So I am modeling late 19th century with one side of the "U" being Wild West and the other side being a late 19th century Eastern U.S. generic city. Does anyone know of any manufacturers still making either Wild West type buildings or 19th century city buildings? So far, I have found and purchased a saloon and wild west post office online, but am still looking for more. Thanks SteaminScott (aka newguy)
Nice stuff here, although I have not purchased or assembled one. http://www.wildwestmodels.com/ In case you need some rolling stock http://www.geocities.com/bkempins/ASMMain/FlatCar.html
Lots of wood kits around with wild west look. As for the Victorians, many of the city kits that come from European manufacturers are designs that were similar to what appeared in the US 100 - 125 years ago. Take for instance the Pola/ Model Power building shown here: Walthers Model Railroad Mall -- product information page for 490-2608 It is already Victorian looking, but two kits can become a real downtown classic. This is based "loosely" on this building in Galveston. I am using the blank plain walls of two of the kits to build an ice plant.
wild west, great deals on Buildings, Structures, Mantua on eBay! Silver Crash Car Works 19th Available Century Freight Cars
What do you consider to be wild west? I ask this because there are big differences between 1870 and 1895. My target year is 1884 for my On3 work...and the differences between my favorite railroad in its birth year of 1874 and my year are profound both in structures and equipment. Question #1: how close will you stick to the era/location? Brick and stone buildings were typically a hallmark of "civilization" reaching a former "wild western" town. Similarly, the MDC Roundhouse cars are more appropriate for after 1900 than the 19th century. The AHM/Rivarossi/IHC "old time" stuff is actually 1:76 (OO scale) rather than HO. If you truly want to model the Wild West, I'd suggest picking the early 1870s and generally ignoring the above mentioned trains. Motive power in this era was mostly 4-4-0s and 2-6-0s. The Roundhouse 4-4-0 is way to modern for before 1900...but the moguls could be detailed to fit the 1870s as freight power. The B-man or brass 4-4-0s would be appropriate for the varnish and dual service. A mogul with a foot pilot would be good for the yards. The Alkem models linked to above show cars that could work for the early 1870s, but ought to be supplimented with cars equiped with swing beam/sprung fabricated trucks (early "archbar" trucks)...their coal jimmeys really capture the feel. BTS also offers reasonible cars. A great book for structures would be David D. Digerness's The Mineral Belt Vol 3...and the DPL's western history photos: Denver Public Library: Western History Genealogy: Digital Images Of course, there is nothing wrong with cutting a few corners in the cars, locomotives, and structures on your layout. It is just a question of how close to the period would you like to adhere. Michael
Another book that is really worth checking out would be Railroads of Nevada & Eastern California by Myrick. There are 4 volumes, vol 1 is probably the best. While not all of the pictures are of the wild west, it still covers the period nicely. Relevant Contents: -The CP/SP -The V&T...classic Wild West -The Carson & Colorado...3' gauge offspring of the V&T -The Eureka & Palisades (same railroad as the famed 4-4-0) -The Nevada Central -The Tonopah & Goldfield (about the most modern wild west railroad to have been built...around 1900) If you can get it on a inter-library loan, it would be very helpful to you. Michael
It's been quite a while now since the Kibri Wild West buildings have been made. They were excellent buildings for a western town in the 1860's to 1880's. The Kibri kits made a whole town . Maybe a search on some of the shopping sites will turn up some. Might check swapmeets too.
Scott - Just saw your post regarding Wild West scenery. Coincidentally I put eight hard-to-find buildings from that Kibri western town series on ebay today. Here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-Vintage-Wi...ains?hash=item4ceb055195&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 Let me know if you have any questions. -- Tom
