What Era

[Alaska Railroader]

I could use this or some sort of decent size lumber shed.


Jason

Jason, check our site on this page, scroll down about 20 thumbnails and your lumber shed is there, close anyway, except that it is Z scale. The interior has a lot of detail which is almost a waste since you can't see a lot of it with that awning but maybe in N scale it would show more. I can make that for less cost if you don't need all the accessories.
http://www.stonebridgemodels.com/index.htm?c=z_struct

Is there a link to your site somewhere'?
Your product sounds intriguing.

Here is the store front, we're about to make some changes to the site. There isn't much N thus the reason for this thread. I wanted to have a good sense of how to use my time moving up in scale and not just pick random items hoping they would be wanted.
http://www.stonebridgemodels.com/index.htm?c=z_struct

As for brick structures you are starting to want what TBS made in Z and then some. That series just about killed DKS and I trying to keep up with the orders because the whole process is incredibly labor intensive. Brick is not hard to laser it just takes a very long time for the laser to do one building let alone multiples of that in kit form and then add to that multiple structure designs. It will come someday, I hope by us, we'll see. But without David making molds and casting parts in resin it won't happen very soon.

I'm loving these ideas although I'm getting the Z guys a little bothered that I'm here asking you and not them 
Keep them coming....

[jimmo]

I don't quite have a feel for the eras that the members here favor the most. Well, I think most cover the various generations of diesel with steam as a side interest. Am I right? I have some favorite kits of ours in Z scale that I would like to bring up to N scale but the choice might lie in what the majority wants to see. No no no, please don't send me a bunch of wish lists, I would die trying to fill the orders! I cannot possibly do custom jobs and still produce for the general market. So, I'll try to bring in some structures that I have already completed or currently have on the drawing board.

The kits run the gamut from Colorado silver mining to mid 20th century on up to present day. Where are the "holes" in N scale laser kit availability? I'm not as skilled at the technical industries such as huge mills or factory complexes but I do have structures that can help add to a layout. I need to do more market research myself I realize. I'll bet you have more barns and houses than you need. I would always hear the mantra from Z scalers that they wanted anything close to the tracks. I have those. But I also enjoy creating structures that are in the rest of the real world and that means away from the tracks.

I'm all ears, just don't bury me with one of a kind pet projects lest I get scared off and toss the lasers 

Hey Karin, one thing I quickly discovered when I asked a similar question years ago was when you ask what people want, the obvious answer is "everything." It doesn't matter what it is and how much research you put into it, as soon as you bring it out someone will always say "you should have done such and such..."

As a modeler of two different eras (contemporary standard gauge and 1950s narrow gauge) I decided to just make whatever I wanted, that way if it wasn't a hit, at least I had one happy customer. What I discovered was a lot of people like what I like and the sales have been good.

I do occasionally take on requests like DKS did there with those containers. Sometimes the inspiration just strikes and you have to act on it...

[Ntrainz1]

Modern era. Modern structures. Transformers, electrical substation.

Bob.

[Hyperion]

An N-Scale Optimus Prime would kick a$$.

[rogergperkins]

This is a photo of my family's general store, one of the few scratch built structures on my layout.
It is the style of building that most interests me.  I am 73 years old; remember steam locomotives
and my goal is to model the 1940s in central Illinois.
The structure was originally build in the early 1880 and was finally razed about 1986 at age 106 years to make room for a modern grocery store.

The same model on my current layout 2013.

More reset change in surroundings to reproduce the view from the 1940s.

[kelticsylk]

Freelance version of the Pennsy in 1949. At that time the Pennsylvania Railroad had lots of steam of all vintage and first generation diesels.

[peteski]

How about a Howard Johnson restaurant from the 70s or 80s?

[GP38-2freak]

After selling all my "modern" stuff like the GE Dash-9s and SD90s I'm beginning modeling Conrail from 1976-1986...just got some interesting books about PC,RDG,LV and Conrail via ebay so I'll have enough for cold evenings

[Hyperion]

Closest thing I've seen to 'modern' was Nu-Line's couple of modern poured concrete warehouse kits -- and those can fetch 2-4 times their original price on eBay thesedays. 

Just as an interesting aside to the above comment I made on this thread a few weeks ago...

Two auctions just ended for NuLine kits on eBay.

First one for $62.
Second one for a staggering $104.

There's, like, literally 6 pieces of plastic to these -- 4 walls, a roof, and a sprue of various windows and doors.  Not even 'fancy' plastic, they're just poured concrete walls, so they're just flat slabs.  There's nothing more to them to any Plastruct kit aside from the amount of plastic (finished kits were about a square foot).  I mean, they're nice kits, I have several, but when the market is willing to pay $100 for a kit that could be had for about $25 just a few years ago, that's a good sign that there's some demand there to fill.

[jpwisc]

More modern structures would be nice. Tip-up or pre-cast structures are everywhere but N Scale...

[Catt]

Nother suggestion Karin,for us scratchbuilders how about some factory and store windows of the different types that DPM uses in their modular wall series. Woodland Scenics has no inclination to expand the N scale module selection.The pic shows one of the window styles I'm talking about

[Denver Road Doug]

I model "modern" era, around 1998-2003 or so.   Here is my wish list:
-"Modern" small town steel grain elevator.  I say modern but I think built in the 50's? or maybe 60's at the latest so still a pretty good time span.
-Modern (90's-2000's) gas stations
-"Cheap Small Town Motel" - think Bates Motel style, outdoor access with small office.  Could be modular to go from tiny to medium size.
-Modern 80's+ midwest/southwest apartment complex.   Again, modular with office/clubhouse/pool kit plus standard two-story apartment unit and maybe alternate two story setup or three story.
-Others- like the DQ idea, also convenience store, 80's/90's Wal-Mart, 60's+ US Post Office, tilt-wall modulars (warehouses, mfg facilities, big box stores, cold storage, et al)

[kelleywpns]

Late 1950s, New England

[rogergperkins]

My early post indicates that a general store built in 1880 was still there in 1986.
So my point is that some types of buildings are around for at least 106 years.
They may be the type that need to be provided as kits, versus those that last
a few years and are torn down.

[PGE_Modeller]

I really like the DQ, the Shell station, and the motel.  I'm also a modern era modeler, so your structures really appeal to me.  Make a Tim Hortons and all the Canadians will go crazy
Paul

Unfortunately, a Tim's can have no place on my layout!  I model September 1952 and the first Tim Hortons opened in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964.  It was several years later that the chain arrived in British Columbia and I believe it was well into the 1990s before the Tim's in Squamish, BC - the only location I model that has one - opened.  I will accept historical inaccuracies of up to a few years in some special cases, but 40 years is really pushing it!!  Even TRW's own Tim Horton (BCR 570) will have to forego having his namesake restaurant on his layout, unless he is willing to bend history a bit, because the Tim's in Dawson Creek didn't open until well after his 1977 modelling date.

Cheers,