I’m in the process of finishing a covered bridge kit, and thought it might be cool to leave it partly unfinished and have carpenters doing the roofing, etc. I’ve also seen a real Amish barn raising, and thought THAT would be neat to model too…The third thought was why not have the Amish fixing the covered bridge
. So here’s the dumb question, does anybody make suitable figures in 1:24 or 1:22.5?
Thanks in advance
Hi Elmik
I don’t think the Amish would be fixing a RR bridge I assume its a RR bridge.
They would do a top quality job but the RR might get a bit snotty about the time it takes to get the job done.
“Don’t quote me” But I think it may also go against their sense of whats right and wrong as I understand it they are not big users of modern or even medium age technology.
regards John
theres some less strict amish groups that use washing machines its the Pennsylvania amish that are reaaaaalllllyyyy strict. They cant even have buttons!
No buttons - hmmm - the mind boggles . I can see why they dont go out a lot.
My wife used to be Amish. The Amish are a much closed society that does not want interaction with the outside world, but at the same time they make millions every year manufacturing and selling “Amish made furniture” and quilt, baked goods etc to the public. They also make wood wheels for model T Ford restorations as well as countless other farm goods for general sale to the public. It is well within reason to think the Amish could be hired to repair or build a wooden bridge if the money was right.
If you could find some pilgrim figures and shave the hats down a little and loose the capes I think you would then have passable Amish.
The Preiser unpainted track workers set would be a good basis - build up hats , beards , bibs and braces in thin plastic or green stuff filler .The hats are not difficult to model and you get a good range of poses
Preiser - PR45182
6 figures for in the uk £20
Hey TJ,
I wondered exactly where they stood with their social standards, etc. As far as modelling is concerned we can create whatever we want. Most of what we do is unconventional anyways. Your wife could be a great source as to who wore what, etc. So I wonder…what on earth do they do with all that money??? Later eh…Brian.
I have had Amish build me a woodworking shop at my house. In our conversations it was explained to me that different Amish orders (groups) have basic rules to govern their lives by. Depending upon the elders in each group, some rules may vary as to what is allowed.
The father and son building my shop changed orders as their family had been in a particular order for a lot of years. The father had 3 daughters and was looking out for his daughters and their future families. He said he inquired with various orders and decided which one best served his families needs. Their order allows them to have telephones for business use only. The phone has to be outside the house and in their case was in the barn.
Contrary to a lot of beliefs they do move around. They travel on vacations and relocate sometimes over 1000 miles or more away from where they were at.
The Menonites are similar to the Amish but not as strict with their rules. They use modern tools and even drive cars and trucks.
We also see them shopping at Walmarts and Aldi’s grocery stores.
I painted some plasticville folks to resemble Amish and I have them in my Fruit and Produce Stand
Jim
Interesting question. Money is viewed as a sin, and many in the Amish community feel guilty about using it. Most of it is saved in boxes somewhere for “rainy days”. The Amish do not have health care insurance, so in extreme circumstances the money is used for medical needs. It is also used for purchasing seed and other farm use when required. Depending on the Order, family or Elders you belong to, and how permissive the interpretation of the Bible, money can be used to purchase food items and sudries like sewing needles at big box stores or for other daily needs, but never for a “vanity” or selfish reason.
Some Orders are more strict, others less so. There are Orders that drive cars and have TV’s, that live in your community and you will never really notice. Then there are the Old Orders that view buttons and mirrors as vanities, disdain the use of all technology and keep to themselves on the farm.
I am personally anti all established religions, however i am not so sure the Amish havent got something i think many of the things we have adopted over the last few centuries may have been better left alone.
Rgds Ian
I don’t mean to speak badly of the Amish, but there are chinks in the bucolic armor. A totally non-permissive, enclosed society is not entirely healthy. Free speech and creativity are frowned upon, as is inventiveness, artistic expression and individualism. If you make one mistake, you’re out for good. To top it all off, none of them, not one single Amish individual has a Garden railroad. Too sad.
Hmm. Now that sounds a little suspicious.
Liked a Mennonite girl once.
Little tough to have a GR if electricity is shunned…[;)]
Jack this is just for your wife, bet she’ll laugh till she hurl’s!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYjUptUgrNM&mode=related&search=
The only error in the video is that a man would NEVER churn the butter. Other than that it is accurate.
dude, check out the hat. It was my wedding present from the wife. Ya know, it’s kinda stylish, or wait, no, that’s just me.[:)]
ya look like yer gonna party like it’s 1699![:D]
Live steam, maybe?
Any mechanical contrivance that is not powered by Man or horse is strictly off limits to most Amish Orders. A garden railroad by it’s very nature is a vanity and the owner/builder of such a vanity would be dealt the severest of penalties. There are no hobbies in the Amish paradise.
Jack just a few things; does your motorcycle have a union Jack painted on it? if so why?
There were railways before steam etc, why cant they havea minature railway drawn by trained mice? Would that fit in with Amish thiking you do think?
Ian
I find it interesting that the Amish are being pushed out of Lancaster County by developers. Someday it will probably just be another ho-hum suburb of Philly.
Meanwhile, I find it odd, but some young Amishmen actually have pagers and cell phones…supposedly only for work, but I kinda wonder how the local elders justified that? And yes, the local Amish around here DO hire out as roofers, builders and handymen.
They also have gasoline and steam engines, even tractors (but they can only use them as stationary power sources), some even have generators (but only in the barn). We used to see Amish women in Wal Mart all the time, not so much anymore because the state decided you needed a commercial hack license to transport them…But then there are also sects that say you can’t even RIDE in a powered vehicle for any reason.