I have 15 photos of it in my Picasa here
Are there any kits out that that closely match this prototype? I’m going to try to build it… Ive never scratch built anything before. I’d much rather have a nice close to prototype kit to kitbash into something real close…
That higher central portion creates a structure different than most kits. Quality Craft Models produced a kit for “generic” C&O stations called “Marlinton Station”. This was their kit #104, and I think that another company (perhaps Gloor Craft) picked up the dies and also offered the same kit. This kit could be built at any of three lengths: 75’, 55’ or 40’. My Marlinton Station kit is still in the box, and I just checked it to learn that the exterior wainscoating in the kit is angled at 45 degrees. In your photos, the wainscoating is verticle. Again, that kit offers a straight roof and not the higher portion over the center office, so it doesn’t help.
Depending on the era you model, you may also wish to check for historical photos if you plan to back-date. It appears that several windows have been added to the structure in recent remodelings. Those horizontal windows above the front “C & O” sign as well as horizontal windows above the loading doors appear to be of a more recent architectural style. Also, it appears that one window on an end has been filled in.
While there are lots of walls and corners, the roof line is straight and it would be a relatively straightforward scratchbuild. Step by step after you sketch out a scale floor plan. Good luck.
Bill
thank you for taking the time to replay and for providing that information about those kits…
I’m not sure how I am going to attack this… I’m not positive that my modeling skills are up to par yet to go with a straight from scratch build… maybe after a couple more projects I will have to revisit putting something like this together and keep looking at kits to see if I can find something similar
There are some oddities to this structure that increase the difficulty of making an exact duplicate. Notice that some of the windows differ between the top half (9 pane) and the bottom half (4 pane). Also, it is unusual that some of the windows are a different height than others. It is more common to have all the windows around the building of the same height.
Grandt Line offers HO scale windows that are 36" x 76" (Walthers catalog # 300-5193) that have the nine panes at the top and then two panes below that might work if that height is close. I don’t see any Grandt Line doors that match…
Bill
Since many of the windows are six over six, I wonder if the 4 pane lower sashes were replaced at a later date. Multipane windows were usually built from necessity not style. In the late 1800s large panes of glass were expensive to produce.
Nice looking Depot!
Just remembered that the book Chesapeake & Ohio Standard Structures by Thomas Dixon (C&O Historical Society, 1991) was on the shelf.
Sorry, no drawings or photos of any station matching “yours” in the book. Looking at the floor plans for the larger standard stations, it looks like there would have been separate waiting rooms for men and for ladies on either side of that main entrance.
Bill
I found this picture by happenstance… this is what it originally looked like. Appears to have been some fairly major changes from its early years to its final look …
here is the modern comparison picture
After looking at the very old picture for that era, there seems to me to be a way to scale the station. If you look at the man standing at the front door, we may assume with the hat, a height of + or - six feet. Now take a drafting ruler (they are very cheep) and see what scale fits that measurement of just under six feet. Now you are off and running. Just eyeballing the higher portion, it is 3 people tall and the shorter height is 2 people or 12’ tall. Prototype it out of card board and build it out of styrene.
Sounds like a lot of fun project to replicate
Lee
Coming in late to this discussion but here are some resources that will help finding more information:
sacomodelers@yahoogroups.com St Albans C&O Modelers
http://www.sa-com.net St Albans Chesapeake & Ohio Modelers and Museum, Inc
http://www.cohs.org/ The C&O Historical Society.
Dave