I'd been using the old Atlas station for my N scale PRR Middle Division's fictional town of Lewisport, PA... But it always bothered me because by the 1950s, nearly every surviving depot on the PRR Middle Division was brick. Yet very few decent brick stations were offered in N that could be made to look Pennsy.
The new Walthers Pella depot is a nice little kit they offer in both HO and N. When I first saw it I thought it could be converted to look a little like a Pennsy depot (such as their plan B-2). The main thing that bugged me was the weird blank dormer. I know it's true to the Iowa prototype, but it looks strange to me and also is unique to this model, so says loudly "I am a kit." I decided it had to go.
Here's the stock version as shown on the N Scale Supply website:
The main things I did were to remove the base for the dormer by shaving down the plastic tabs, sanding it flat, and hand-scribing the roof slate detail across the blank area where the dormer would go. I also painted the structure's trim w/ PRR two-tone brown and red window sashes. Concrete trim was painted with PolyScale D&H Gray. I used that same color to paint the mortar lines; I applied the paint full-strength to the walls prior to detailing and window installation, and then buffed it off the bricks with a damp rag.
The depot signs were made in PowerPoint and printed on heavy photo paper.
Here's the old Lewisport scene:
The platform details (benches, baggae cart, etc.) come from the old Atlas depot and the people, obviously, are seperate.
Here's a test-fit of the new depot with the new parking lot (made of styrene):
I know there's a HUGE GAP between the platform and the ballast edge... That's the next step; filling it in so the station looks like it belongs.
One parting shot:
Compare that with the first shot.
Obviously, this isn't a Pennsy prototype structure. But for a two-day project, it comes somewhat closer than did the Atlas station. If the bay window had straight sidewalls instead of canted in at 45 degrees, we'd be even closer. Lastly, I may add some of Pennsy's peculiar rounded dormers at some future date. Since Lewisport is freelanced, the depot can be as well. Additionally, some of the real depots on the PRR Middle Division looked even less Pennsy. For example, Mifflin(town) had a large mission-style brick depot that looks an awful lot like the Walthers Santa Fe depot!
Now I need to spruce up the westbound platform.
Anyway, check out this kit if you need a brick station. I was pleased.
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
- Luke
Modeling the Southern Pacific in the 1960's-1980's
Nice story and great job on the station Dave. I always enjoy reading your posts.
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
There's no place like ~/ ;)
I love it! Thanks for the pictures-
Phil
Dave,
Nice work! Very Pennsyesque!
-George
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
I see Marysville... I see Duncannon.... The curved eyebrow dormers will finish it off nicely. If you bought two kits, would you have enough bits and pieces to fix the bay window issue? Seems like a little slice here, a bit of Dremel magic there and you'd be very close to a PRR station...
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
wm3798 wrote: I see Marysville... I see Duncannon.... The curved eyebrow dormers will finish it off nicely. If you bought two kits, would you have enough bits and pieces to fix the bay window issue? Seems like a little slice here, a bit of Dremel magic there and you'd be very close to a PRR station...Lee
I thought about that... I probably could do that quite easily.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
It reminds me a lot of a station I once saw. Greensburg? I don't remember, but it was in between Altoona and Pittsburgh.
I tweaked the one picture a bit, quick and dirty. Gave it that "nestled up against the foot of a mountain" look that a lot of towns in that part of the state have. Hope you don't mind.
Neat effect!
Oh, and great user name! I'm Penn State Class of '96 myself.
We are... PENN STATE!!!
Dave Vollmer wrote:We are... PENN STATE!!!
Yes!
Class of '72 and "Varsity S" with four years of Swimming at the Nat.
Dave Vollmer wrote:Neat effect!Oh, and great user name! I'm Penn State Class of '96 myself.We are... PENN STATE!!!
Thank you!
I was one class away from being class of 06. Had to settle for 07 though.
Should check out the book Rails to Penn State if you can track it down. Its about the old Bellefonte Central, has some neat pictures of State College when there was a small cramped yard where Hammond sits now. The university had a thing up a few years ago in the library with a bunch of pictures of State College when there were rails there (some of them can be found here http://www.libraries.psu.edu/speccolls/exhibits/bcrr/bcrr.html ) and somewhere on the library's site you can see the old Sanborn maps. 1930s State College could make a nice little shelf layout some day (from the wye out near the golf course to the stub yard downtown) . BFC ran a few ex-Pennsy H9s, I believe. The Corner Room has some pictures of trains at the station, too, on their walls. One morning I sat down for breakfast and saw that the picture at the table I was at was nothing less than Eisenhower getting off his presidential train to go to a football game with his brother.
And now I've completely gone off on a tangent.
That's a nice building. I can see that as an abandoned facility in what will be my version of Thurmond W. Va. at my version of M&K Jct.
Go Buckeyes !!
Nice bit of work, there, Dave. The brick has that glum tone that it should have after a few years of exposure near steamers. Great job.
-Crandell
i wouldn't know a Pennsy depot if i tripped over one , but you sure did a nice job on the model !
ernie
NittanyLion wrote: Dave Vollmer wrote: Neat effect!Oh, and great user name! I'm Penn State Class of '96 myself.We are... PENN STATE!!!Thank you! I was one class away from being class of 06. Had to settle for 07 though.Should check out the book Rails to Penn State if you can track it down. Its about the old Bellefonte Central, has some neat pictures of State College when there was a small cramped yard where Hammond sits now. The university had a thing up a few years ago in the library with a bunch of pictures of State College when there were rails there (some of them can be found here http://www.libraries.psu.edu/speccolls/exhibits/bcrr/bcrr.html ) and somewhere on the library's site you can see the old Sanborn maps. 1930s State College could make a nice little shelf layout some day (from the wye out near the golf course to the stub yard downtown) . BFC ran a few ex-Pennsy H9s, I believe. The Corner Room has some pictures of trains at the station, too, on their walls. One morning I sat down for breakfast and saw that the picture at the table I was at was nothing less than Eisenhower getting off his presidential train to go to a football game with his brother. And now I've completely gone off on a tangent.
Dave Vollmer wrote: Neat effect!Oh, and great user name! I'm Penn State Class of '96 myself.We are... PENN STATE!!!
Funny you mention that... My father and I each have copies of that book.
In fact, over on another forum I started a thread about what it might take to model the BCRR in N scale.
In the end I concluded that while it would be both spectacular from a scenery perspective and very personally meaningful, it would probably not offer enough variety to keep ops interesting. 80% of the traffic was lime and limestone from the first 3 miles of the railroad; by the 50s they were no longer hauling coal to Penn State, and the trains visited State College only a few times a week. Passenger traffic would be restricted to the occasional football special or perhaps that one time President Eisenhower came over the BC by train.
It's a great layout subject depending on one's goals... For me I think it might get a little redundant running to the Gyp (gypsum plant) and back for 80% of the ops.
I'm leaning toward doing either the Bald Eagle Branch or perhaps the Northern Central line from Baltimore to Harrisburg as the "big one" some day. Both were single track with heavy traffic for most of the route, so they offer interesting ops possibilities.
Furthermore the NCRR between Baltimore and Harrisburg carried the Washington, DC sections of the NY-Chicago passenger trains (like the Broadway Limited) and also had doodlebug commuter service on the southern end (the Parkton Locals).
The NCRR is sounding better every time I think about it. Much as I'd like to do the 4-track PRR Middle Division, can you imagine how much staging (and money!) you'd need to support 100-200 trains per day? Even on a single trick you'd have 50 trains to run. Oh, and then each interlocking plant has 12 switches.... Yikes!
It would be cool, yes... But it would be such an undertaking I may never complete it. The NCRR sounds like a very neat compromise.
Great modeling work as usual.
I do the same thing picking out model kits, which are structurally the same as some Pennsy buildings and then adding the necessary details and paint. I just finished Walther's Golden Valley depot, which resembled a Pennsy branch line station.
I never thought of using PowerPoint for the signs. I will have to try that.
Doc
Dave, really nice job on the Pennsy Station. You really captured the look. I see you and several others went to Penn State and have an interest in the BCRR. I live in Lamar, PA half way between Lock Haven and State College so I get to see the Bald Eagle Line & Buffalo all most daily. Also, see remnants of the out BC quite often. Your station is almost a dead ringer for the station that is still standing in Lock Haven at the end of the yard where the Buffalo and Bald Eagle lines seperate. It's now used for NS m.o.w. Once again GOOD JOB!