Source for Old West false front buildings?


T

trailrider

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking of creating an Old West "tourist trap" for a small area in one corner of my new layout. I don't see very much in the way of the Old West false front buildings in the Walthers catalog. (Maybe not looking in the right spot???) Any ideas for sources? Also would need some people dressed up in Old West garb. Thanks in advance.
 
false front buildings

Years ago there were several kits by Ayers, consisting of basswood and mattboard. The line was later offered by Suydam. Then California Models marketed the kits and finally Alpine Scale Models picked up the line. Walthers carries the current line, but checking their catalog the "Old Town" kits aren't listed. They are a craftsman style kit and can still be found on eBay. Laserkit and Grant Line have also offered small false front stores.
Good luck,
Sam
 
The nice thing about western front buildings is that they're pretty simple. If you can find some thin sheet with boards cut into it (shipbuilding stuff, if you can't find it specially for model trains), and a few pieces of stripwood for the top and edges, you can use window frames/doors from something else.

Since it's a tourist thing, you could just do the fronts and stick them onto quonset hut kits, or generic house kits, or whatever. Or, if you want to go all out, just make walls the same way.

So long as they're wood, heavily weathered, and they've got painted on/half worn off signs, you're good to go. :D (I live an hour or two out of Winthrop, WA which has a city-wide old west theme. If you need inspiration, that's a good place to look.)
 
Campbells scale models sells quite a few small buildings that will work. Also Timberline, Ayers and a few other out of business manufactures produced old west buildings. There are quite a few of these in the Craftsman Kit section on Ebay. Campbells has a website you can check out and a lot of their kits can be obtained on Ebay as well.
http://www.campbellscalemodelsonline.com/category_s/12.htm
 
Years ago, Kibri made plastic kits of old west town buildings. There were maybe 10 or 12 buildings in the series, including saloon, hotel, sherriff's office/jail, blacksmith and others. Check e-bay as they show up sometimes in a search for "Kibri".

Heres one of the three building sets in still unbuilt in the box form.
http://cgi.ebay.com/KIBRI-HO-RAILRO...228047?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1c1c8f274f

Heres another group of three different Kibri old west buildings also unbuilt in the box.
http://cgi.ebay.com/KIBRI-WEST-GERM...226402?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1c1c8f20e2


Heres the General store in the series currently on e-bay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-kibri-W...309303?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1e64643b77

And heres someone who has a few of the buildings in the set together in one auction.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vtg-Kibri-HO-Ol...644581?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item3a66f830a5

another seller has this cafe from the Kibri old west series.
http://cgi.ebay.com/HO-CAFE-Old-Wes...498183?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item4aac12e087

I think this post office is from the same series
http://cgi.ebay.com/HO-WILD-WEST-BU...890751?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item2eb4631fff

This is the hotel from the series.
http://cgi.ebay.com/HO-WILD-WEST-BU...889839?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item2eb4631c6f
 
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I guess good things come to those who wait. In the July 2011 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman, on p.37, there is an add for BCH International, which is selling a series of Classic Western Style Structures. These are plastic kits, with three buildings per kit. They are available in limited numbers, and are made in Germany. Kit #168-8500 is the Hotel Group, which has a two-story hotel with side entrance to the second floor, porch and railings for the upper floor and a covered walk below. The second building is also two-story, but I can't tell what the main floor business is. The third building is a barber shop, but I would guess you could change the sign to whatever you want. The second kits are in #168-8504, Marshall Group, containing a marshall's office/jail, a two-story gun shop, and a one-story post office. They are $39.98 for each group of three buildings, plus shipping. He has several other groups coming. Their phone number is 814-255-1650, and they are in Johnstown, PA.

I just ordered one of each group, and will let everyone know what I think of them after I get them and get a chance to put the buildings together. As I have limited space, I may have to modify the buildings to fit them in. Just have to see when I get them.
 
trailrider said:
I just ordered one of each group, and will let everyone know what I think of them after I get them and get a chance to put the buildings together. As I have limited space, I may have to modify the buildings to fit them in. Just have to see when I get them.
Click to expand...

Nice find. They appear to be re-releases of the old Kibri sets.
 
I have these four, ready-built-up that I found at a show, if they'd be useful - already built and cant guarantee that all parts are there - looks as though a sign may be missing from the green one, and a door from the yellow one. If they'd be of use email me chacmool at lineone dot net US20 + postage at cost from UK - they are fairly light so shouldn't be too expensive






Jack
 
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Neat! I just received my kits, but haven't had time to do anything with them. I need to take the bases and see where they fit in the limited space I have. May take awhile. If it turns out I can use these, and you haven't sold them or otherwise made use of them, I'll get back to you.

Green board all the way!
 
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