Hi group,
I know there are tons of HO scale station kits out there, but does anyone know of a kit that looks like the Huntsville, Ontario station. It doesn't have to be exact, but it does have to have brick walls.
Thanks
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi, Dave
The first one that came to mind when I saw your photo was the Walthers City Station:
Wausau_WI by Edmund, on Flickr
Based on the Wausau, Wisconsin, Milwaukee Road depot.
https://www.walthers.com/city-station-kit-17-5-8-x-5-7-8-x-4-3-8-quot-44-8-x-14-9-x-11-1cm
City Station has the open "Porte Cochere" area that is similar to your photo.
Another possibility is the Pella depot:
https://www.walthers.com/pella-depot-kit-12-x-5-x-3-1-2-quot-30-x-12-7-x-8-8cm
Slightly smaller but selective compression would be a given in our model world. I bought one when they were first available as a ready-made model. The brick work is outstanding on this model.
Hope that helps, Ed
Hi guys:
Mel -
RR_MelLooks like a neat scratch build
I'm seriously looking at doing that. I have to scratch build a model of the Allandale station too. The Huntsville station would be a lot easier to do than the Allandale station:
https://www.barrie.ca/Living/projects/Pages/AllandaleTrainStation.aspx
Ed - Thanks again! You have provided answers for almost all of my club layout related questions. We'll have to make you an honourary member of the club!
The Walther's station is a bit big for the space we have. The Pola kit is the right size. The advantage to using a kit is that somebody else can build it. I already have a ton of structures that I'm scratch building or have built for the club. I've also got several feet of bridge kits to assemble.
hon30critterWe'll have to make you an honourary member of the club!
...and an honour it would be .
hon30critterThe Walther's station is a bit big for the space we have.
Yes, but it does seem to have most of the architectural elements of your Huntsville station. A Zona saw can make big depots fit a smaller space
Huntsville_ON by Edmund, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
gmpullmanYes, but it does seem to have most of the architectural elements of your Huntsville station. A Zona saw can make big depots fit a smaller space
I had thought about a kitbash. It would be a lot easier than scratchbuilding.
Thanks for the great picture of the station!
gmpullman Hi, Dave The first one that came to mind when I saw your photo was the Walthers City Station:
Here is a link to a website that shows some head on views of the station.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Huntsville,+Ontario+train+station&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS746US746&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJzam1s6HeAhVl2oMKHdQvC24Q_AUIECgD&biw=1396&bih=686#imgrc=tIH9zd9DdXbieM:
When you click on the link, give it a second for a series of photos to come up.
Rich
Alton Junction
I agree with Ed and Rich: the Walthers City Station is a good starting point, and I don't think that it would be too diffficult to shorten the porte cochere and/or the baggage/express wing.
I used the same kit for my Mount Forest station (no resemblance at all to the real one), but closed-in the porte cochere and made it into a post office...
Since the town is the northern terminus of the Grand Valley, I wanted something fairly substantial looking, but not overwhelming.
Wayne
Hi Rich,
Thanks for the great pictures of the Huntsville station!
Wayne,
Nice job on the station.
Your picture proves that the kit is way too big for the space we have. In fact we will have to reduce the scale footprint of the Huntsville station anyhow.
I have been contemplating a kitbash, but the walls that stick up through the roof appear to break the roof up so that getting the proper profile for Huntsville would require a lot of cutting and filling. There is also a slight pitch change in the Huntsville station roof about 1/3rd the way up. I think that is a subtle but important detail. Adding that to the Walthers roof would be a lot of additional work. Scratch build it will be! That's OK, I haven't done one for a while, and it will be a nice warm-up for the Allandale station.
Dave, if you need something small, you could always do the Atlas station.
https://www.walthers.com/passenger-station-kit-4-1-8-x-9-quot-10-3-x-22-5cm
richhotrainDave, if you need something small, you could always do the Atlas station.
Actually I already have one that is built and detailed, including an interior and lighting. I just have to finish painting and lighting the passenger shelters.
My problem with the Atlas station is that there are a gazillion of them out there! "Oh, there's the Atlas station again...and again...and again..." I'm sure you get the picture. We (I) want something that is a bit different.
If you are seeking kitbash fodder for a brick station, don't forget the old ConCor kit for the NMRA headquarters, which was made to look like a faux station. Still seen at swap meets.
Dave Nelson
Thanks Dave. I'll see if I can find a picture of the kit.
Edit: Here is the kit:
https://picclick.ca/1-87-Ho-Scale-Heljan-Con-Cor-Nmra-Headquarters-Building-272445491665.html#&gid=1&pid=1
Dave, how much space do ypu have for the station?
richhotrainDave, how much space do ypu have for the station?
I will have to go back and measure again. The track didn't get placed exactly where my plan showed. My original plan was for a space about 8" x 22", but that included the parking lot, the platforms and the red freight house beside the station. We do have the option of relocating the track a bit.
I can't get an exact measurement of the available space for a while because I won't be going to the club for the next two or three weeks. My ankle surgery is scheduled for Oct. 29th and I won't be able to put any weight on it at all for several weeks. That is going to be really difficult!
hon30critter richhotrain Dave, how much space do ypu have for the station? I will have to go back and measure again. The track didn't get placed exactly where my plan showed. My original plan was for a space about 8" x 22", but that included the parking lot, the platforms and the red freight house beside the station. We do have the option of relocating the track a bit.
richhotrain Dave, how much space do ypu have for the station?
richhotrainI ask because the Walthers City Station is 17-5/8" wide and 5-7/8" deep. Rich
Yes, I was aware of the dimensions, but those numbers do not include any scenery or out buildings. If we were to use it I'm guessing that there would only be enough space for the platform in front of the station. The mainline would be going right past the back of the building. Even with a smaller structure the mainline will still be close. Sorry, I should have remeasured the available space before starting the thread.
Thanks for your help.
hon30critter richhotrain I ask because the Walthers City Station is 17-5/8" wide and 5-7/8" deep. Rich Yes, I was aware of the dimensions, but those numbers do not include any scenery or out buildings. If we were to use it I'm guessing that there would only be enough space for the platform in front of the station. The mainline would be going right past the back of the building.
richhotrain I ask because the Walthers City Station is 17-5/8" wide and 5-7/8" deep. Rich
Yes, I was aware of the dimensions, but those numbers do not include any scenery or out buildings. If we were to use it I'm guessing that there would only be enough space for the platform in front of the station. The mainline would be going right past the back of the building.
richhotrain...The City Station is a very close match to the Huntsville Station.
It is pretty close, and you could easily shorten the porte cochere by as much as half, and the express wing by about 1 1/8" if you removed the windows (front and rear) nearest the main structure. All of those modifications are straight cuts on the inboard-edges of the annex wing roofs and inboard edges of the express section's front and rear walls. The platform would need to be sectioned, but again, those are straight cuts.
Just to update everyone, Henk, who is leading the Huntsville project, thinks that the Walthers City Station will work fine as is. He said that there is more space there than I thought. I had envisaged a smaller structure but if he wants to use the Walther's kit I'm not going to interfere. As Wayne says, we can shrink it lengthwise without too much difficulty. The back will be fairly close to the mainline but we can live with that.
That's good news, Dave. Here is my setup with the City Station on my last layout.
The mainline runs right behind the station.
Thanks for the picture Rich. The station looks good!
I had the space to install the platforms on either side of the station. But if your club layout lacks the space for the platforms on the sides of the station, you could install the platforms in front of the station iwith a track on each side of the platform.
I doubt you have a Menards in Canada but I just came from one here in northern Michigan. They have an HO station with LED lighting that is very close to your station. didn't see the price. Should be on their web page.
richhotrain if your club layout lacks the space for the platforms on the sides of the station, you could install the platforms in front of the station iwith a track on each side of the platform.
Thanks for the suggestion Rich.
ndbprrI doubt you have a Menards in Canada but I just came from one here in northern Michigan. They have an HO station with LED lighting that is very close to your station
Hi ndbprr,
Is this the station?
https://www.menards.com/main/home-decor/menards-collectibles/train-stuff-from-menards/train-stuff/ho-gauge-train-station/2795010/p-1470660449719-c-13318.htm?tid=5191418534375532496&ipos=12
Sounds like we will be using the Walthers City Station kit but thanks for the suggestion.
hon30critter Sounds like we will be using the Walthers City Station kit but thanks for the suggestion.
richhotrainWill you be modifying the center portion of the roof to more closely resemble the actual Huntsville, Ontario station? That would really be the only significant modification to that structure.
I probably won't be the one building the kit. That will likely be Henk so it will be up to him. I will make the suggestion.
Actually, there are a couple of changes that could be made to make it look more like the Huntsville station. One of them would be fairly easy, i.e. replacing the observation window (I don't know the proper term - the one that sticks out the front) with one with square sides and removing the first storey roof where it runs across over the window.
As you suggest, the walls that separate the upper roof from the lower wings could be taken out as well, but that might require a whole new roof if the original roof doesn't have enough material to change the profile. Even if it does, matching the shingle pattern on the seams would be a challenge. Doing the roof over wouldn't be a bad thing because it would give us the opportunity to model the pitch change that the Huntsville station has.
Edit: I just did a paper mock up of the Walthers City Station roof to see if there is enough material to change the roof lines. My conclusion is that there isn't quite enough to do the job. The problem lies in where the brick dividing walls cut into the main roof. Without those small sections of roof the main roof will have to be shortened which in turn means that the lower walls below the main roof have to be shortened as well. That seems to be getting into a lot more work than scratch building a new roof.
Edit #2: I just had another look at the Walthers station and I noticed that the main roof does have a pitch change part way up. Too bad they didn't do it on the wings too.
hon30critterMy conclusion is that there isn't quite enough to do the job. The problem lies in where the brick dividing walls cut into the main roof.
Cutting the wall shorter should be rather quick surgery. If you fill-in the opening in the roof with styrene then lightly sand everything you can then cover the whole roof with laser-cut shingles.
CP_union by Edmund, on Flickr
I used these on a recent Walthers tower kit-bash I did and I'm really pleased with the ease of use and results of the shingles. I used Minuteman shingles but there are others:
http://www.minutemanscalemodels.com/category-s/159.htm
CP_union4-a by Edmund, on Flickr
I used sticky-back copper foil for the flashing because I didn't want to apply individual cap shingles.
GTW_3734T by Edmund, on Flickr
Just throwin' that out there...
gmpullmanCutting the wall shorter should be rather quick surgery. If you fill-in the opening in the roof with styrene then lightly sand everything you can then cover the whole roof with laser-cut shingles.
Reshingling the roof after modifying it did occur to me but I've never been a fan of separately applied HO scale shingles. Having said that, your tower looks pretty good.