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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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 Posted - 03/28/2021 : 7:04:33 PM
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I started off my build thread for Kate's Kitchen back in January by stating "There is often a story".
That is true for this build as well. This story starts back in September 2004 when I picked up a stack of George's early kits.
Here is the subject of this build.
Now, back to the story. Back in 2004 I was still working as Superintendent of Schools in Ramsey, NJ. There were two retail establishments that I visited in Ramsey every week - one for each of my major hobbies. Hi-Way Hobby was a well established hobby shop with a long history of carrying model railroading equipment/supplies. I stopped in every Friday. The other establishment was Ramsey Outdoors.
The sales people in the train department of Hi-Way Hobby knew me well. They also knew my particular interests in the hobby.
Hi-Way hobby had a flood in their storage area decades before I started going there. They took any water damaged boxes of kits, dried them out, and put them on a shelf where they were forgotten. In 2004, they started bringing them up a little at a time. All the boxes were marked with red "X's" On this particular Friday, the salesman saw me and said "I think I have something you would be interested in". There on the shelf was this stack. I bought them all.
The total cost was $45.58 including tax.
You will note that there were two boxes of Kit #35. I bought them both and gifted Mike Chambers with one of them.
I will now start building the other. Wow, over 16 years have gone by.
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| Bruce |
Country: USA
| Posts: 33521 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 7:11:37 PM
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From what I have read, George made 3000 kits for this engine house back in 1968.
Kits that were actually assembled back they were probably built as designed. (The kit was a tribute to George Allen.)
However, those modelers building the kit today often use more modern techniques and switch out some parts with items currently available.
That was the case with Mike C's build. Here is a link to his build thread that he started in June 2007. The last post in that thread was in 2009. Although Mike had made wonderful progress on the kit, he never got to finish it up.
However, he certainly 'made the kit his own' as was his normal practice.
Here is a link to his thread and one 'teaser photo'.
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17259&whichpage=1&SearchTerms=Kit,35
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| Bruce |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 33521 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 7:21:22 PM
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The only other kit from that stack that I've built is the signal tower.
I built it pretty much as designed, except I put a slate roof on it and detailed the interior.
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| Bruce |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 33521 |
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Rick
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 7:32:22 PM
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Bruce, 6 FSM kits for $45 is a steal.
I guess they weren't too damaged by the flood.
Nice job on the tower. 
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Country: USA
| Posts: 24512 |
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Ensign
Engineer
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 9:19:24 PM
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Bruce, you certainly lucked out getting all of those kits for that price!
Wonderful that you shared one of them with Mike as well!
I'm always amazed at how long some of us have owned a kit, before we finally decide it's now time to build it.
The car shop I'm currently building, I bought new in 2001 twenty years ago!
So I'm glad to see that you are finally getting to this classic kit, NOW!
I'll be glad to watch your fun with it!
Greg
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Edited by - Ensign on 03/28/2021 9:20:15 PM |
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Country: Canada
| Posts: 9157 |
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Glen Haasdyk
Fireman
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 9:45:31 PM
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Wow, 45$ for all that treasure. The car shop and engine house were on my wish list, as well as the pile driver.
I'm looking forward to watching the build on this one Bruce
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Country: Canada
| Posts: 2535 |
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TRAINS1941
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 10:28:51 PM
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Bruce your really out doing yourself with all these new builds.
I'll be following along nice choice!
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Jerry
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." A. Lincoln |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 13384 |
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jbvb
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 10:37:44 PM
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Glancing at Mike C's thread reminded me of Don Reed, too. RIP.
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James
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Country: USA
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k9wrangler
Engineer
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 10:47:35 PM
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Diamonds in the rough. Look forward to seeing your progress.
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Mega Dittos
Karl Scribner
Manistique, Michigan |
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Country: USA
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 11:14:38 PM
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Thanks for the comments, guys.
Rick, on most of the water damaged kits that I picked up that year, the only damage was to the box. On Blue Box Car Kits, the car weights and coupler box covers were always rusted. But for the most part, everything could be made usable.
James, to your point, I often comment to Bonnie when reading through an old thread about the number of respondents who have passed. Besides Mike and Don, I often see posts by Terry (Teejay), Frederic, Elliott, Chester, Wolfgang, Shamus, and many, many more.
Jerry, to your point, it is when I think about those who have passed, and see a kit that has been on the shelf for 16 years, that I ask myself if I really believe that I can put off the build for another 16 years? I have to get moving. Last year I build the coaling facility from a FSM kit and scratch built a water tank. This year I got the sanding facility done. I will build an ashpit in place on the layout. That left an engine house to finish the scene. Onward.
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| Bruce |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 33521 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/28/2021 : 11:41:25 PM
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Here are some pictures of the engine house as built by other modelers. The last four pictures are from here on the Forum, and the first two I took on layout visits.
Glenn Nilsen model. Built as designed. Skylights installed, pebbles glued to lower wall, painted walls.
Dwight Smith Model. Metal roof installed. Pebbles glued to lower walls, painted walls.
Model by Håkan. Replacement foundation. Nicely painted, skylights installed.
Model by Micahel Graff. Painted, skylights, slightly different foundation.
Model by Jack Bergan. Aged wood look. Skylights, pebble foundation. Addition added.
Model by Gene Thommen. Well maintained engine house. Different foundation, skylights.
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| Bruce |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 33521 |
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Bill Gill
Fireman
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Posted - 03/29/2021 : 07:43:20 AM
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Bruce, a wonderful story and quite a neat collection of photos! Thanks for posting them all.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 3290 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/29/2021 : 08:20:13 AM
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Bill, we have some very talented modelers posting their work here. I love to get ideas of what others have done with the kit before starting.
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| Bruce |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 33521 |
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resqrk
Engine Wiper
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Posted - 03/29/2021 : 08:34:06 AM
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I have one of these as well that I'm itching to start. Can't wait to see how this thread goes.
Rick
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Country: USA
| Posts: 182 |
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George D
Moderator
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/29/2021 : 08:50:18 AM
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Looks like a challenging build, Bruce. I'm following.
George
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| Fly Army |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 16942 |
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Pennman
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 03/29/2021 : 09:14:04 AM
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Bruce,
Thanks for the story as well as the pictures of the other modelers you have shown. I will be looking forward to see what you come up with regarding your build.
Rich
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Country: USA
| Posts: 4730 |
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