Doug died in 2001 at the young age of 38 and I have included his Diner and now his home on my layout in his memory, he was a great son.
The kit is from Classic Miniatures, it is their Leadville House. Doug would have loved this home. It is a very good kit with Classic Miniature's quality building material. It is definitely not for a beginner as the instructions leave a lot to be desired. In my 50 plus year model railroading career this was the most difficult kit to build I ever encountered because of the lack of text instructions. The dormers in particular are very difficult, I could not get them to fit together correctly. There is only one sheet of instructions with very good actual size drawings that can be used as templates. All of the card stock has very accurate print for cutting out the parts for building the roofs and dormers. The basswood components are of the highest quality as are the detail parts.
My problem with the dormers was a simple fix but were not correct according to the drawings. The roof angle printed on the card stock did not match the roof after assembly. Anyone could "make them fit" but I guess I expected better.
The CM Queen Ester Mine House Kit material and instructions were perfect.
Both kits used Grandt Line plastic detail parts of the highest quality. The only thing that could have been better would have to included an extra small detail part or two. In my old age I will sometimes ding very small delicate parts and CM includes the exact amount so there is no room for error.
The picture above is what came in the box.
This shows the three cardboard sheets with printed roof and floor sections to be cut out with a sharp hobby knife as well as the detailing parts.
The picture above is side one of the only instructions that came with the kit.
This is side two of the instructions. What you see is all you get.
This is the wall sections template. The walls are made from 1/32" basswood lapped siding.
The following pictures are progressive construction of the walls as they are glued in place to the cardboard floor. As you can see everything is plainly marked for easy gluing. I use Aleene's wood glue on all my craftsman kits. It has a long snout, very strong, sets up quickly, sandable and stainable. It's only drawback is it doesn't dry clear, it has a slightly orange tint after it is dry when it has been applied very thin. As you can see where I left it thick it is orange.
The pictures below show room dividers for my lighting plan. This house will have individual light control in every room. The room dividers will prevent light leakage room to room.
I will run a 14 conductor ribbon cable from the house to a 14 position DIP switch for full light control. The switch will be hidden in brush cover located near the edge of the layout behind the house.
My son Doug was full of energy, had a good sense of humor and enjoyed being a prankster I am adding some special effects to his house. That requires the special lighting.
The following pictures are progressive construction of the walls as they are glued in place to the cardboard floor. As you can see everything is plainly marked for easy gluing. I use Aleene's wood glue on all my craftsman kits. It has a long snout, very strong, sets up quickly, sandable and stainable. It's only drawback is it doesn't dry clear, it has a slightly orange tint after it is dry when it has been applied very thin. As you can see where I left it thick it is orange.
The pictures below show room dividers for my lighting plan. This house will have individual light control in every room. The room dividers will prevent light leakage room to room.
I will run a 14 conductor ribbon cable from the house to a 14 position DIP switch for full light control. The switch will be hidden in brush cover located near the edge of the layout behind the house.
My son Doug was full of energy, had a good sense of humor and enjoyed being a prankster I am adding some special effects to his house. That requires the special lighting.
To be continued in Part 2 soon
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