The Sawmill

My Shapeways order got here last week, so I finally got a chance to do some building.

I started with the saloon which I have named the Sawmill because that is the name of my aunt's bar and grille in New Market, Iowa. Stop in there for the best tenderloin in Southwest Iowa!

Just like the rest of the layout the model does not resemble the prototype in any meaningful way, but I like it anyway. It takes its place on the layout next to the Yarn Vault.

 This is a preliminary picture I took while I was getting everything in place, just to make sure it was all going to fit like I wanted it to.

 On the prototype there is a walk-in cooler in the left front corner where the video game is and the bar is right next to that. There really wasn't enough room to duplicate the actual floor layout so I put the bar on the back wall instead. It looks good there I think. Of course most of this detail is lost when the building is in place since you won't really be able to get down to street level to see it. But the cellphone camera can!

Once I finish the furniture store the DPM buildings from the reclaimed layout will be complete on the main street. There are still two more reclaimed buildings on a side street left to do, and then I have two corner turret buildings to do and last but not least the manufactory. Once those are done the main street buildings will be done and I can turn my attentions to the parking lots and sidewalks in and around them can be done. After that the train stations need to be finished, and then maybe I can be done with it.

Maybe.

Construction

My Shapeways order should be here soon, so I will be able to finish off the last of the DPM buildings for the main street. The larger one is going to be a furniture store and the smaller will be a saloon.

I did get the grocery store finished, though.

 Since the front of the building is visible it got the full interior treatment, shoppers mill about the shelves while one patron checks out the magazine rack. Produce fills the bins at the front right while the cashiers check the shoppers purchases out to the left. The sign that came with the building was re-used, it disguises the fact that the building is the same as the Dunkin' Donut down the street.

It takes its place on the main street right next to the bank. It wasn't done when I took the following pictures, but the main street is shaping up nicely.

I may put interiors into the last two buildings on the main street but at this point I'm thinking there isn't much point. The backs of the buildings are the only parts of them visible so detailing of that level will be lost anyway. They did all get exterior and interior lights, so they won't look out of place.

After that I have two additional salvaged DPM buildings and two corner turret buildings to finish off. One of the corner stores will be a drugstore and the second will be a bookstore. One of the last salvaged buildings will be an ice cream parlor and I don't know yet what I will do with the second one. They will be on the side street across from the park.

With all that lighting downtown the lack of lighting on the rest of the structures on the layout is quite evident, but there actually isn't much I can do for some of them since they are solid castings. I will probably pull the rest of them up one at a time and fit lights to them eventually. The solid castings will get exterior lighting to make up for not being able to get interior lights.

On a side note, I picked up another Just Plug light hub. It had a broken knob, too. Good thing I have some replacement potentiometers with knobs on order, hopefully they will show up soon.

The plywood plains are disappearing as work progresses. At this point there is more of the layout with scenery than without, which is closer than I've ever been to finishing one (not that any of them are ever finished). After that I guess I'll have to get to work on those T-TRAK modules I've been planning. That will give my narrow gauge collection something to do other than collect dust.

And then maybe I'll build some Z scale...