No matter the experience I've always thought that sharing is important to the hobby, it's how we share ideas. I have a partner in life, my wife Debra Lee, who is most supportive of this hobby. Years ago we owned an antique store in the low country of South Carolina, it was wonderful with all sorts of beautiful things. We leased a department store and filled it up. She even allowed me to put in a hobby shop, she knew how much I loved models and trains and I sold everything from O Scale to N scale.
We also handled the Christmas villages and they sold well. One year the company decided to do something different, they develped detailed hand painted historical train stations and my wife bought me the whole set for Christmas and I didn't even know it until Christmas Day. What a gift, what a wife. So I would like to share some pictures if I may of these iconic stations.
Fond Du Lac-circa 1812-Soo Line, Swiss and Flemish design.
Perris Station Circa 1882- Sante Fe with Queen Anne shingled conical roof tower and gingerbread trim.
Ottawa nJunction Circa 1899-Santa Fe, combination of a tower and station facing the Missouri and Kansas Main Line, can be seen on Chuck Hitchcock's Argentine Line.
Another view.
Gettysburg Station-Circa 1858-Greek and Italian design, this Victorian structure is the station that President Lincoln arrived at to deliver his historic Gettysburg Address at the battlefield.
New Albany Circa 1893-B&O Railroad, wedge shaped to fit on a pie shaped property at the time.
Each of these iconic stations represent a time gone by when railroads took pride in their structures. I have seen some of these in real life and for me to have them on my railroad brings back the romance that railroads use to represent.
Each are hand crafted and hand painted and are historically correct. When my wife presented these to me she was so proud and to see them displayed today gives me a great sense of pride. What a partner in life.
Hope you enjoyed them.
Robert Sylvester
Newberry-Columbia Line, SC
Beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Dave
Nice collection Robert, I like those. I'm kinda partial to the Soo Line station, but that Gettysburg station is excellent!
Mike.
My You Tube
A nice collection and they seem to have been made with a real view towards replicating the prototype
Mike, if you like that Soo Line Fond du Lac depot, there are photos and a prototype drawing in the October 1970 issue of Model Railroader. It was built in 1882 by the original Wisconsin Central railroad, which became the Soo Line. The Soo Line exited the passenger business in the 1960s and the depot was torn down in 1968.
Dave Nelson
Thanks Dave, I will check that out.
Robert,
Those are the best ceramic buildings that I have ever seen. It's too bad that other manufacturers don't take the time to make their offerings more realistic, but I guess that to those people who love to set up their Christmas village scenes it really doesn't matter.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!