend is damp again, so gather ye rosebuds when ye may!

The original 2016 RR-Line thread was all HO scale. It started as a general discussion, but most of the pictures explain how I did removable lights on Walthers and Rix 'wood' injection-molded poles. All the vendors seem to still be in business but Walthers seems to be moving from their incandescent 12V products toward LED lamps

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1-Jun-2015: CZN17940 asked:

QuoteI'm in need of some modern HO street lights and was wondering if anybody
had any names of companies that make them.

Walthers carries quite a few modern metal-post lights from European manufacturers. Some might look reasonable in US settings.
In 2007 Walthers manufactured some North American prototype lights, but though they're still on the web site, none have been in stock for a long time (link obsolete in 2025, walthers.com is still there)  I could use several of the #2310 and #2311, but in 2007 I hadn't even designed the scenes I need them for.

Older era modelers are using kits for gooseneck lamps (Micro Lumina, N Scale Architect, maybe others) in street settings.

quartergauger48 (Ted) replied:

QuoteThere is a company on EBAY, Called 'WE Honest'.
I have ordered street lights and figures from them several times. They are very well made, LED with metal poles. You need to solder a resistor to one lead. They come with the resistors. 11 lights for less then 20 bucks. I received them in less time then from companies right here in the states....one week.

2-Jun-2015:
Tabooma_County (Al Carter) agreed:

QuoteI've ordered from "We Honest" several times with no problems, and the street
lights I ordered were well made.

So did k9wrangler (Karl):

QuoteWe Honest did me well, too. What did I order? Me Forget....

quartergauger (Ted) posted:

QuoteHere is a shot of a We Honest street light'..

2-Jun-2015: Frank; This link gets me We Honest's USA EBay store. They appear to have a Chinese language store, but I do not know where else they do business: WEHONEST eBay Store

There's a 'Street Lights' item in the Categories menu on the left. None that really match my area and era, but I'll keep watching them.

Robert_Goslin replied:

QuoteDavid Here's a couple I found recently. Haven't used them as yet, but guess they're O.K. Kytes Lites from England:

Kytes Lites (works 2025)

QuoteAnd this one, from China I think. Go to site and type in HO scale lights.
They also sell plenty of other model RR items too.

Ali Express (many vendors)

3-Jun-2015: Several of these vendors seem to be filling their buckets at the same set of wells. Aliexpress seems to be a 'small lots and overseas' division of Alibaba, the big Chinese on-line retailer. On-line reviews are mixed, but not beyond what I'd expect from "Americans buying clothes in general" plus "doing business half way round the world with a language barrier".

At that time, bang for the buck hadn't overridden my concerns about web and personal information security.

quartergauger (Ted) replied:

QuoteWe Honest is Okay thus far'...Pay Pal only, But I pay, pay pal with a credit card. If there is any problems, the CC company takes responsibility.
I agree though with you on your point'...

vikramgoel (Vik) added:

QuoteAnother company I have used is Express models in UK. They have a number of modern street and station lights. They also have lighted yard towers all in LED.

Express Models' home page

30-Jul-2015: I need a few HO "post" or "yard" lights. At least around here, the power Co. tends to use an inexpensive fixture when doing one of these un-metered installations, so the commercial 'cobra head' units on metal poles won't do:



Here I've filed the end of a "Yello-Glo" 3mm LED flat and bent the leads over, making sure they didn't touch. Then I slipped insulation taken off a 24 GA ethernet cable wire over one lead and bent the other down. I drilled the plastic pole #72 (.0224") and pushed the straight lead through. I'm about to solder #30 wires to each lead and paint the whole business. More when my shipment of 3.5mm audio jacks/plugs arrives.

3-Aug-2015: History tells me I need to keep my light poles removable, particularly on my modules that go to Hub Division shows. Out of the blue, I thought of the small plug/jack sets they use on earbuds (before they switched to radio).



This 3.5 mm set made by Switchcraft (839-1224-ND and SC1455-ND) cost about $2.50 from DigiKey in 2015. I used 3/16" brass tube (a loose fit on the body of the 'ring' side) to connect the light pole and the plug. I drilled a #66 hole in the tube for the red #30 wire soldered to the 'tip' lug in the center. Then I soldered the tube to the body to make the 'ring' connection via the blue wire soldered to the tube.

The Walthers pole above is filed to a press fit in the 3/16" tube. Before assembly, I painted the wires Scalecoat Graphite & Oil and cut the original stub off so it won't touch the 'ring' wire connection. I soldered the wires to the LED leads after the pole is pressed into the base. Then I'll glue them to the post to look like conduit for ground wires.

5-Aug-2015:



Above, the pole is assembled with the lamp leads glued down. They needed re-painting once the whole business was installed. The electric meter is made from .060 x .100 styrene and a slice of a clear styrene sprue. The jack is mounted in a .250 hole in the bit of hardboard. I'll solder wires to it before I attach it to the underside of the scenery. I eventually found my hot glue gun...

A short thread from July 2024 about a prototype restoration activity I'm involved with. In Reference Pix because many normally-hidden aspects of the historic train are shown.

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In 2021 I was one of a group of B&M fans who got together and re-constituted the Flying Yankee Restoration Group. At the time the FYRG was down to one or two board members and very little activity since well before COVID. We worked out a plan centered on a new business model for the restoration. Then we convinced the State of NH, owner of the train since the 1990s, that state ownership without any state funding was a dead end. Along the way we decided "Flying Yankee Association" was a better way to describe ourselves. The previous name is strongly associated with fundraising for two earlier restoration efforts, each of which stalled when funds ran out.

The FYA bought the train and its stored parts from NH for $1 on July 24. Sunday July 28 through Tuesday July 30 our rigger moved the train from Lincoln NH to Conway NH: First phase was 5 containers of parts plus the 3-car articulated train's 4 trucks:



Loading containers that had been stored on State property in Twin Mountain, NH.



And unloading them in Conway NH.



The center plate of a 1935 high-speed drop-equalizer passenger truck.

Rick checked in:

QuoteA worthy endeavor.
Good luck with the restoration.

As did Tom:

QuoteLooking forward to this adventure James.

Jerry (Trains1941):

QuoteGood luck with the restoration James. Keep us up to date.

And Karl:

QuoteExciting times! Great job guys, get to work!

Thanks, all. Our next goal is to get the train and parts under a roof, which will have to be built new - buildings with 220 feet of track inside are pretty much nonexistent in the White Mountains of NH. The train has to stay in NH for the next 15 years, and we've found an interested partner for operations (someday) in the Conway Scenic.

The second day of the move was spent loading the three cars on our partners' trucks behind the Granite State Scenic RR station (formerly Hobo Railroad) in Lincoln, NH.



The observation (3rd) car was the first lift.



Inevitably there's a dogs breakfast of cribbing, chain binders etc. under each end of the carbody. And even with experienced riggers getting that right takes time and thought. Unless you're moving multiple identical vehicles.

A brief thread about completing a discarded project for my passenger car fleet:

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4-Feb-2023: The HUB Division has an energetic Donations Chair; he and his volunteers bring a lot of stuff to our annual Marlboro MA show. A few years back, I saw an old AHM/Rivarossi P-S lightweight 10-6 model on one of their tables: one truck loose, no couplers, roof made removable and an interior featuring a full passenger load of LPs.



The interior partitions are cardstock and Goo, by the color. Doors are drawn on. Floor covering is green blotting paper. And of course, one of the bedrooms is occupied by a young lady just out of the shower. I'd actually been thinking about a PRR lightweight 10-6 for quite a few years. By the mid-50s they regularly reached Portland, ME on the State of Maine, and even Ellsworth or later Bangor on the Bar Harbor Express. I don't know who built it, but I thought a few bucks for his (pretty sure) work was a good beginning to a "layout" car.

AHM/Rivarossi introduced a line of HO scale full-length heavyweight and lightweight passenger cars modeled after recognizable US prototypes in the late 1960s. They were injection-molded in Yugoslavia and continued to be produced through the 1980s, later under the IHC name. The line inspired a lot of prototypic passenger car modeling from painting/decaling to major cut/splice projects.  Many got written up in magazine articles. In particular, the heavyweight 12-1 Pullman was the basis for a lot of early efforts modeling accurate heavyweight Pullmans of various different plans. Lots of AHM/IHC Pullmans and lightweights were sold; they're still widely available used.

PRR Modeler (Curt Webb) commented:

QuoteThe interior should look great through the car windows.

ACL1504 (Tom) commented:

QuoteInteresting project. I wonder if the Goo was used to hold a figure up against the walls.
I have a set of ACL heavyweights and Southern heavyweights all by IHC. They've been under the layout for at least 20+ years.

I added ice A/C to a Rivarossi 12-1 using New England Rail Service parts, and I turned another into B&M parlor Elm. Again, NERS ducts and details but with etched brass sides from Concord Jct. Car Shops.

k9wrangler (Karl) said:

QuoteDidn't Walters or someone make interior kits made of card stock and seats, toilets, etc? WAY back in the day? Of course if so you're required to use Goo....

I think you're right, Karl. Either I have one or I remember them from the catalog, won't know till I look.



I got out Liljestrand's picture book of PRR sleepers. Huron Rapids carried #8342 (though it's not visible in Bob's pictures). It was built March 1949 with PRR 2E-P5 trucks and ran till Feb. 1968. The Railway Prototype Cyclopedia Vol. 6 article translates that to Pullman type 41-NP.

The Rivarossi truck pivots are not centered on the trucks, even with 4-axle cars and the die work was ok for the 60s. But Walthers' 41-NP is much better. I filed a flat spot outboard of the old pivot centered in the side skirt opening. I experimented with styrene till the body height was about right. Walthers' passenger trucks have a drop-center bolster which sits very low compared to other passenger trucks. I wound up stacking 2 blocks of .060.

Then I removed Rivarossi's sketch of a diaphragm from the end. Once the American Limited diaphragm is installed, I'll have to replace the grabs and repaint the ends, but I don't like big gaps in my passenger trains.

6-Feb-2023:



Before I started my layout, I built and detailed a lot of passenger cars. I've applied many air, signal and steam hoses. The plastic castings are vulnerable and it's been years since I've found any more of Cal Scale's metal hose sets. So I did the grabs from Tichy phosphor bronze and then made hoses: .032 steam, .025 air (a brake hose I have measures 2") and .020 signal. Steel hammer on rail anvil to flatten the ends, mount in holes drilled in the floor. The blind end is most likely to be visible, given how the roomettes are laid out and people installed, so I'll make its drop steps a little smaller. I'll blacken the metal parts before painting.

I won't touch side and roof grabs till I see how well I can match Rivarossi's Tuscan Red. BTW the floor casting claims this was made in Italy.

12-Feb-2023:



I'm satisfied with the end details and how Floquil Tuscan Red matches up with AHM/Rivarossi's version. The only weathering I've done is a mist of Scalecoat NYC Dark Gray on the underbody and over the trucks. I'll put a little more time into that and dirt on the ends to disguise the paint mismatch.

Then the project sits till I get around to lighting. Probably a rectifier bridge and two current limiting diodes, one for the rear markers, the other for 3-4 LEDs in the people spaces. I doubt I'm the first to think of clear plastic sprue as a light diffuser, I'll see what's on the web.

deemery (Dave) commented:

QuotePRR Modeler mag has an article on a passenger car including lighting: The Keystone Modeler Vol. 123

The Keystone Modeler index site

Thanks, Dave. I've known Andy Miller since the 1970s but I don't usually read Keystone Modeler (not his article, but it uses his circuit). Also it reminded me the aisle safety bars are easy to add. I'll check the beading wire one of my GFs gave me for stainless of the right diameter.

Some information in this 2022 thread was made obsolete when Rob Paisley discontinued selling these particular detector cards. But I think his schematics and maybe circuit board art work can be found in archives, and there are other commercial products with similar functionality.  More generally relevant LED/detector issues are also discussed.

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16-Jan-2022: My two long (~30 cars) staging tracks are about 60% hidden behind the backdrop. I made a window behind a building flat so operators could see their train before it reached (and maybe shorted) the gaps at the east switch. And I rigged up a turnout position indicator in the upper floors of the same building, using a relay driven by a contact on the twin coil switch machine. But I didn't draw the whole circuit, so it took me a while to figure out what I'd done four years ago.

I chose Rob Paisley's 8-phototransistor 'Inverting Photodetector' card. I ordered Orange and Purple LEDs from LED-Switch.com, so occupancy wouldn't be confused with signal aspects. And I chose a panel location where it could be seen from the south half of my attic. Here's the panel, masked and all but one hole drilled, ready for the final coat of paint:



David_J_Buchholz asked:

QuoteSo what does the card do? How does it work?

17-Jan-2022:  The Inverting Photodetector has 8 places to connect phototransistors. which conduct electricity when infrared or visible light shines on them. And it has 8 connections for LEDs, each of which turns on when its phototransistor is dark ("inverting"). It runs on 12 VDC. Rob Paisley's long description used to be online, but may be archived under www.circuitous.ca/8PhotoInverting.htm

desertdrover (Louis) commented:

QuoteNice choice, I had gone with the Circuitron BD-1 system years back. When you can't see where those trains are staged you need them.
The biggest challenge, as you know is having super perfect track, because you can't get to the trains easy without crawl spaces and other obstacles.

17-Jan-2022: I glanced at the BD-1, Louis; they have several features I don't need, and the lowest price I saw for a BD-1 is as much as Paisley's card with 8 independent sensors. The visible end of Saugus staging is easy to access. The rest is a hands-and-knees crawl with little headroom once behind the layout. The code 100 flextrack was laid more than 10 years ago and hasn't given trouble. Here's the schematic display panel in progress:



In this photo, the invisible railroad-east (towards Portsmouth) end is to the left. I need to show two things: First, where the train is relative to the left turnout:: Leftmost LED shows it's too close, the next LED's sensor is a foot from the first's. Second, at the center: where the ends of trains are so I can store two short trains on one long track. Again, the sensors are a foot apart.



I needed 9 wires from the Paisley card, so I used 24 GA solid for the cathode (positive) feed and old Cat 5 network cable for each LED's operate lead. Telco color code puts Blue first, then Orange, Green and Brown. All the occupancy LEDs are orange - purple was a bad purchasing decision as they need 3 VDC where the orange lights on 2 VDC.The two unwired LEDs will repeat existing turnout position LEDs, once I figure out and document how I wired the existing ones. The block at the right end will anchor the cables.



Two of the phototransistors Paisley supplies, ready to be pushed into holes between the rails and wired to the control board. As with the LEDs, there's one common line but this goes to the 12 VDC ground. I have one more 4-phototransistor harness to wire and install, then I can start hooking the components up.

18-Jan-2022: "First Light" was not the occupancy, but the switch position indicator repeater:



Narrow_Mark commented:

QuoteI like the set up. Also wondering if the now ready availability of webcam type devices means there's a video option to consider?
I had a temporary 50' LGB shuttle line set up with trains running from a staging area inside my garage through a tunnel opening crafted in a temporary plywood access door out to the street as a covid-distanced Halloween candy delivery system in 2020. Used a simple diode arrangement so that I could not overrun the end of the track out by the street and set up a web cam at that end which linked to a laptop inside the garage for me to monitor activity. Also had a buzzer set so that the kids could summon a train pulling a candy gondola. For what was very much a lash-up, it worked well. Just a thought.

19-Jan-2022: Video would give an overview and answer a range of questions, but I'd need two cameras, one for each critical point. There aren't good camera angles; the ceiling is too close..  And the farther the viewer is from the display, the larger it has to be. A signal light conveys simple information quickly and effectively from a distance, and these LEDs are visible from anywhere in the south half of my layout. Of course, I'll find out what my operators think once the current wave of contagion passes.

A quick stop to open up: Timetable tea and Clearance Form A coffee are warming up in their respective urns, Fruit, Congdon's Donuts and a plate of molasses cookies are on the counter.

Sunny, 40s overnight, headed for 80F(!) on the NH seacoast today, no rain in the forecast till the weekend.  Did the kid's car insurance bureaucracy (GEICO once was very fast on the phone, now they really want me to carry their app around on my cell ). But with just the basic coverage and elderly cars he's not too expensive.  Once I've done a bit here, back upstairs for more layout prep.

Another of my threads from RR-Line.  I'm about to have my first op sessions in a year, which will get posted after the older content.
----------------------------
27.Oct-2013: For a year or so, I've been thinking seriously about operations on my B&M Eastern Route layout. I'm modeling a mostly double-track line that mixed heavy industry with a fairly high-density passenger service. The layout was planned and built with operations in mind; I know what kind of plant the B&M had in place to handle the traffic and I've modeled as much as I can.

The track and control systems are ready and I have enough equipment for a somewhat anachronistic weekday schedule (just don't get concerned at McGinnis-paint RDCs operating alongside steam). I'm now at the point of experimenting with timetables and freight movements, trying to put together an operating plan which will be functional and fun when I invite guests over.

My first question is about fast clocks. My MRC Prodigy Advance DCC system's has a settable ratio, but I have not found an OEM or 3rd party clock display that works with it. Also, my Wireless hand-held appears to have a bug - the time is always 00:00. If MRC says anything useful about that, I'll report it here.

I know some of you are using JMRI's clock, others the built-in clocks in NCE or Digitrax. Is there a modestly-priced, easy-to-set product that would let me put two synchronized displays up on the wall, one for either end of the room?

28-Oct-2013: NHGuy answered:

QuoteAs far as I know there are no external clocks available except for the NCE system but are quite a bit on the expensive side to me. There are several external fast clock systems available. I use the GML Enterprises fast clock system. http://www.thegmlenterprises.com/id19.html It is a good reliable system. I have the clock controller and 6 clocks of the 8 inch clock faces type. In the long run it was more cost effective for me to purchase this entire system than buy the expensive clock faces(that I could not get to work on another fellow's railroad) for the NCE's built in clock system which is what I use. What I needed for the NCE system to do the same thing was more than 3 to 1 in costs for the clock faces. Several of us have use this same GML system in our operations. I would look around for a suitable fast clock system and evaluate what you need. I am not aware of other clocks available for JMRI, MRC or Digitrax as I don't use any
of these systems and had stopped looking after I purchased the GML system. That is not to say that they are not available.

Thank you, Bill; GML is still the price of a nice loco, but it will handle my plans to have one or two non-throttle operating positions: Bexley Towerman and Draw Operator, plus the ability to run one or two trains on DC.

MRC got back to me just before lunch - I should send both the Prodigy base station and the wireless back, with a check for $50 and they will upgrade. Not awful for equipment that is 4 & 8 years old, respectively. There is a week in December when I won't care if I can't run DCC, so that's when I'll do it.

Dave1905 replied:

QuoteThere is a company that sells wifi connected fast clocks. Joe Atkinson tested one on his IAIS layout. Wee bit pricey. I'll see if I can figure out which company it is. Iowa Scaled Engineering link
http://www.iascaled.com/

His link to Iowa Scaled Engineering's product isn't valid anymore, but it may still be findable by searching their site: Iowa Scaled Engineering

11-Nov-2013: Thanks for the pointers, Bill & Dave. The look of GML's clock faces is more era appropriate, but I'm thinking I will put off buying one till I get some friends over for a test run. But that's getting closer.

I've been working on an Employee Timetable. I'm aiming at timetable/train order operation, but in multiple track territory with interlockings
and a few miles of CTC, I'll be using a different subset of the rules, and not writing a great many train orders, when I get to that point. First, I just want to try a non-clocked run to see how things work out.



I did a spreadsheet, but without formulas for train timings. This gives the lineup for the operator at Draw (staging for both ends of the line).

Pete replied:

QuoteI just took a good look at the schedule. If my math is correct, that's 29 trains a day. You have a busy little stretch of railroad there!

Keep us posted, and keep that Draw working!

12-Nov-2013: I should have mentioned: my staging and equipment pool is too small to just run right through noon or midnight - I will have to turn most of the consists.  My plan is to run a morning as one session, then the corresponding afternoon as the next.

But it was a busy RR: In 1947, 9 inbound and 3 outbound passenger trains passed West Lynn between 7 and 8 AM on a weekday. Today, only 3/3. I'm starting out with a 'Saturday' schedule to get yard and way-freight activity with a modest passenger schedule - most freight and yard jobs were 6 days a week. If my crew likes that, we can move up to midweek, and then do a Monday (inbound freights heavy). I haven't worked out Sunday yet, but this was the era of the Blue Laws so things will be quieter.

24-Nov-2013: I did some test runs at a 6:1 clock ratio and adjusted all my running times. At this rate, a passenger run takes between 25 and 40 minutes, depending on station stops, which feels about right. The two through freights can do their work in the allowed time as well. Now I have to see how local freights do.

Meanwhile, I've finished the weekday timetable & crew assignments for both weekdays and Saturdays. Weekdays take 6 throttles, Saturdays 5. I have to work out whether I have enough locos of plausible types to run either yet.



Finally, I started setting up for card order freight. This is two of MicroMark's sorting cases for Bexley's 5-track yard.



And this is "vinyl undersill" from the big box DIY store 'vinyl siding' section for a single industry with four spots. I looked for the smaller strip that Vagel mentioned as being in the 'bath' section, but couldn't find it.

Note that I'm also labeling things for visitors. In the 1950s, low-volume signs were still mostly painted, either by hand or using a stencil. R.W. Jones wrote about the B&M sign painter who handled the destination signs at North Station, so I've been practicing with a small flat brush and Titanium White artist's acrylic. I wouldn't qualify as a journeyman, but I'm improving. I'll probably try replacing the red Sharpie on the F-channel with black paint at some point, though I expect lettering on an uneven surface will be much tougher.

5-Dec-2013: Over the last few days, I put up more vinyl undersill, but I still had 8 or 9 industries that need it. I also started filling out car card/envelopes from the MicroMark "starter" card operations set I got for Christmas several years ago. So far, I've done ~30 of the ~70 cars on the layout. I had estimated I'd need ~75 cars for freight operations on the completed portions, but that may be a bit under. I have ~20 more Green Dot cars in the storage boxes I take to Hub Modular setups, so I should be OK with the 100 cards provided in the set. Doing the waybills is going to take more thought.

I designed and built most of my B&M Eastern Route HO layout using pencil & paper. But when I wanted a track plan to publish on the net, I couldn't get good results from scanning my drawn/erased/redrawn plans.  So in 2010 I redrew my layout (approximately) using the free Windows/Mac/Unix XtrkCAD software.  My first plan is posted to page 3 of my layout thread.

Since then, I've used XtrkCAD for a couple of structure drawings, the circuit diagrams for my signal system, string charts for the NMRA AP Chief Dispatcher certificate and a few other projects.  Tonight I started something new: Producing track overlays while working with 1:1 building designers to ensure the track involved can actually be built.

Looking over the sub-forums, I settled on Modeling Wizardry.  Comments and contributions welcome.  I can't post anything about the buildings I might be working on till the owners are ready to go public, either to potential donors or local government permitting.  So here's an XtrkCAD  string chart:

When we got up it was snowing fairly hard: classic big wet clumps.  Now it's warmed up to light rain.  My wife just got back, having passed an accident at the corner of our street; the teenager drove to his school at 25 MPH.  I have to go to the Flying Yankee Assoc. annual meeting in a bit.  Undecided on a nearby B&MRRHS event this afternoon vs. coming home after lunch.

I've loaded the urn with Ice Chopper blend, hot water is on, fruit, cereal and muffins are on the counter. We'll see what the cook does when she gets in.

Repost of a build thread on RR-Line:
------------------------
27-Feb-2020:

I bought Rix's 'Smalltown USA' modular 50s - 60s office building kit years ago:

Rix VIcky's Fashions modular kit

I haven't noticed it on a layout, or discussed in print or internet forums. So, as I don't think I've ever met Rick and have no financial interest, I'll show how I used it:

Rix's site describes it as 'Talltown USA Window and Door modules' with Evergreen strip. My older kit has injection molded parts for the .125 x .156" columns & window headers, and the L-shaped cornice. All the molded parts have modest 'draft angle' from the dies, so many edges will need to be squared with file or sanding tool.



I hadn't counted, but it seemed my kit had quite a few modular windows beyond the minimum required for the building in Rix's photo. Here extra modules are stacked on the masking tape & paper strips my wife made so I could airbrush them. Injection-molded cornice, corner post and window header parts are in the foreground.



I wasn't planning on an interior, but I eventually sprayed dull color on the back to reduce light transmission if I ever change my mind.

As with other modular building kits, assembled the front looks better than the back.



Concrete color is Scalecoat Aged Concrete. Window and door modules of this era were almost always aluminum. As the building is supposed to be 8-ish years old, I used Scalecoat Graphite & Oil to represent something next to a heavily traveled steam hauled RR for that time.

My wife first used MEK to assemble the modules into vertical stacks per the instructions. You could go taller by substituting longer .125" square and .125 x .156 stock; Splicing the supplied parts won't look as good or be as strong. Then I filed shallow angles on the edges to follow the curve of the site (paper template under the model). I used tube cement for these joints. Some will need putty once glue dries and I reinforce the curved shape.

Bror asked

QuoteIs this for the GE site?

Bror, this will be left (RR west) of the Bexley depot, between it and the box pony truss overpass. But I am thinking of using the leftover window modules for a background building in River Works. The aluminum extrusions definitely point to Alcoa et. al. trying to keep their wartime aircraft materials capacity busy afterward.

29-Feb-2020: I worked on what will be DigiCompuTronAMatics corporate headquarters yesterday and today. Assembly of the modules is complete, with the L-shaped fascia along the roof. I cut up the supplied black, textured styrene slabs to make the roof. I added blocks of .125" sq. and .0937" sq. stock to reinforce joints and support future floor sheets. The left two bays' windows overlap the house window, so I used Rix's printed glossy cardboard for 'glazing'. It looks OK but I'm still thinking about whether I should do a partial interior for the deeper portion.



Bill Gill suggested:

QuoteVenetian blinds can help hide empty windows where offices would be, some suggestions of interiors in other spots would look good too.

1-Mar-2020: Yes, Bill, I had thought about them. Looking around (at that time), City Classics 711 blinds should fit the 0.5" x 1" window openings. Their clear plastic could maybe be glued on the front of the Rix printed cardboard, but I have about 150 windows to do and most would be pulled all the way down in August. I might be able to get 13 usable per $8 sheet. Circus City's decals are sized for streamline car windows. Family Garden Trains has free downloads I'd have to resize for HO, but they're fully closed. That might bother me personally, as I know I'm looking at the North side of the building, but should look OK to visitors.

My next step is to get some overhead transparency film that will work with my HP color laser.

Mike Hohn commented:

QuoteThat's an impressive building, James.
All those large windows do present a problem. If you could draw blinds on your computer you could make rows in various configurations or closed and
attach them behind the windows. You'd have to cut where there are open blinds.
I'd be inclined to use a clear glass material and build simple walls for offices that can be seen into.

The NH seacoast is sunny and warming up from the 30s.  Apple tree buds have started to open here, and the American Elms are flowering.

I've got a few things to do on the computer, some model RR-related.  Then it's my choice, probably the layout.

Kanthima, my wife, is Thai. Luckily, her large family lives outside Bangkok. Also, so far reported deaths and injuries are almost all from the one building under construction that collapsed.  I'll imagine a breakfast of Thai fried chicken and mango with sticky rice.  Hot coffee and tea are ready but I usually choose one of the many kinds of fruit juice.

Good morning to the forum!  I've laid out a few brunch items on the counter and got the drinks going:  Claw Bar blend is perking, hot water for tea & hot chocolate is ready too.  Fruit & Congdon's donuts on the counter with an assortment of bagels and toppings.

The NH seacoast is high 30s, headed for low 40s under "cloudy bright" sun.  I've been enjoying the new RMC: I didn't get a lot of time to circulate at the 2025 Big E show and several new items of interest are mentioned.  I also like the big SP layout. I've ridden through the area he models quite a few times starting in 1976, and he has captured a lot of the feel.

I've been up for a while: Fresh bread, cheese, cold cuts, jam & honey on the counter. Pitcher of fresh milk, another of orange juice. Overhead Wire blend in the urn for those who like a little jolt to get going, hot water for tea and hot chocolate.  Fixings for hot breakfast are stocked for those who prefer, but the cook slept late.

The NH seacoast got down to the 20s last night and the wind's blowing. But the sun is bright and 40s are forecast later.  I started a discussion with a vendor which led to taking apart a Rapido coach with "Easy Peasy" battery lighting.  If the vendor has something that will help switch them to track power, that will be nice.  But if they don't, minor re-wiring and a rectifier/current-limiting diode setup (parts on hand) will probably do the job.

Lights on, bumped the thermostat a bit. Fruit, bagels, cereal & the fixins' on the counter, Luftwaffle batter and bacon by the griddle.  Arc Weld blend in the coffee maker, hot water urn ON, milk and juice in the fridge.

Gray and damp on the NH seacoast, forecast for all day.  I have one errand, then back to playing with my new BLI 2-8-4. Most of my time has been spent fiddling with the sound; I mostly care about the whistle/horn and bell, as I've never found a model that comes close to prototype steam & diesel sounds, particularly starting & stopping.  It was loud enough out of the box that two in a room would make conversation difficult...

No lights on and I have a little time, so I'll open today.  Bagels & lox, cream cheese and butter on the counter, a basket of the last local Cortland applies next to a bunch of bananas, urn switched on and loaded with Rail Bond blend. A carton of mixed of white & brown eggs from my flock next to the griddle (wash them before breaking, I put it off so I don't have to refrigerate them).

Sunny and warming up on the NH seacoast.  My BLI B&M T-1a 2-8-4 just arrived, the first locomotive I've bought in years.  Once I'm done with computers, I'll take it upstairs.

Repost of an RR-Line thread begun 19-Jan-2014. Potentially of interest to people building other flat-molded passenger car kits.
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Plans for a number of Reading RR steel passenger cars were published in the Nov. 1984 Model Railroader. I've got some info on the 70 foot arch roof PBn coaches and CVi combines the B&M purchased used in 1946 and 1952 here:

http://www.faracresfarm.com/jbvb/rr/bmrr/passenger.html

I built three of BCW's kits years ago, but in 2014 as I got ready for operations, I needed more commuter consists.

I'd brought this coach kit along on a trip some time back. I got the body assembled but hadn't brought references for the details.



I'd been asked to do "build models and talk to people" as part of the Hub Division setup at the Wenham (MA) Museum. The lighting in the
room was decent, so I got almost all the details applied: side and end grabs, roof ventilators and low-voltage DC train lighting conduit,
battery box and simple brake gear. It's the most common B&M configuration, with conventional vestibules, six roof vents and diaphragms (not yet applied for painting convenience).

1-Feb-2014:  The way I apply .033 brass wire for the train-lighting conduit drew interest at the B&M get-together at W. Springfield, so:



I drilled angled holes to match prototype pictures. I've had problems in the past because styrene and brass expand at different rates with temperature. This has been enough to pull glue joints loose, so I drill the roof #80 on either side and tie the conduit down with single strands from old electrical cords twisted together inside. A friend says he's finding this useful in putting brass details on a plastic steam loco boiler.



I seem to recall earlier versions of this kit having plastic steps. But these are metal, so I attached them with Walthers Goo. One kit had a step opening that was larger than the step, the other was a decent fit. Grab irons are all applied, and I need to buy a vial of quality #79 drills - I've broken 3 or 4 on these two cars where my quality #80s make dozens of holes.

When I build another (two untouched in the kit box stack) I will ream or tap the truck screw holes - I sheared one of the supplied screws off last night. I hoped to airbrush this during upcoming warm weather, so I got cracking with my left-hand-twist drills.

3-Feb-2014: I hadn't ever needed to get a broken-off screw out of styrene. I tried drilling it, but I couldn't center-punch a starting hole. So, in the spirit of "when you have a hammer, all your problems look like nails", I put the body in the milling machine vise and used a nice sharp 3/16" 4-flute end mill to remove the screw and everything around it.



Conveniently, I had a piece of 3/16" sprue around, from the color probably from another BCW kit. This photo also shows the steps Goo'ed in place. The cars were ready for paint, but I didn't get to it for a bit.

Dave1905 said:

QuoteIf the doors are closed the traps will be down so there will be a "floor" in the step well

True, Dave, but these are headed for the commuter fleet. For all the passenger cars I've built, nothing I've done yet is really contest-worthy - only a few interiors, none complete. That changed years later when I started on that AP certificate, but I doubt I'll ever go back to re-do the operating fleet.

Good morning, all. It's been sunny and warming up on the NH Seacoast all morning.  Rail Anchor blend is heating up in the urn,  tea & hot chocolate hot water also filled and switched on, fruit, cereal and a box of donuts on the counter.  Fresh eggs from my flock in a basket, in case you need something with less carbs.

My computer is telling me it's almost lunch time, but this morning I'm ignoring remote-control clocks.  When my Russian Submarine 8-day clock runs down tonight, I'll adjust both it and my watch.  The 8-day clock is the 3rd we bought when Glasnost was turning into the launch pad for the current regime ; the first two clocks died in a year, but this one is now about 30 and I've never taken the fourth we bought as a backup out of its box.

After lunch, off with the computer and up to the layout!

I'm re-posting this RR-Line thread because Kanthima has started on another house for my model Newburyport. So far, she's done 13 styrene structures for my model Newburyport, MA. That's about as many as I've done, but she insists it's my layout, she just likes to build what I ask her to.
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19-Apr-2021: My wife, Kanthima, was an architect in Thailand until the 2007-8 economic crash. Recently she put aside her painting and sewing to build a 'mass model' of a tropical house out of paper and wood. I asked her if she'd like to try some New England structures in HO for my Eastern Route layout, and she agreed. Looking over the materials, she chose to try styrene. Here are her first two, before she'd done roofs:





The left one is 38 Washington St. in Newburyport, MA. The right is 24 Winter St., next door. My own models of 28 and 34 Winter St. are to the left in the lower photo.

24 Winter (downhill) clearly started out as a center chimney colonial from before the War of 1812. I haven't found when 38 Washington was built (Newburyport's assessors are lazy, listing only rough, inaccurate dates for buildings with well known history). I think it dates from after the Eastern RR arrived in 1838, when what had been an outlying residential area got rapidly filled with dwellings and businesses. At any rate. here are recent photos:



24 Winter from the uphill side. A center chimney is visible in 1930s photos. I've asked around, the Flying Yankee bar was downstairs and the owner & family lived upstairs through about 1960. And a photo shows light-colored clapboards at that time. We didn't have room for the whole El.



38 Washington with 24 Winter behind it. 1930s photos show both dormers and bays, with two skinny chimneys suitable for cast iron wood/coal stove or coal furnace. This will be Berman's Variety or Canepa Fruit on my layout, the upstairs was also residential in the 1950s.



Here's the scene as it was 4 years ago. 38 Washington's roof not being seated is my fault. I owed her of airbrushing, whereupon the windows get installed and she or I can do the roofs. And then I make scenery around them.