Wild West Towns

[americandingo7]

I am looking for some old west town structures that don't look nasty. I have seen some of the newer structures but I can't figure out why on Gods green earth they look like brick houses. I found a web site that sold a book on templates but I am wanting more. Any help here would do. I need them in an HO 1:87 scale and I want anything old west. Any suggestions?

[SpaceMouse]

Look on eBay for old structures.

Kibri made a lot that can be painted and made to look good. I've found most of my layout that way. The rest come from craftsman kits. Muir makes some good ones as does Campbell. Again, eBay is the place to look.

What I did for weeks is look in model trains/HO/Building and Structures

It takes persistence.  

[cacole]

If you have any scratch-building experience or are willing to try your hand at it, there is a book called "HO Scale Wild West Structures You Can Build", containing materials lists and plans for 20 structures.

Contact Mark J. Bigelow, DBA James Publications, 1006 Landings Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida 33413.  [e-mail]  561-434-2944  Fax [phone]

I don't remember what I paid for a copy, but it wasn't that expensive.

I'm in the process of constructing the buildings that are in this book, and the only problem I have encounted is finding a source of the materials because there are no hobby shops anywhere in Arizona that carry scratch-building supplies.  The book lists the stock numbers and manufacturers of all the required parts, so I have at least been able to resort to mail order sources.

[ft-fan]

I don't know if this is the site you already found, or not. http://www.wildweststructures.com/ has a book of patterns for many old west structures, banks, hotels, marshall's office, livery, mercantile, etc. It is available in either HO or N. The pictures look like they are pretty decent. You would learn a lot about scratchbuilding, I guess. I have been sort of interested in something like that, too, but this is about as close as I could find to an old-west type of building.

Sorry I can't be more help.

FT

BTW, to the forums.

[orsonroy]

There are hundreds of frame, false front, and other wood-sided building kits on the market that are appropriate for the 1840-1890 period. Do a search through Walther's catalog for many (but by no means all) that are available. Have you seen Grandt Line's line of plastic structures? All but three are appropriate for the period, since they're all patterned after real buildings from the time. And what's wrong with brick structures for the "wild west"? They went up almost as quickly as wood during the period, especially hotels and banks. Spend a week searching through the Library of Congress' website and the photo site of the Denver Public Library for tens of thousands of photos from the period, and you'll see brick buildings everywhere.

[Tracklayer]

Like some of the other members have suggested, you might try scratch building your structures. I just happen to live in a community that was once a "wild west town" called Six Shooter Junction. It was made up of mostly wooden buildings, and basically consisted of a combination blacksmith shop and livery stable, sheriff's office and jail, general store, saloon, hotel, undertaker, barber shop and railroad depot back in the 1860s and 70s. There were also a few houses here and there along the back streets. And let's not forget the outhouses, hitching posts and horse troughs... Good luck to you. Tracklayer

[tomikawaTT]

Just took a look at the info available on Virginia City, Nevada - a "Wild West" town still thriving on the tourist trade of the 21st Century.

The original construction was wood.  However, the town burned while the mines were still profitable, so most of the reconstruction was done in brick and stone - a prototype for those masonry buildings sold for wild west consumption.

Looking at a couple of towns where there was no local source of wood indicates that a lot of the original construction was brick, and some was adobe.  The adobe buildings have suffered over the years (it does rain in Nevada!) but a lot of the brick buildings appear to be structurally sound even after decades of neglect.

In California's gold rush country, where many of the mining towns were located in thickly forested terrain, masonry was less common - but hardly unknown.

The only place where the buildings seem to be primarily wood frame construction with tall false fronts is Old Tucson, just outside the modern city of the same name in Arizona.  It was built as, and is still occasionally used as, a movie set - not the best recommendation for authenticity.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in Southern Nevada at present)

[lvanhen]

Sorry it took me a couple of days to find the old kits - but here's a possible source:Guts, Gravel & Glory, PO Box 684, Leadville, CO 80461, [phone].  I dont know if they are still in business, but they made a dozen or so really neat plaster castings of a log cabin. a sod house, a store that was a tent with a wood false front, a supply co with wood 1/2 walls with a tent top, and aprimitive wood general store, which I bought about 10 years ago.  They are plaster castings so there is no interiors - just paint the "windows" dark gray.  They look great in the background & represent buildings I've not seen anywhere else.  Sorry I don't have any photos, but I'll try to scan the box drawings & post them later.

[TwinZephyr]

Wild West Scale Model Builders makes some very nice, old west style, laser cut, wood kits.

http://www.wildwestmodels.com/

[R. T. POTEET]

If you have any scratch-building experience or are willing to try your hand at it, there is a book called "HO Scale Wild West Structures You Can Build", containing materials lists and plans for 20 structures.

Contact Mark J. Bigelow, DBA James Publications, 1006 Landings Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida 33413.  [e-mail]  561-434-2944  Fax [phone]

I don't remember what I paid for a copy, but it wasn't that expensive.

I'm in the process of constructing the buildings that are in this book, and the only problem I have encounted is finding a source of the materials because there are no hobby shops anywhere in Arizona that carry scratch-building supplies.  The book lists the stock numbers and manufacturers of all the required parts, so I have at least been able to resort to mail order sources.

I had a very unnerving experience this afternoon - clumsy oaf that I am while browsing in my local hobby shop I tripped over the styrene display and fell into the stripwood which upset the brass all over the floor.  It took me the rest of the afternoon to convince the proprietor that this incident had not really taken place because there is no such thing as scratchbuilding supplies here in Arizona.

Next time ya'all come to Phoenix make sure you bring your credit cards along - or your checkbook if that's your bag!!! Most hobby shops up here will even take cash as long as you have two pieces of identification and a letter from your mother attesting to your outstanding moral rectitude.

By the way, how often do the stagecoaches run into Sierra Vista these days???

[lvanhen]

Woodland Scenics makes - or used to - a line of small metal buildings that are all "old west" called  scenic details.  I scanned the Guts & Glory labels & can't seem to get photobucket to take the upload - maybe tomorrow.

http://www.woodlandscenics.com/index.htm this will get you there!  Scenic details are what they are called.

[americandingo7]

Wild West Scale Model Builders makes some very nice, old west style, laser cut, wood kits.

http://www.wildwestmodels.com/

I think Twin gets the gold star. Everyone should check out these buildings. They are exactly what I have been looking for. Some really nice stuff. Thanks

[SpaceMouse]

Wild West Scale Model Builders makes some very nice, old west style, laser cut, wood kits.

http://www.wildwestmodels.com/

I think Twin gets the gold star. Everyone should check out these buildings. They are exactly what I have been looking for. Some really nice stuff. Thanks

They are nice, but if you have even a modest town, there are not enough. What about saloons, liveries, banks, mines, etc.  You can't do it online, but check out the Campbell models. Same level of quality, with detail parts. The Muir models have more railroad related industries, like lumber and mining--don't forget engine service facilities. Their buildings are replicas of actual building. The same can be said for Durango models. There's a lot out there. Don't stop looking when you find a partial solution.      

[americandingo7]

I'll never stop looking.A collector never stops collecting. I appreciate all the input I have been given. I was only saying that these where really nice buildings, some of what I lack. I also liked the Woodland Scenics web site as well. No offence intended too anyone.  

[lvanhen]

Finally got them to photobucker - these are the plaster models from G,G,&G

[americandingo7]

I did a dogpile search for Guts, Gravel & Glory and came across some really nice structures that will go great with my layout plans, I also like those scanned buildings Ivanhen provided. This is turning into alot of fun just looking for stuff. I love model railroading!!!