February 18, 2009 • 7:23 pm
Continuing the series on CMR kits, I’ll title this one with a question since it’s somewhat of a stretch to say that the Custom Model Railroads Gas & Electric Co. N scale kit is definitely based on the prototype I’ve found.
I’m taking a guess that the Gas & Electric Kit is a modified version of the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company building in down town Baltimore. The main difference between the kit and the prototype is that the kit is triangular while the prototype is rectangular.
So, how am I making this leap?
Well, first, I’ve spent quite a bit of time looking at various Gas and Electric company buildings. Not a single one looks architecturally similar to the CMR version. But thus far CMR kit I’ve found have been based in St. Paul and Baltimore so I decided to spend a little more time looking in those areas specifically. Since CMR is based in Maryland, it’s entirely reasonable to assume they would be doing research in the city closest to them.
I came across the Baltimore Gas and Electric and while there is quite a bit of creative license, I would say this is the closest Gas and Electric company building to what CMR has produced. Of course, it’s entirely possible that this is an original design or that the kit is based on a structure that’s not actually a Gas and Electric building (in which case, I wasn’t looking for the right thing).
Anyway…here is the photo. You be the judge.
Filed under: Prototypes, Structures , Baltimore, Custom, model, model kit, model railroad, model railroading, N Scale, prototype, scale model, scale modeling, structure
February 17, 2009 • 8:31 pm
Keeping with the current series of posts highlighting the N scale kits by Custom Model Railroads, let’s take a look at Donaldson’s Department Store.
Again, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, this department store was known as “The Golden Rule” store prior to 1961 when it was renamed to Donaldson’s Golden Rule and eventually just Donaldson’s. The building was built in 1886.
Filed under: Prototypes, Structures , Custom Model Railroads, prototype, St. Paul, structure, The Golden Rule
Since several of us seem to have an interest in the kits being produced by Custom Model Railroads in N scale, I thought I’d continue to provide information about the buildings they’re using as prototypes so that you have reference for color or super detailing.
For this post, I’ll cover the CMR kit for Fidelity & Guaranty Co. The prototype for this kit is in Baltimore, MD and the full name of the building is the United States Fiedlity and Guaranty Company Building or USF&G. Many of these kits seem to be directly tired to St. Paul, MN. Interestingly enough, the USF&G was purchased by the “Saint Paul Companies” in 1998.
I am a fan of the prototype color scheme instead of what CMR used in their version so I will most likely use this when I get to building this kit.
Note, if you Google the USF&G or Fidelity & Guaranty, I believe the USF&G “building” was actually a complex and in many cases, the taller building to the left of this photo will come up.
Filed under: Prototypes, Structures , Baltimore, prototype, structure, USF&G
