Fire escapes

[bsteel4065]

I'm modeling a built up city area in HO (late 50's - East coast). Anyone have any idea of where I can acquire HO fire escapes, window grids and bars? Also, trash cans, supermarket carts, manhole covers and general city stuff? Thanks.[:)]

[Anonymous]

Look through a Walthers Catalog in the detiling part, there are many companys that make different detail parts,

[Jetrock]

I highly recommend getting a copy of BUILDING CITY SCENERY FOR YOUR MODEL RAILROAD, which includes listings for exactly that sort of thing--they recommend a brass fire-escape kit made by Model Memories. There is also a plastic fire-escape kit around, but I can't find the manufacturer, unfortunately--it is cheaper than the brass but not nearly as detailed, would be OK for a background building with the brass used closest to the front of the layout..

Model Masterpieces, Campbell and IHC all make window air conditioners--appropriate for Forties or Fifties buildings before the widespead use of central AC. Model Memories also does brass skylights

There are also brass photo-etched manhole covers, grates and other street details out there--check the detail parts section of your LHS or the superdetailing section of the Walthers catalog. Many companies make trash cans--not sure about supermarket carts, I imagine someone does but they'd be a pain to build in HO!

By "window grids and bars" do you mean the actual window mullions, or metal bars over the windows used to keep intruders out? The latter weren't that common until the ugly decline of many cities in the Sixties and Seventies.

[Anonymous]

You might try Gold Medal Models etched brass kits as well. I know they make these items in N scale and I believe they do in HO as well.

[CBQ_Guy]

There is a group on Yahoo! you may be interested in for urban modeling on a layout, called urbanmodelers_SIG, the group's home page is at <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/urbanmodelers_SIG/?yguid=154581698>