Walthers structures... show & tell

Calzephyr Jul 3, 2009

  1. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    A couple of months ago we had a thread which wasn't very complimentary of Walthers; and to be fair we should try to show some of the virtues of having Walthers kits. So I though it would be good to start a Show & Tell about Walthers kits you've built... either straight as the instructions indicate (hmmm... no joking) or kitbashes of one or more kits.

    Post a few pictures of your kit(s) and tell us about how it interacts on your layout with the trains. Perhaps we can get some good ideas or simply get the rest of us inspired to build kits we have.
     
  2. Dave Vollmer

    Dave Vollmer TrainBoard Member

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    This shot is ALL kitbashed or painted Walthers structures, minus a Hay Bros Quonset hut...

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    My depot is also a modified Walthers Pella depot:

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    Then there's the ubiquitous Merchant's Row:

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    I love Walthers structure kits. My layout would be all wilderness without them!
     
  3. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    I have on my layout a region I call “Walthers’ Business Park” and it is easy to see why.

    There are 7 Walthers kits and that’s not counting the water tower.
    Sadly I don’t have a photo of this area as my attempts to shoot a wide angle view have met with limited success, read none.

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    Here’s a pic of another switching area where there is only three Walthers kits included.
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    Then there are three of these scattered throughout the town of “Petrolia”
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  4. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Much as I have maligned Walthers over the years... they have done almost 100 different N scale kits or ready built structures. I counted 93 items on their website and that doesn't include the individual modular pieces they market. As Dave Vollmer mentioned... many of us mignt have modeled more wilderness without their kits.

    BTW... Nice pictures of the kits guys!

    I posted a thread on the Atlas Forum about the Blast Furnace and other ancilliary buildings Walthers has done because I was considering getting them for my upcoming B'day. Atlas Model Railroad Co. - Please show us photos of your Walthers Steel Mill.

    I've sort-of lost interest in persuing the Steel Mill set because the kits are expensive and the enormous amount of space they would occupy. However... If you have any shots of those buildings and haven't posted them on the Atlas Forum yet... lets see what you did! I'm particularly interested now in the Rolling Mill... because it could be used for many things all on its own.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 5, 2009
  5. NYW&B

    NYW&B Guest

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    Well, where do I start? About 1/2 of the urban scene on my layout consists of kitbashed Walthers' buildings. I consider them a treasure trove of basic parts and wall sections.

    Here's my downtown station, created from a Bailey Savings & Loan.
    [​IMG]

    Next, my A&P regional warehouse, kitbashed from their R.J.Frost ice company kit.
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    Here we have two more structures. The concrete-colored building was originally Walthers' flour mill, while the gray building to its left started life as a Vulcan Mfg kit. In the background, right, the two tall buildings are further examples.
    [​IMG]

    I could fill three pages or more with these modified buildings, but I think you get the idea.

    NYW&B
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 4, 2009
  6. bigford

    bigford TrainBoard Member

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    i just started working on the N scale furnace. i won it on the bay for $50.00
    along with the rolling mill. the kit is from 2004 or at least that is what the
    little round sticker said... here she is

    [​IMG]

    all the joints NEED FILLER the blast house floor is warped and my 3 stoves
    are egg shaped instead of round!!:thumbs_up:
     
  7. pachyderm217

    pachyderm217 TrainBoard Member

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    Walthers kitbash structures

    Here are a few N scale Walthers kits I've used.

    This coal tipple uses parts from Glacier Gravel and New River Mining along with some Plastruct shapes.

    [​IMG]

    I really liked the quality of the Glacier Gravel kit. The corrugated steel siding lap effects made the weathering really easy.

    This coal washer plant also uses parts from Glacier Gravel and New River Mining. The brick power house is made with Walthers modular parts.

    [​IMG]

    I appreciate the masonry detail on this State Line Farm Supply building.

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    This bulk oil dealer kit was my first Walthers kit. I'm really pleased with this scene.

    [​IMG]

    Overall, I'm very pleased with the detail and quality of the Walthers kits. I don't expect every joint to fit perfectly right out of the box, so every glued edge gets sanded to improve the fit. That simple rule of thumb has made these kits a real pleasure to use.
     
  8. gregamer

    gregamer TrainBoard Supporter

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    [​IMG]
    One I've built (Art Deco Underpass background); one I've bought (Dayton Machine Shop forground)
    .
    I like them and have more than a dozen other kits and built-ups waiting for a home.
     
  9. DaveD

    DaveD TrainBoard Member

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    If you're really interested in steel, you don't have to use all those. You could always just do a warehouse portion, or maybe mini mill portion, or something like that. Just showing one small section would probably be more realistic anyway. Mini mill with a bottle train run to another mill you don't see... That's realistic.


    Dave
    The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Ry. Archive & Email List
    Elgin, Joliet Eastern Railway Archive
     
  10. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Hey really nice work! Based on the names of some of the kits, I'm guessing that these are HO structures you've mentioned. Just the same... many of the HO building were also made for N scale as well... so almost any HO kitbash could be recreated in N scale. Your RJ Frost kit was made a background flat which extends it some and makes it more believable in either scale. I don't think HO has the Union Station building we have in N scale ... threefore the kitbash of the bank building was an excellent choice.
     
  11. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Very orignal!

    That is a very original idea... it sets that mine apart from all the others. Good job. A very creative kitbash of those two kits. You're obviously good at seeing possibilities of joining kits together to create totally different buildings. :thumbs_up:


    Yep... I really liked the different look of the masonry on this building too!


    Where there are tanks... there are tank cars (usually) and those are some of my favorite rolling stock to have industries for. That kit together with the propane gas dealer are two of my favorite tank car industries.

    The imperfections are something that irked me because the kits are not cheap... so I guess my expectations were that they should 'come together effortlessly'. As some have mentioned before... handling these issues is what puts the 'modeling' in model railroading.
     
  12. SleeperN06

    SleeperN06 TrainBoard Member

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    I have both the Glacier Gravel and New River Mining kit unassembled and find it fascinating how you put it all together. Bravo, well done. :thumbs_up:
    I also have the Bulk Oil Dealer Kit and also unassembled, but I’m a little more motivated after seeing yours. :tb-biggrin:
     
  13. eric220

    eric220 TrainBoard Member

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    Where to begin... My layout was looking for a long time like a Walthers showroom. (Not that I mean that in reference to my modeling skill.)

    This is my biggest Walthers building, a 27-stall, 3/4 round roundhouse. The roof is not lined up very well in this shot because it was in temporary storage at the time. In this shot you can also see a couple of built-ups and kits that comprise the refueling facility. In the background is a facade of the Erecting and Machine Shop, made of several Car Shop kits.
    [​IMG]

    I also have two double-length Car Shops in their intended configuration, along with the Machine Shop (my first kit).
    [​IMG]

    I've build several of the industries, including Pattington Printing (Geo. B Roberts) and Mom's Hardware (American Hardware Supply). This shot also shows my test plant (another machine shop) and the Master Mechanics Building, which is made of Modulars.
    [​IMG]

    Finally, here are one of my Car Shops and Union Station (along with an Atlas interloper) waiting to be placed on the layout.
    [​IMG]
     
  14. river_eagle

    river_eagle TrainBoard Member

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    Santa Fe Depot and freight house.
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  15. CSXDixieLine

    CSXDixieLine Passed Away January 27, 2013 In Memoriam

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    I don't have any photos to share--yet!--but I have several Walthers kits waiting to be placed on the layout. However, I can share this interesting story... Last week I went railfanning along the CSX between Atlanta and Greenwood, SC. Just east of Athens, GA, a brand new feed mill is being constructed. All of the structures are up but still need a lot of work to be finished. When I first saw it, I could not believe how much it looks like the old Walthers Medusa Cement kit. The silos and unloading shed are almost exact matches. In fact, it was kind of strange looking at this full scale structure towering over me that looks so much like the Walthers kit. When you throw in the under constrcution siding on the premises, it really did feel like I was standing in a gigantic model railroad. When I go back, I'll get some pics to make sure the construction company trimmed away all of the flash correctly. :) Jamie
     
  16. upguy

    upguy TrainBoard Member

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    I used the New River Mining kit to become the major portion of my cement plant. The Walthers flood loader was used as the loading facility, and the Glacier Gravel kit was used as a belt house for my conveyor system until I could scratch build its replacement.
     

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    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 5, 2009
  17. pachyderm217

    pachyderm217 TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for your kind words, folks. Here a few more photos of those projects that might provide kitbashing ideas you can use.

    [​IMG]

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  18. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    [​IMG]

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    Here are a couple of overview photos of “Walthers’ Business Park”.

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    A close-up of two businesses in “WBP”. Note the HO scale water tower (With the Flying Eagle) in the background. With all the big buildings in this area I felt the N-Scale version of this kit was too small.

    The owner of the printing co. decided to branch out and leased his upper story to a local AM radio station.
     
  19. Tad

    Tad TrainBoard Supporter

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    Very nice, Eldon. I can see why you went with the HO version of the water tower with all of those tall buildings. It looks just right in your setting.
     
  20. Flash Blackman

    Flash Blackman TrainBoard Member

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    This is a kitbash of the Medusa Cement N scale kit (Inland Cement Co.?). The eight (16) silos are two kits and the other two solos on the right are PVC. The Medusa Cement model has been around a long time.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 7, 2009

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