Please help my disabled friend!!!!

[SD70ACe]

And quite possibly help yourself as well! My friend Bruce recently lost a leg (literally, it was amputated in September) and to try to keep himself busy and earn a few bucks on the side he is making resin buildings and he has done bridges as well. He also makes wooden trestles. Please check out his eBay listings! The building that I am linking is really a neat structure and I have one on my layout. It looks really good and he does some great work! I am also attaching a few pics of his previous work. His stuff is cheap, and he really loves what he does. If nothing else, please just give his stuff a look and see if there is anything that may interest you! The tunnel portal he has for sale right now is a less detailed version of the portal entrance he will be using for a Moffat Tunnel kit he is trying to create. I can also take custom orders and pass the info along if there is something that you guys would like made or to see if it could be made. Thank you all very much.

http://cgi.ebay.com/N-Scale-Resin-Crafted-Bruces-Corner-Market-1960s-Era-/160513720355?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item255f5d0023

http://cgi.ebay.com/N-Scale-Resin-Crafted-Coalling-Office-And-Weigh-Scale-/160513722356?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item255f5d07f4

[Philip H]

Those actually look pretty good - and I can see the coaling office adapted to many other uses.  Sadly, Mr. Wallet is closed for the remainder of 2010 due to Christmas Shoppiing Directives.

[93cram]

I'm not in need of any of those buildings currently, but FWIW, I feel the market (be it HO or N) lacks 1910's to 1940's 'modern' brick buildings, i.e commercial
and industrial brick buildings without cornice, etc...
A few DPM kits are in this style, but most are rather of 1860's to 1890's style.
Walthers 'commercial row' kits were (are ?) more modern in style, but the detail is a bit outdated IMHO (two feet long bricks, etc...)
I noticed Bruce's resin structures looked more 'modern', this is why I tell you that.

Also, one thing I've thought for myself if I was in need of money and living in the US or Canada :

I guess there can be a market (OK not a large one but...   ) for 'ready to plant' built and decorated Walthers Cornerstone as well as DPM kits.
Those kits are quick to build for experimented modelers (time is money), and they could be offered either left in manufactured colors, decorated but
unweathered, or both decorated and weathered.
They are pretty easy to find (well most of them) can be bought on a deal, etc...

Kits like Clarksville depot, wooden elevator and warehouse, and feed mill could be offered as decorated with only two or three options available :
- off white walls + dark grey roof/green roof/red roof
- mineral red + dark grey roof
- etc....

Clarksville depot could be offered in 'your favorite RR paint scheme' colors for instance.
Some stock in these kits would enable short delivery time, and cheaper purchase/paint/building costs.
Additional weathering/detailing options could be done on demand.

I could be wrong but I guess there might be something to explore there.
There are a lot of guys out there who would like to 'run trains' on a layout, but don't have time and room
to get the varied tools out of the box to begin scenery/structure modeling.
Not sure it's much helpful, but this my two cents.

Marc

[SD70ACe]

They actually do look pretty good and I have the coaling office on my table awaiting scenery to reach that area. I gave him some cash for supplies and he gave me the first one he ever made.

Marc, if I am understanding you, you would like to see more older style buildings put out? And would you rather see these as an undecorated kit? I can ask him to make one and put it up for auction if you would like.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Those are pretty slick looking. I could find a use for the basic structure in a number of places (especially as Canton progresses). I'd want it in undec though.

[SD70ACe]

I just spoke with him a few minutes ago and if there is an interest in it he will make as many undecorated buildings as you guys want and put them up for sale. Just let me know and he said he will cast them ASAP for anyone who wants them!

[93cram]

Marc, if I am understanding you, you would like to see more older style buildings put out? And would you rather see these as an undecorated kit? I can ask him to make one and put it up for auction if you would like.

On the contrary, I find there are many 'older' (read 1870's and 1888's brick structures, like a good part of DPM business kits) brick structures kits, and too few (IMHO) more 'modern' brick commercial structures like those we can see in 50's pictures of more recent Midwest towns and nearly all Western towns.
Beside, most commercial brick structures kits are two floors high, whereas in many cases, typical small town business brick buildings found near RR tracks
were one floor only.

Speaking of me, I'm still an armchair modeler, as well as a full basement structures kits stocked guy  ;D so I don't really need more structures right now, yet, if I could find decently built and painted Cornerstone kits, I'll be very interested, because I could use them for temporary layouts I'd like to set up with my kids without needing to get the my airbrush, compressor and assorted paints out of their box  :-[

Marc

[TiVoPrince]

Consider
me in for one (maybe two) painted/UNDEC (sans signage and 'base') if it were made available assembled for around $20.00US shipped.  A 'kit' might be preferred depending on the actual contents and instructions being made available on the web to peruse pre-purchase.  Not exactly certain what price I would pay, for  kit a lot depends on the need to cut roof/floor from raw styrene and if templates for such things are provided or made available...

[SD70ACe]

He says that he would prefer to build them, but it can definitely be done undecorated and without a base. He also puts the roofs on and uses black sandpaper for the roof to give it a textured shingle appearance. Please let me know if this is acceptable and I will let him know. I would be willing to bet that $20 shipped would be no problem for him. Thanks very much and I will update again in a bit.

[JDouglasFisher]

Why don't we get your friend on the forum?

Seems a few members here do very well in their small businesses AND they get realistic points of view from modelers, without all the excess baggage.

Just a thought.

J.

[SD70ACe]

I have asked him to join, but his computer is way outdated and I think he is hesitant to join here or the other boards I'm on until he gets a new one. I have brought it up though! 

[wm3798]

You know, someone could make a killing... well, maybe a minor assault and battery... by making a pre-cast foundation for the front walls of DPM structures.  It's murder... well, maybe petty larceny... to build a row of those things on a slope.

Lee

[JDouglasFisher]

You know, someone could make a killing... well, maybe a minor assault and battery... by making a pre-cast foundation for the front walls of DPM structures.  It's murder... well, maybe petty larceny... to build a row of those things on a slope.

Lee

Gee Lee,

Lot of violence and criminal activity on your mind lately.. I think perhaps Mr. MacMillan should have a talk with you...

J.........