It can be a kit or ready made, or scratch built. What is the one you are most proud of? This is mine. The drug store. It's an old Berkshire Valley kit with full detail inside. Not made anymore but would wish the new company would release it again. Click to enlarge. Don
Replies sorted oldest to newest
This is a really hard question. I've customized a number of off the shelf buildings to varying degrees to represent things close to me - my layout has become in a sense, a reminder of the many people and places that have shaped my life. This building encompasses a bunch of those, and so it probably is my favorite. I realize its a Woodland Scenics stock building and all I did was change some signs and add some paint, but this one means a lot. You don't get the building without the stories though:
I'm very proudly from Canton, Ohio. Haven't live there since I was 18 years old, and I'm 38 now. But it will forever be *Home*. The ice cream shop is "Heggy's" which represents "Heggy's Candy and Nuts". It's a local joint known for candy, fresh roasted nuts, and a small restaurant. I worked there in high school, in fact, at one point my entire immediate family worked there. I loved making ice cream cones, and sundaes, it was a fun job and some great people. I custom mixed some green paint, because the real building had a very unique shade of green. The picture doesn't capture it well, but its kind of a funky color - probably in the realm of jade green, but yet still different. There is also a Coke sign on the bottom of the front door, just like there used to be on the actual location. (It might still be there, but I think they moved it inside)
On this side of the building we have Mom's Barber Shop. My mom is a super talented lady. She maintained her license to cut hair long after she left the profession of being a beautician. Also, she was the only person to ever cut my hair until I was 19! She always kept me looking good.
On the top floor is the "Imperial Pool Hall". So, Canton at one time had a ridiculous number of bowling alleys. Many had pool tables, and in high school, my friends and I would go play pool at them. Most of my family bowls, and "Imperial" was one of those many bowling alleys.
I'm not a beer drinker, so a beer sign advertiser didn't resonate with me. That said, Royal Crown cola did. I grew up in a "Coke" family, but when I went to Grandma's house there were always bottles and later cans of RC in the fridge. Its a fond memory of Grandma's house, and I still enjoy an RC every now and then.
That was alot of words...sorry, probably cheesy for some, but my layout has become a place to keep memories alive, which makes me enjoy it all the more. Thanks to anyone who read through all that...
Attachments
Oh, boy...which one? Like you l bash a lot of them, and have scratch built a number of them. I am working on a mining town store/P.O. from a kit now. My favorites are grain elevators, followed by stamp mills, and then small, rustic gas stations. There seem to be a lot of kits for those, but my favorite of those is a scratch built Skelly station.
AlbertsTrains - beautiful!! --- any model info on the locomotive?
Don, not only do you bring a wet street to life you even have the reflection of the cars headlights shining off that street. Amazing!
Attachments
BTS kits. Cabin Creek Coal Tipple. Elliott and Sons Supply.
Great topic, Don.
I feel the same way as NKP4ME. Some of the structures on my layout reflect my various interests, things I like, etc.
My Yankee Stadium:
"Common baby light my fire!" Whiskey a Go go in LA, where Jim Morrison and The Doors got started:
Victorian home that looks just like the home where my wife lived with her parents and 3 brothers in the Lansingberg section of Troy, NY:
Arnold
Attachments
From my hometown of Hazleton, Pa. and built by ANDRE GARCIA "the Elbow Room".
Hello Rick!
The locomotive is an MTH Premier Royal Hudson that I had recently repainted
Al
albertstrains posted:Hello Rick!
The locomotive is an MTH Premier Royal Hudson that I had recently repainted
Al
Thanks, looks great!
Another favorite, Rico Station, decorated by ad showing my daughter, Maria Cribari, starring in the musical, Annie, and another ad for Pinehurst golf resort, where my father loved to play golf in NC:
Although my daughter was never in Annie, she can really sing. If you want to hear her, go on U Tube, plug in my name, and click on my video/song: Earthrise. I am very proud of her and she thinks the trains are cool. Arnold
Attachments
My brother-in-law has made me four buildings for my layout. This is our favorite. It is the Tippy's Taco from College Park, MD. When my wife was pregnant with our first child, she would get a craving for Tippy's tacos.
So, he made us a Tippy's house. My wife (pregnant) is out front at a table. I am inside ordering. You can see me just behind the catus on the left.
Attachments
Nice structures guys. I have it narrowed down to three:
This is my first major scratch-build, over 30 years ago. It's from the old attic layout, so it holds a lot of sentimental value.
The Lionel Irvington factory is much too big, so I made this one. I need to get around to improving the interior one of these days.
This Lionel Luxury Diner has great detail, window decals, and lighting. IMO, one of their most attractive pieces, and it fits nicely into a short corner on the overhead layout.
Jerry
Attachments
Thank you CoachJoe, I do very long (45 to 110 sec.) exposures, then "paint" the shot with small flashlights. Slowly moving them around. That's how the headlights on the street and any dark areas of the shot can be brought up a bit. The trick is to not over do it. Also I have my camera hocked up to a monitor so I can check the shot. It takes sometimes dozens of tries. As for the street I just use a wide paint brush and brush on water. On a warm day it dries fast so no harm is done. Like others I like to personalize my buildings. Example on the right of this shot is "Peter's Pretty Good Hamburgers". "You can't keep our burgers down". Peter is my wife's cousin and is a chief. My wife and he are Greek, that's why the Greek flag and blue and white building. A 16x9 print of this shot hangs in his home. He loved it. Don
Attachments
Attachments
I finished this hotel project today. My favorite is my power plant. Added strobe lights to the smokestacks.