Ameri-Towne structures are used as flat structures

We use a lot of Ameritowne on our community layout. I am in the middle of an Ameritown Kit bash as we speak. I use drywall patch compound for mortar lines. For some reason, it came out too white on the current job. So, I made a cup of tea, and rubbed the tea bag on the building, let it dry, rubbed it a second time, giving a real nice color to the mortar. I like a "little age" to my stuff. I don't get into weathering too much, and absolutely no graffiti. The folks in our village have way to much community pride for run down buildings, shabby train cars or gang activity.

You can do a lot with the Ameritown fronts and buildings.   This custom corner used a couple of "opps" pieces with solid brick wall pieces cut to fit.

Hi Frank53

I like your large grey building, looks like about 8 stories.

Thanks for sharing these photos from the layout.

trainroomgary

Detroit, Michigan

http://www.youtube.com/user/trainroomgary

These are great kits, well made, sturdy and the possibilities are many for customizing. Easy to assemble. They also offer separate parts for further customizing. Also very reasonably priced. The brick color right out of the box is really good as well. I used concrete color (gray) paint for the mortar lines, apply, let set for a short time and wipe off. Worked for me. I plan to try some of the Robert's mortar (forget the actual name)someday, maybe on the next building.

All pros from me so far. The only con I can think of is they have no modern buildings, but I think they were designed for the older town look which they have done well, so I guess that can't really be counted as a con. If they ever do create some modern buildings, I'm sure they would be of good quality like the Ameri-Town buildings, and I would be interested in having a few.

Fantastic.  Thank you for posting it.  That is a great layout, by the way.  Very creative use of just the building fronts as backdrop structures.  I'm with trainroomguy, too: I like the big Lionel building a lot: size matters in buildings!  Good looking arrangement of the pieces to make a handsome building..  

I have a lot of Ameritown on my layout but I don't think any of it is not bashed.  It is perfect for "self-expression" in model structures: good looking flexible, easy to work and strong enough to stand up straight without reinforcement.  It takes paint well, too. My favorite "building material."

This is my largest Ameritown structure, a six story office building made from several kits: not as many panels altogether as your big Lionel building, but a lot just the same.  It has a revolving door Main Street entry which was fun to make.  

These buildings have no depth - like yours they are just panels - in this case standing up with about ten inches of bench behind them: they are not against the wall.  In this corner of the layout the sloping attic ceiling leaves only about the height of those buildings - I run three loops of track around behind them.  Left to right, Nero Wolfe's townhouse: the Ameritown panels cut nicely to make the three side Bay/Turret, and the Thin Man Bar, which is about as narrowas you can make a building, and 221B Baker St, which required a lot of cutting to get both the width and spacing of windows right.

Hi Lee – Great example of kit bashing Ameri-Towne structures. Thanks for sharing your modeling skills.

from trainroomgary

Hi Roger –  Thanks for sharing your modeling skills, that are used on the community layout, with Ameri-Towne structures

from trainroomgary

Very nice, Lee. I especially like Nero's townhouse, and 221B Baker St. is near perfect. However, I do have concerns regarding that long flight of steps serving Thin Man's, they could prove hazardous to exiting patrons. Perhaps they could catch the light pole on the way down...

Thanks, I will have to take a look at that one. All I have so far is some Ameri-Towne and RailKing buildings and all modern diesels and rolling stock, no steam. I do like the Ameri-Towne stuff a lot so may just have to have older style towns with my modern equipment.

Your idea with the thin paper and laminate is a good one. Do you get the laminating done at Office Depot or a similar place. My color printer is defunct, but Office Depot can make color copies also. I may look into that.

To rtr12 

     The signs on the Ameri-Towne building are made in Photoshop to the correct size to fit the building.  I e-mail the j-peg files on a 8 x 10 inch sheet, to Wal Mart Photo Center, near my house. They are printed on a flat photo quality paper, cut off the sheet and then I use a glue stick to place the signs on the building. Spray with testers dull coat and add black chalk to get a light weathering effect.

     If you have any more question let me know, I hope this helped.

Thanks

Gary

www.youtube.com/user/trainroomgary

The window treatment can be installed as one piece.

Hi Mike CT

      Thanks for sharing these photos of Ameri-Towne structures on your layout. Very well done.

Cheers from - Gary

www.youtube.com/user/trainroomgary

Detroit, Michigan

Another thing you can do is print on window "glass" to simulate painted windows.  I I have several boxes of overhead transparency film for laser printers.  Here is a zoom view of 221B Baker Street.  The building was built to match as exactly as possible the 221B in the Jeremy Brett TV series.  In the show, the window to the right of their front door has gold lettering on it that says "Commission for Oaths."  I played with the laser printer to get a color that looks gold, then printed the image of the words, reversed oto a transparency sheet - turn it over and its printed on the inside (you can tell by the sheen that it is on the outside if you are close up).

Great pics and ideas here!

Peter

I tried to find this earlier.  It's my favorite window on the layout - a really funny joke.  

Its in a bashed the Ameritown building (second photo) which I built just so I could make a turret.  This is like the earlier posting is a window with lettering printed on overhead transparency film.  However, here the black is on the outside, and hand painted on the inside with gold paint (had to print on the outside- the gold paint discolves the printing).

I always have fun creating new buildings with the Ameri-Towne structures.

That is a great downtown bigtruckpete. You've mixed stuff from different companyes together well - it looks like the world really did: different architects all working in the same city blocks.  

At first it puzzled me, but from the photos I can tell how you made the Leyman brothers building.  A lot of those storefronts, but they came together very nicely.  

To fellow Model Railroader

   I would like to Thank - every one for posting excellent Ameri-Towne photos of their

custom Ameri-Towne buildings.  The bottom line is that, there are more Pros than Cons to these structures.  

   Ameri-Towne buildings are a great plus to any O-Gauge layout and model railroaders have found many ways to kit bash these buildings. Just check out all the great photos.

Thanks - you

Trainroomgary

Detroit, Michigan 

It's been so long, I can't remember. I think I see a few here...

Going with more paper if there is a next time, more realistic, less space.