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t h e m o d e l i n g s t o p

Everything Oldis New AgainIn real estate, three qualities arecritically important: location,location and location. In manycities, the best locations forgrowth are just outside the busydowntown. Often, these areas arehome to older structures builtduring the heyday of civicexpansion—the businesses theyonce housed were the reason forthe growth of the city. Many havebeen vacated because they’vebeen outgrown; others have beenabandoned when their ownersfolded. Because of theirconvenience to downtownbusiness districts and historicstatus, they’ve become primecandidates for redevelopment asupscale housing and retail centers.

Condos and Coffee HousesLarge, curtain-wall structures likeThe Bralick Building have beengiven a new lease on life.Curtain-wall factories, with theirreinforced-concrete frame andbrick or block “curtains” that fillthe spaces between the concretepillars, give redevelopers the rawmaterials they need.

Existing windowsare removed andthe interior isgutted, leaving aclean slate for thecontractors. Then,all-new electrical,ventilation, fire

protection and water systems areadded to bring the building up tomodern standards. On theexterior, unnecessary windowopenings are bricked over andoccasionally new ones are openedup. New, energy-efficientwindows with fewer panes andinsulated glass are installed.

While the inside of the building isrebuilt, the exterior is also gettinga makeover. Water tanks areremoved and their basessometimes covered over withdecking. Loading docks,especially recessed ones wheretracks sometimes passed underthe building, are bricked in, andtruck doors and docks are closedoff. Walls are sandblasted and/orpainted, old signs are removedand the building is given a new orrefreshed look.

Once the transformation iscomplete, the building is readyfor tenants. Often, condominiums,apartments or offices occupy theupper floors and retail shops orrestaurants move into stalls atstreet level.

Create Your Own Historic DistrictOn your post-1970s layout, TheBralick Building is a naturaladdition to your HO or N Scale

trackside industrial district. It canalso be used to represent the edgeof downtown just by placing itnear your train station or track-side industrial area. Using it thisway, “downtown” can be on yourbackdrop or off the edge of thelayout. The kit includes

These two buildings illustrate the difference between the older multi-pained windows on the right and the newer aluminum windows acrossthe street. This structure has been converted into an office complex.Photo by Bob Gallegos

The Bralick Building933-3099 HO Scale $39.98 933-3255 N Scale $34.98

11-7/8" x 10-5/8"10-3/8" TALL

®

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Dave’s Super Service, 933-2714, $49.98

Fast Service foryour PikeIn the 1930s, the oil industryneeded a new image. Gas wassold out of ramshackle roadsideestablishments or on the curb infront of storefronts. In 1937,industrial designer Walter Teaguecreated an entirely new station forTexaco. His “box” designcombined the sales area, office,washrooms, and service bays inone shiny enamel-walledstructure, with an open pumpisland out front. The new Built-upDave’s Super Service modelbrings one of these gleamingstations to your O/O-27 layout.

This new fully assembled modelis the perfect addition along yourO/O-27 highways. The model

features positionable garage baydoors, a freestanding streetsidesign and an interior light. Themodel also includes vintage gaspumps for steam-era scenes andand modern-era pump islands soit’ll look good in post-1970sscenes. Self-adhesive printedsigns for several business namesare provided for a final touch ofauthenticity. Because all oilcompanies used similar structures,adding a “competing” stationelsewhere on your layout is aseasy as changing the signs. Onmodern layouts, you can alsoremove the pumps and add signsfor an independent mechanic,body shop or retail store.

On your layout, Dave’s superservice is a natural addition to the

roadside business district alongyour highways. It also fits in along“motel row” near businesses likethe Built-up Route 66 Motel, 933-2715 (sold separately).■

8-1/8"

11-3/4"

4-5/8"TALL

®

Built-ups

modern windows, wall and basesections to fill in the recessedloading dock, a deck for the watertower base and printed signs for avariety of building names andbusinesses. As a bonus, acomplete water tower is included;use it to model structures thathave retained theirs. For addeddetail on the HO Scale model, use

the Walthers Roof Detailing Kit,933-3158 $11.98, and the RoofAir Conditioning Units, 933-3157$11.98, both sold separately. ■

Air conditioning units 933-3157,$11.98, sold separately.

The RightBridge For AnyHO RailroadFound on railroads large andsmall, truss bridges are the mostcommon type used by railroads.Whether used to take the lineacross a river or soar across avalley, through-truss bridges havebeen used almost everywheresince the 1820s. The newCornerstone Series® Single-TrackTruss Bridge brings a NorthAmerican standard to your steam-or diesel-era railroad.

Long-Lived LandmarksThe first through-truss railroadbridges appeared in the 1820s.These early spans resembledtoday’s truss bridges except theywere made of wood. By the1860s, iron had replaced thewood and by the early1900s, steel was themost commonly used material.

From the late 1800s on, steelthrough-truss bridges have lookedpretty much the same except for afew minor details, making thenew Single-Track Truss Bridgesuitable for your steam- ormodern era layout.

On your Layout...Because of its longevity, theSingle-Track Truss Bridge willlook right on any steam-era pike,yet it’s tall enough to clearmodern double-stacks and autoracks. The easy-to-build kitfeatures realistic trusses, chordsand bridge shoes, plus safety sign

and graffiti decals. It isabout 145 scale feetlong. Its dark-gray partssimulate weathered andfaded black paint, butsilver is also a commoncolor and a few wearorange or brown. As afinishing touch, addWalthers Code 83Bridge Track, 948-886$18.98; some “NoClearance” and warningsigns on the ends of thebridge and weather itwith a light coating ofdust and rust.

Once you’ve got themodel built, add it to

your layout using appropriatesupport structures. Bridgeabutments are the interfacebetween the

bridge and the roadbed at eitherend, piers support the ends of twoadjacent spans.

For late-steam and diesel-eralayouts, use the WalthersConcrete Bridge Abutment,933-1040 $8.98, sold separately.

You’ll need two of these resincastings, one for each end of thestructure. If the track runningacross the span is on a fill ateither end, use the AbutmentWings, 933-1042 $6.98, on eitherside to simulate retaining wallsfor the end of the sub roadbed. Ifyou’re going to use more thanone truss bridge in a row, or ifyou’re using the truss bridge asan approach to the MotorizedBascule Bridge, 933-3070 $79.98,(sold separately), use a Bridge

Pier, 933-1041 $12.98, (soldseparately), between them.

If you’re using the Single-TrackTruss Bridge in pre-1940ssettings, cut-stone bridgeabutments and piers werecommon. Chooch makes both a Single-Track Cut-StoneAbutment, 214-8440 $8.99, and a Cut-Stone Bridge Pier, 214-8430 $8.99, both soldseparately. See the diagram fortypical placement of Walthersabutments and wing walls.

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t h e m o d e l i n g s t o p

Single-Track Truss Bridge

Bridge Abutment

Abutment Wings

Bridge PierFill

Fill

®

Here are some suggested placements for the Single-Track Truss Bridgeand its support structures. This diagram uses an abutment andabutment wings against a fill. On the other end, a pier supports thebridge and one end of a second span.

3-1/4"

20"

SINGLE-TRACK TRUSS BRIDGE 5" TALL

Single-Track Truss Bridge, 933-3185, $24.98

Bridge Abutment and Wing Wall.

The model captures the look of theprototype—you can see through thetrusswork to the ground below.

19

Got an ExtraContainer?Most double-stack trains operatein high-volume corridors. LosAngeles-Chicago and Toronto-Halifax are a few examples ofcities that originate or terminate

longtrains onmultiple-unitcontainer well cars.In smaller markets likeRemington, Indiana, andMilwaukee there aren’t alwaysenough containers to fill out acomplete three- or five-unit wellcar—and most railroads don’twant to move a partially loadedcar. That’s where National SteelCar 53' Single-Unit Well Carscome in handy.

Besides smaller markets,containers are often delayed incustoms or on the highways. As a

result, there are often a few extracontainers to move on regularstack trains. Single-unit well carsgive railroads the flexibility toadd a single car rather than apartially loaded three- or five-unitset. Derived from the popularthree-unit, drawbar-connectedwell cars used across thecontinent, NSC 53' Single-UnitWell Cars are among the largest

on the rails; they can handlecontainers up to 53' in the

bottom well.

Walthersready-to-runHO Scale NationalSteel Car 53' Single-UnitWell Car will look great onyour double-stack and mixedintermodal trains. Fullyassembled and ready for service,its diecast body provides plenty

of weight for good performance.Factory-applied plastic details

and working knucklecouplers at each

end completethese realisticreplicas. Thecars areavailable

individually and in a three-packfor a total of five roadnumbers.On your layout, use them tosimulate traffic moving to smallerterminals or last-minute additionsto your heavy-haul double-stacktrains. ■

Single Cars, $14.98 eachNew 932-3945 TTX #655058New 932-3946 TTX #655299

Limited-Run 3-Pack, $41.98New 932-33945 TTX

In smaller markets where there isn’t always enough volume to warrantthree-unit cars, a single-unit car is sometimes a better choice forcustomers. This car is at the Port of Milwaukee in the company of othersmall container cars. Photo by Bob Gallegos

National Steel Car 53’ Single-Unit Well Car

®

A Landmark foryour LayoutBy the 1970s, many towns hadoutgrown their early-1900s towersand larger replacements orsupplements were needed. Newwater towers looked nothing liketheir predecessors; they weresleek and modern. The newModern Water Tower kit makes iteasy to update your city’s watersystem.

New Look for a New EraBy the late 1960s, new designslike the Walthers model becamecommon because they have manyadvantages; smooth curved linesminimize wind resistance, a doorat the base limits unauthorizedaccess, and they have a smallfootprint. Construction is easierbecause most parts are formed/prefabricated off-site and thenassembled on location.

Since they must be painted, mostcities individualize their towers.More reserved communities

choose light blue or off-white toblend with the sky. Other townsadorn them with everything fromsmiley faces to dolphins. A fewtowns go all-out; Gaffney, SouthCarolina’s giant peach (completewith added leaf and stem!) andTipton, Missouri’s “Eight Ball”are good examples. Businessesthat own towers usually applytheir logos.

On your post-1960s layout, theModern Water Tower will letvisitors and guest operators knowwhat town they’re in at a glance.The easy-to-build kit includes thetower and base with realistic weldlines, access door and overflow/drainpipe details, and decals withseveral town names. Place it onthe highest point in your village.Keep weathering to a minimum,with only a small amount offading and minor rust around thebase. For added detail, add aflashing red aircraft warning lightand an antenna array (soldseparately) to the top. For moreinformation about water towers,

see Walthers Update Volume 2,Issue 2 on the Internet atwalthers.com. ■

A construction scene like this cango a long way towards giving yourscene implied action. Modernwater towers, like this one southof Indianapolis, are assembled on-site. The weld lines on the kit’sbody just need a bit of highlightingwith rust-colored chalk afteryou’ve painted the body a primercolor. Photo by Bob Gallegos

Modern Water Tower,933-3528, $17.98

Great Additions For YourIndustrial Layout

Creating a modern industrialdevelopment doesn’t have to be adaunting task. Choosing a fewsimple buildings with minimaldecoration (allowing for greatercustomizing options!) can be a great“launching pad.” Now Herpa helpsHO Scale modelers get a hard-working industrial region up-and-running with the release of a seriesof modular warehouse and buildingkits that can be designed to fitwhatever businesses you want to

open! Choose from two different styles of main buildings tobegin: a two-story office building with stacked rectangularwindows, and a dealership building with large “glass” displaywindows.

The widespread use and ownership of home computers haveopened the door to a new room in the house of model railroading.Simulator-type games that put the user in the driver seat arebecoming more and more popular. With the popularity ofcomputer games, it only seems natural the model railroadinghobby takes this step.

Auran, an Australia-basedmanufacturer, is now bringingthe virtual experience tomodelers. Their 2004 versionof the Trainz RailroadSimulator takes everythingfrom the first edition a stepfurther with more trainchoices, more control andmore overall features.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to “get behind thewheel” of a locomotive, you can use the Engineer feature andtake charge of your favorite engine. You’ll have to be careful,however, because you could be sharing the tracks with up toeight other computer-operated locos.

If you’re more of themanagement type, take on theroll of the Operations Manager.It’ll be your job to set theorders for each train on yourpike, as well as ensure thesmooth running of your ownprivate railroad.

And, if you prefer building things as opposed to operating, theRoute Builder is for you. It allows you to build a favoriteprototype run or to create the layout of your dreams.

Ultimately, virtual reality train operation has something foreveryone. And, because of the nature of computers, constantupdates are available whenever you would like them fromAuran’s Web site.

Now you can take control of the world of trains…without everleaving your living room.

Picture shows (from left) single-bay warehouse, two dual-baywarehouses, and office building, all in sand/light brown exterior.

Picture shows (from foreground) dealership building and single-baywarehouse each in gray exterior.

Virtual Railroading On Your PC

Trainz Railroad Simulator 2004 131-224, $39.99

Screenshots from Trainz RailroadSimulator 2004.

Single-Bay Warehouses,$19.95 each326-6322 Sand326-6323 Gray

Dual-Bay Warehouses,$19.95 each326-6320 Sand326-6321 Gray

Office Buildings, $19.95 each326-6324 Light Brown326-6325 Gray

Dealership Building,$19.95 each326-6326 Light Brown326-6327 Gray

Detail shot of dual-bay warehouse.

Detail shot of single-baywarehouse.

Build larger facilities with single- and dual-bay warehouses. Youcan also choose from gray or sand/light brown exteriors to createthe perfect look!