I have begun a multi-build project which will probably take me the next two decades. Recently, I wrote lore for the LHRR, which is based in real history of the Pioneer Valley. [Thanks to Dan (@manimal ) for giving me the idea to create a backstory!] Basically, I took the two major railroads from the region (NH and B&M) and bought up a small portion of their rails to create the LHRR. My fictional railroad runs between Williamsburg, Amherst, and Easthampton (for now). I even drew a few different styles of maps for it! (Yes, the mile markers are accurate.)
So, in light of that, I am going to build scale models of the stations for each of these towns. My scale is somewhere between 1:22.5 and 1:29, depending on the stock I choose to run, so I model all details in 1:24 to keep it simple. Plus, this way I can find STL files from other modelers easier.
All my stations are listed on the map above. One of my favorite things about this is that most of these stations mean something to me. Hadley is where I grew up. While I never knew the station there, my family did. Northampton’s Union Station is where I got married two weeks ago (That one will come later, it’s complicated!) The old Easthampton Station is now owned by Tandem Bagel, where I work. So, lots of personal reasons to model this area. Amherst’s Station doesn’t mean much to me, I hadn’t ever been there until last year. But, it’s a cute brick building that will be a good starting model.
Step 1 of this project has been to measure & photograph the buildings, or get measurements from the owner. Yesterday I finally was able to measure Amherst. When I got home I drew the building in scale with SketchUp. This helps me to visualize what I am going to be building.
Step 3 then is to start building. Originally I wasn’t going to do this, but as of now I am planning on 3D printing these stations. They will be more rugged this way (as opposed to be hand-cutting styrene sheets for the builds) which is especially good for bringing them to shows for Big Green. I am using TinkerCAD to do my modeling. I know there are better programs out there, but this is simple and that’s all I need. Below is the first section I have completed. I will need to print four of these. And, yes, I am doing these basically brik-by-brick. But, I don’t mind.
Due to its small size, Amherst will also be the feature of my first club modules with NHGRS. In the 80s, there were 3 tracks outside the station (you can see evidence of this here), so my module will have three tracks in front of the station and then I’ll build a yard behind (not historically accurate, but it’ll be a fun yard so that I can play with switching cars around during the show).