Hi everybody. I have a friend who wants to create a HO layout of the farwest era, around 1880 with cowboys, indians, ranch, saloon and trains of course.
Do you have some websites, links, books or videos that give tips or inspiration for modeling this era?
Thanks for your help!
Here is a start.
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/1879/
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/EarlyRail/info
Rich
Go to User Videos and find “Cowboys and the A&SM RR.” It is set in the late 1800’s, don’t know how much is scratchbuilt or kitbashed. You can write a question in the comments section. I have done this and gotten answers to my questions several times.
Good luck,
Richard
Thanks Rich!
Thanks Richard but I don’t know how to do a search for your video in the User Videos section.
Ok I found it 
Somewhat related. A few users in both groups. Many Files and Photos in both groups if you join. I use to belong to both.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Civil_War_RRs/info
Rich
I must admit, I haven’t heard the term “Far West” used when referring to the United States Western States & Terrorities during the 1850s thru 1890s - Wild West, Old West, the Fronter era, etc, but Far West?
Oh well…
Some in forums use their own terminology. Not a big deal.
Rich
chutton01
The OP is French Canadien eh! (and yes - the spelling of ‘Canadien’ is correct in french). Give him a break! [swg][(-D]
Dave
Thank you guys for your help. Any more links, photos or videos about modeling the farwest or wild west era (around 1880)?
Yes Dave is right. I normally speak french
“Why do you think I’ve got this outrageous accent, you silly king?! Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!”
(Sorry, no offense intended… I just couldn’t resist the perfect set-up for the Monty Python reference! [:D])
These folks should have something of interest:
Geographically the FAR WEST would be the coast of California or Oregon or even Seattle area, probably you mean the near west, western mid-west, western desert west, or the cowboy movie rendition of the 'WEST" most of those movies were filmed just outside Hollywood, it really never existed except in movie theaters. I guess there was a bit of “west” in Texas, which is predominently South.
Thank you for making my day [(-D]
As John Wayne once said, There’s no place like Texas… And yes, once upon a time Texas was a very rough and tough place to live - especially the town of Hempstead where I grew up back in the late 1800s where there were gun fights almost every day. The nice thing about it is that it could be modeled because it had a train track running through the middle of town. As for an old west town, all you really need is a livery stable/blacksmith shop, a hotel, a saloon, a bank, an undertaker, a barber shop, a sheriff’s office/jail, a general store and a train depot. I built a model town for a local display about twenty years ago like this that had a G scale train running around it. Good luck to you.
Tracklayer
Where’s “the West”? If you had asked the question in 1776, it would have been anything west of the Alleghenies, including everything west of the Ohio River. Nowadays we mostly mean anything west of the Mississippi, including large parts of Canada and Mexico. But Sergio Leone filmed his “Westerns” in Spain, for crying out loud! The James Brothers’ most famous escapades were in Missouri and Northfield, Minnesota. Nowadays a lot of “US” westerns are filmed in Canada. The classic film versions of the West were often filmed in California. Oklahoma! was filmed in Arizona where they had a devil of a time getting the corn to grow as high as an elephant’s eye. How many times have we seen Saguaro cacti (native to Arizona and parts of Mexico) in films that were supposedly set in states & territories where they didn’t grow? In the popular mind, “The West” has become more of an idea than a fact. As a result, the modeling possibilities are wide open.
And Tracklayer, if you grew up in Texas in the late 1800’s, we all need to sit down with you behind the chuck wagon and listen closely to every tall tale you can spin while we eat beans & enjoy the warmth of a nice Bullalo chip fire. And pass a jug of Rotgut around.
I see Hellwarrior has gotten a lot of info, but I’m surprised nobody mentioned the ever helpful Shorpy: for example, this somewhat “aerial” image of Deadwood, South Dakota in 1888, which I think would fit the image that comes to mine of the “Wild West” (there’s a whole series of such Deadwood shots)
How about Silverton, Colorado in 1901 (admittedly toward the tail end of what is thought of as the Wild West period)
Eureka, Colorado - 1900 - Almost movie set like
Anyway, try different search terms on Shorpy, you or your friend may find a lot of useful images…