I really like the looks of the Bar Mills kits but they are very costly. I have also looked at the Walthers Corner Stone structures and read several posts of people using them. I guess my question is, can I mix and match these or should I stay with one or the other? How intense is it to put together a wood kit versus a plastic kit? When a kit comes with it’s own base do most of you just pitch it or do you use it?
Concerning track, There are a lot of choices on track and I would like to know what most of you choose. I am new to model rairoading (this is my first attempt) and I want to use what ever will give me the best results.
I have both on my layout. Walter’s Cornerstone and Branchline Trains wood kits (which I highly recommend). Careful attention to finishing is the key to success with any kit (painting, distressing, detailing etc.) I find the wood kits no more time intensive or difficult than resin/plastic. Personally, I perfer the laser wood kits, as I think wood is easier to finish realistically than than the plastic injection kits.
You have to be careful with the track, of course, because there are sometimes differences in the height or cross-section of the rails between manufacturers, so it’s important to take care with your track laying. (Of course, it’s always important to take care with track laying, even if you use all the same brand.)
I’m very happy with my Cornerstone models, and also my Atlas, City Classics, Model Power and DPM kits. I spend a lot of time with each one, painting, weathering and detailing. I’ve got one nice wood craftsman kit, but it’s in a box still awaiting assembly. Most of the structures on my layout are “brick,” so plastic models make a lot more sense for me.
I always look at a structure kit as a starting point. I’ll spend at least a week to build any structure, even a DPM kit which consists of 4 walls and a roof. After all, I’m not in a race, and I enjoy every hour I spend building these.
Try a small laser kit before tackling a larger more complicated kit. The smaller kit will give you the idea of how they go together and if your skills are up to it yet. Keep on trying, most of my modeling pleasure is in building kits. Im glad to see you are building rather than going for the instant gratifation of ready built buildings. When you get used to it try some scratch built stuff, again start small to hone your skills. Most of all have fun!!
My rule of thumb is to always let the prototype be your guide. That doesn’t mean you have to model everything precisely to scale, it means look around you, and build your models to represent what you see.
I’m sure that in your neighborhood, or in your town, there are brick structures, frame houses with clapboards, metal buildings… the whole spectrum. While it’s tempting to rely on DPM buildings to make up your downtown, or Atlas’s new residential houses for the surrounding neighborhood, there’s nothing wrong with putting a Bar Mills structure next to a Cornerstone, or putting a scratch built garage behind a Model Power house. The only thing that might hold you up is if you have modeled city hall, and you have little scale bureaucrats processing building permits![:D]
This is the Cornerstone Merchant’s Row in N scale, I took bits and pieces of the two buildings in the kit, and used some styrene siding to build the structure in the middle. Look around you, you see this kind of stuff all the time.
I have several smaller bars mills kits. I don’t see where they are more expensive than plastic. I personally like the wood kits better, but I need some of the plastic kits as well. So I use both.
You did not specify scale/gauge, so my suggestion on the track will generic. The brand names you mention suggest HO. Since this is your first layout, go with a quality brand that is regularly available. I model in HO, and in that scale I would recommend Code 83 for that first layout - looks good, is reliable and available, and then later on you can add a spur track with Code 70 to compare the appearance and operation.
Virtually all modelers “mix and match” various brands of structures, and blend wood and plastic kits as well. “Scratchbuilt” structures may be used for buildings not produced as a kit, but there are also those who prefer this method for almost all their structures. The more expensive kits often supply more hours of construction, so the “hobby time value” for the $ can still be very good. The suggestion to start with one of the smaller laser-cut wood kits is a good one. Your skills will improve as you work with various kits, but the only way that works is to actually get in there and do some. It also works both ways: I have preferred craftsman wood kits for years, but now have an area where brick buildings would look better and so will be using some DPM or similar kits.
Good luck. As you can tell, there is a forum full of folks here willing to offer an opinion or suggestion. Feel free to ask the questions, and you will almost always get a good range of alternative suggestions. Apply your own common sense and modeling experience as you weigh those responses. When you look through the model rr magazines and see all those nearly complete and fully detailed layouts, recognize that all of those folks had to sort through choices and find out what worked for them to produce the result they wanted.
Thanks for the replies! Can any of you guys give me some ideas on what track to use? My first choice is N scale but I must admit I am getting a bit frustrated as most everything I want put into a layout is unavailable so I am leaning toward HO. What is the most realistic looking track available? I want to model the 30’s to mid 40’s agriculture/ farming community and I am finding more available in HO.
I find that a mix works well for me. I’m modeling 1945-1955 era in PA’s anthracite region. Walthers and DPM brick structures look good for my city scenes and the Bar Mills, AMB and Branchline (as well as others) nicely represent wood structures seen in some of the outlying “patches” as they’re called here. I recommend the Bar Mills Basics to get your feet wet on laser cut wood kits - Revelia Shipping, Magee’s Tires, Shack Pack, etc - you almost can’t mess them up and they’re very inexpensive.
Be aware of the different adhesives you’ll need and painting methods, especially on the wood structures.
Regarding track, after considerable research on this forum, I decided on Atlas (HO) code 83 flex track and Peco code 83 turnouts. So far I’ve been happy with the results.
Do your homework before spending too much money - this forum is a great source of information. Welcome aboard!
If you are looking for the ‘most’ realistic track available, then the Central Valley track system would be a good choice. However, you must balance cost and skill against that track system. If this is your first HO scale model railroad, I would take a serious look at the Atlas code 83 trackage. The cost is reasonable, is always available and the product is ‘rock solid’. If you are looking purely at cost, the Atlas code 100 track is ‘bullet proof’. I have built model railroads with Atlas/Shinohara track, ‘handlaid’ code 70, and now use Atlas code 83 trackage.
I’ve always thought the Bar Mills kits had a different look and feel to them than a Cornerstone kit. I personally don’t think they look like they belong in the same era.[2c]
I kinda sorta agree with Loathar. If you put a Bar Mills and Cornerstone together you need a stong vision and a plan on how to marry the look and feel of them.
Campbells at least when I checked a couple years ago, does not have a website.
When you look at the way Bar Mills presents their structures, I agree - they belong in the early part of the 20th century. However, I “push” mine to the mid-20th century, put them in a setting (economically depressed, rural) that depicts the era and they work quite well. I wouldn’t put them in a city setting next to my Victoria Falls Hotel or Western Ave Fire Co, but outside of town looks OK, at least to my eye. In fact, I can ride around some areas of the county and still see buildings like the Bar Mills products - some still in use.
