Today in our caboose search we find GN X394 on a siding by the old Hutchison place. The old barn looks like it could use a little work. Old man Hutchison better fix that roof before all the hay rots, and the horses get wet. Back in the day, you could find 7 stalls, and a tack room full, but nowadays only mice are found in most the stalls, while the tack collects dust. -Robert
Yes, I made a big Walthers order Last Night after work, as the latest catalog had some good sales. I ordered 2 sets of the Nansen Street Silo's, but I wanted a more western looking farm. I went off on a tangent looking at all the Z Scale barns available, but did not find the right one. Looking at the N Scale stuff, I found a Laserkit Feeder Barn that had just the look I was after. Then my wife showed me some photo's of her old barn from the days when she was a goat herder, which was for the horses. (She is still half owner of the a horse ranch in Gilroy, but that barn is different) Anyways, after looking at the photo's of the old barn, I decided to make one. I could not sleep thinking of using Kim Vellore's old style stable tecnique mixed with Lionel Gazeau's derilick building leaky roof tecnique. I got up early this morning and went to work on it. When I got the walls up on the first prototype, my wife dismissed it up as bogus. She told me the side windows would not be windows, but wide doors with an opening top and bottom half so the horses could enter from the outside. Next she told me the height had to be high enough to allow the horses to rear up without hitting their heads, and each stall had to have a wall in-between so the horses don't fight, because they steal each others food and get into violent fights. Then I had to have a tack room, but I could use one of the stalls for a tack room. After I did the second design and built it, I was experimenting with Transfer tape as a roof shingle adhesive. (I just got some transfer tape in the mail this week for John Bartalotto's NYC&HRRR 36' boxcarr project) I made better shingles than the ones i made for my Issaquah Station kit, and decided to put a bad roof on. When I finished this second attempt model, I showed my wife who cried FOUL! Barns may be all beat up and falling apart, but you will NEVER find a barn with a Bad Roof! I pulled my wild card out, slapped it down and said: Modelers License! I can put a beat up roof on my barn if I want to! -Robert
Very Nice Robert! I have a suggestion to add a wee bit more detail to your fabulous barn. Place a block-n-tackle on the upper beam outside the second floor door. These were used to hoist up the hay bails. A small piece of thin thread and a dot of glue could be used. Or a an etched pulley at the top with the thin thread running thru it. Make a mini hook on the end of the thread. So many ideas! Awesome work Robert! Tim
Yes that's a great idea Tim! I actually have t overetched brakewheels that Kim did out of .010" brass, that look like speeder wheels. I am going to glue them front to front to make the pully, but I'm off to the NMRA meet now. -Robert
Robert, you have to something about those over size leaves. They are just not Z scale. Just messing with you, but I do think is the best looking Z scale barn. Its it going to be part of the Robert Ray collection. Have you check E-bay lately. There is a guy or gal making a living selling your kits assemble. I was really temted to buy the depot, but must save money for the SD70. [ March 05, 2006, 10:43 AM: Message edited by: shamoo737 ]
Rob, That is awesome both the barn and the Caboose. Does a real barn have lights inside them? if so you must put some lighting inside and add details to show the insides with cattle feeding and a couple of villagers hanging out inside by the stable.... The reason I say lighting is it has big doors and two stories it would be nice to see the insides. and if you can see the insides you got have details. Please burn me one for my future village layout... Kim
