A Model Train Station from the 1910’s [Archive]

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alphaGT

20-07-2019, 22:22

Ian was showing off his motorcycle models, and got me nostalgic about some model railroading I did when I was laid up. My railroad was N scale, which is rather small really, but I had a friend in Florida who’s railroad was HO, (I think in England it’s sometimes called OO?)

I was a member of a chat group on Yahoo for Digitrax, a digital system for operating model railroads, super technical stuff! I got into model railroading because of the computer operation, I liked the technical aspect. But, once I was into it, I discovered I loved the modeling the most! Scenery and landscaping, buildings and period objects, weathering, etc. and the photography of said models. Seeing other’s work in magazines spurred me on.

Through this group I made a friend down in Florida, an elderly man in his late 80’s, nearly blind, he picked me out of the crowd to ask for help on his railroad, he was having trouble getting the digital stuff to work. I was more than happy to help, and we became good friends, at a distance. He was very kind, and even sent me his expensive camcorder so I could take movies of my railroad to send him. So I decided I would build him a model for his railroad! He could simply cut a square hole, and drop this model train station right next to his track. Well, I bit off more than I could chew.

He lived in Florida, his wife had severe Alzheimer’s and her doctors were in Florida, but he came from California, and talked about it all the time. So I chose a train station from the California desert. Capistrano in San Juan. I found an old model, maybe the last one on earth! What they call a “Craftsman”, model, of this train station in HO. I got it fairly cheap, and when I opened the box, I was a bit overwhelmed. There was nothing in the box, but thick cardboard and wooden sticks and blocks! And detailed drawings. I had to draw the walls on the cardboard, spray them with shellac to make them hard, and all the trim was hand made from individual tiny sticks of wood, the bell tower was carved from a solid block of wood. I sourced other parts from eBay and elsewhere like the floor and roof, lights and all the people and scenery. I worked on it for a while, and then put it away, the talent needed was over my head. As I worked on my own layout, I developed better modeling skills.

Then one day he told me he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was not going to do the chemo, he would accept his fate, at the age of 89. So! I got to working on this model! I estimate I’ve got 800 to 1000 hours involved! I made a custom crate for it, and shipped it off to Florida, and he was able to enjoy it for 3 weeks before he passed. His nurse told me later that she had to keep it setting where he could see it at all times. I figured I’d never see the model again, but the nurse and her husband were nice enough to box it back up and return it to me. It got a little banged up on the return trip, and it still needs repair. But all these pictures were taken before it left. My sister painted the sky on the backdrop for these photos.

A few years after this happened, I had an operation that saved my life, and got me back on my feet, and I’ve gotten back into playing music with the boys, and riding motorcycles, etc. but I’ve still got all my Model train stuff stashed away, for the day I get too old to rock and roll, or ride. A hobby that goes very well with stereo actually! I played a lot of music while working on all these things.

These are photos of the actual train station in San Juan, it’s still there but looks completely different now. These pictures were taken back in the 1910’s I do believe.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190720/dd07bdd0f4805559ab9c6d83e6dbd395.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190720/44f36b16d188e9e3cd7570528afc0d9b.jpg

So I took a few liberties, I didn’t include the fence, but I did make a Jonny house like the one in the photo

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190720/1a4ed95a34021c3c697aa9159714c9a4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190720/dabdc05b8d9bdbaaaa38d1906e74ea27.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190720/695deeb4a12f7de5c3745402ac16d2b3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190720/096177caa98f176b9fe11c9299b88ee4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190720/be2cd903eb91a7211f664ebcb71f2650.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190720/807473f7b56642534a20a75741d61b27.jpg

I’ve got a ton more pictures! But I’ll add them in another post if needed.

Russell

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AJSki2fly

21-07-2019, 05:49

Lovely model and great thing to do Russell, I’m sure your friend got great pleasure from it.

alphaGT

21-07-2019, 05:57

Lovely model and great thing to do Russell, I’m sure your friend got great pleasure from it.

It’s a sad story, but I did enjoy building it. My Mom wants me to get it back to finished, and put a nice trim around the base, and put it on display. I’m wondering how much I could sell it for?!

Russell

alphaGT

21-07-2019, 06:10

A few more detailed pics....

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190721/c9aa677a301836f9ed91e5a9e0fb7b96.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190721/a970d3c0f617b6c0f74c5a42864f2367.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190721/abc3feceda59dfccf7aa8821142a9a95.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190721/973e56ed4c995e1906a6c1560a6ee75e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190721/58c54d70d13c8472f408b988d81e8336.jpg

Russell

JohnJo

21-07-2019, 07:22

Very cool model and a nice story Russel. Thanks for sharing.

Macca

21-07-2019, 11:55

It's amazing.

alphaGT

21-07-2019, 18:48

Thanks guys,

The roof is held on by magnets, so one could look inside or move the furniture, it’s finished on the inside too. As I was laid up at the time, I told my folks I needed red sand, and they drove all over looking for it, and found some near a lake not too far away. The glass insulators on the poles are actually quilt pins, I chucked them up in a drill and shaped them with a file, and painted them the appropriate green. I made the Johnny house from scratch, all the junk laying around is made from soft metal, and the fence is made from drywall tape. You can’t see it but the doors have tiny knobs and hinges, and the train signal out front actually works, from a wire that hangs out the bottom. The lights are not LED, but actual incandescent bulbs, called, “Grain of Rice”, bulbs. The electric wires are elastic strings, so if you get your hand caught it’ll stretch rather than break. Telephone poles are Kabob sticks, just too many details to remember!

Russell

Discopants

21-07-2019, 18:59

I like looking at stuff like this but I don’t have the patience to do something like this.

Looks great Russel.

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Macca

21-07-2019, 19:19

I especially like the way you have done all the bushes, plants and grass. They look real.

Alex_UK

21-07-2019, 20:45

Great story, great model! Great stuff Russell, you should be very proud.

Ian7633

21-07-2019, 22:51

hifi_dave

22-07-2019, 15:50

Fabulous. Well done.

I'm in awe. I wouldn't even know where to begin..:scratch:

alphaGT

22-07-2019, 16:41

I'm a bit stuck for words Russ, what was already a stunningly good model has been elevated to a very special piece of art with the story of your friend from Florida. Purely from a modelling perspective it really is beautiful work, the detail is so good that I feel I could wander around in it. I can imagine a hot breeze blowing through while sitting waiting for a train. The work on all the buildings is outstanding, I can certainly understand the huge amount of hours you put into it. Credit too to your sister, the backdrop adds to the feeling of space and air, gorgeous.

What an amazing thing to do for your friend in Florida and so wonderful that he got to enjoy it in his final weeks. I have a friend who after two ten hour long operations to remove brain tumours has also decided to opt for palliative treatment only should the tumours return again. I think it's a very brave thing to do and I admire anyone who makes the decision and enjoys what time they have left.

Excellent work and a very special story Russ. Keep banging out the choons too, as a "resting" musician myself I certainly know where you're coming from. I've still got a couple of basses and a Strat so maybe one day I'll get my feet wet again.

Thanks Ian! Dave and the Martin’s.

My friend in Florida was named Dave. He was the choir director for a big church! A deeply religious man. Shortly before he passed, I half jokingly asked him to put in a good word for me when he got to Heaven! It was a year later that I had my life saving surgery, maybe he did put that word in for me?

It took a few years to develop the skills to make it. According to those in the modeling hobby, they said it looked like the work of someone with 20+ years experience. But I’ve always been a quick study. I bought the grasses and shrubs and cacti from a company called: https://www.scenicexpress.com There are people who do this stuff for money! They make models and sell them, and do commissioned jobs, if someone wants something specific. I saw an O scale water tower for $4,000! (O scale is Big) if I had to pay myself minimum wage, I’d have to ask $7,000 for the train station! But I doubt anyone would pay that.

And I also wonder if I had built this for myself, rather than someone else, it may not have turned out as well. Wanting to do something extra nice for my friend drove me to do more, and do better.

But I had a flash of an idea last night! It’s a model of the actual train station, which is still operational in Southern California, I wonder if they would want to buy it? They may want to put it on display in the historic train station? And they may be more likely to pay more for it! I’d really hate to part with it, but as they say, every man has his price. I suppose $2500 could persuade me to pass it along? And it would always be on public display with my name on it! And that money could buy some real STEREO! I’ll always have the photographs.

Russell

Discopants

22-07-2019, 17:06

Thanks Ian! Dave and the Martin’s.

My friend in Florida was named Dave. He was the choir director for a big church! A deeply religious man. Shortly before he passed, I half jokingly asked him to put in a good word for me when he got to Heaven! It was a year later that I had my life saving surgery, maybe he did put that word in for me?

It took a few years to develop the skills to make it. According to those in the modeling hobby, they said it looked like the work of someone with 20+ years experience. But I’ve always been a quick study. I bought the grasses and shrubs and cacti from a company called: https://www.scenicexpress.com There are people who do this stuff for money! They make models and sell them, and do commissioned jobs, if someone wants something specific. I saw an O scale water tower for $4,000! (O scale is Big) if I had to pay myself minimum wage, I’d have to ask $7,000 for the train station! But I doubt anyone would pay that.

And I also wonder if I had built this for myself, rather than someone else, it may not have turned out as well. Wanting to do something extra nice for my friend drove me to do more, and do better.

But I had a flash of an idea last night! It’s a model of the actual train station, which is still operational in Southern California, I wonder if they would want to buy it? They may want to put it on display in the historic train station? And they may be more likely to pay more for it! I’d really hate to part with it, but as they say, every man has his price. I suppose $2500 could persuade me to pass it along? And it would always be on public display with my name on it! And that money could buy some real STEREO! I’ll always have the photographs.

Russell

Things like this are invariably always a labour of love , however saying that...The best value is always going to be in a link like this to the place itself, or to a model train enthusiast or railway employee who is or was local to the real place.

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