Searching for an accurate or close to accuarate ho scale model of a passenger station for Ipswich, Massachusetts. Is there a manufacturer that produces one? Also searching for an ho scale model of a two bay two pump ESSO service station from the same era.
Ipswich station has yet to be produced in HO, furthermore it would be rather difficult to kitbash one with the large windows, moldings, and several dormers.
For the gas station, you could try the City Classics Crafton Avenue Service Station. You will have to find ESSO decals or make the signs yourself.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/195-108
ESSO signs and equipment are not easy to find, perhaps EXXON wants too much license fee. JL Innovative Design has a sheet of ESSO signs, but it is out of stock now
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/361-293
JL Innovative has a number of gas station items from other companies if you decide to change brands. I have bought some of these and seen the line at a train show. They are good quality
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=&scale=H&manu=361&item=&keywords=gas+station&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=300&Submit=Search
As you don’t state the era you model, I’m not sure of the appearance of the Ipswich station you are seeking. The original was built in the 1870s by the Eastern Railroad, (which the B&M absorbed in the 1880s). It then looked very much like all the other Eastern stations of the late 1880s, which varied in size but shared the same general outline and architectural details. Bollinger Edgerly (BEST) currently offers a kit for the Wolboro NH depot, one of the larger variants, that captures this original appearance quite well. And Swampscott used to sell a kit for the smaller North Hampton station which shared similar lines. These could probably be used as a basis for kit-bashing later, more modernized versions. Incidentally, if you are not aware of it, the Southern District of the Essex County Registry of Deeds has many old maps and atlases on line (http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases.asp) that will show the precise layout of tracks and streets in Ipswich from the 1870s until recent times. These are great aids for modeling exact scenes.
Voyager