Architechtural Firm's Concept Models ?

As a practicing architect I can say with absolute certainty those are not 'concept' architectural models. In fact most architectural firms would not go to the trouble of building any concept or study models out of metal - much to complicated, expensive and time consuming. If I where to venture a guess I would say those models are actually home made and somewhat 'out-of-scale' for what they're supposed to represent.

These days Architects don't build models. They use computer graphics.

In the power industry in the 1980s my old firm used to build models of power plants with all the piping and steel structure because interference programs were too costly to run.

Those do not look like Arch models that were usually constructed from plastics and cardboard.

navy.seal posted:

A few years ago at York I purchased what I was told were an architectural firm's "concept models" for a contract on which the firm hoped to be hired ...

"Concept models" for toy models for trains, perhaps?

Looks like a lot of detail, any idea when they might of been produced 30's/40's, 50's?
I like the grating on the steps and the windows on the building. Do the windows and doors open and close?
Looks like they were not painted, was the metal galvanized or zinc plated?
Are the insulators plastic or glass?
Maybe a firm that made the real stuff had these in a conference room just for reference and could of had them made in their machine shop.
They would look great on a layout. 

I was given some concept models for cranes when I was a kid and I ruined them all playing with them, darn it.

I've seen plenty of concept models over the years and I'd bet money that these aren't that. They're way too 'toylike' for a company to use as a concept model for any client for what is supposed to be a full-sized structure.

Now, concept models for a toy company? That's a possibility.

RonH posted:

Looks like a lot of detail, any idea when they might of been produced 30's/40's, 50's?
I like the grating on the steps and the windows on the building. Do the windows and doors open and close?
Looks like they were not painted, was the metal galvanized or zinc plated?
Are the insulators plastic or glass?
Maybe a firm that made the real stuff had these in a conference room just for reference and could of had them made in their machine shop.
They would look great on a layout. 

RonH,

Unfortunately, I don't know when they were made.

Both the windows and the doors open and close.

I believe most of the metal is galvanized except for the steps.

I am not sure, but I believe the insulators are plastic.  I will check and get back to you if I'm wrong and they are glass.

They do look great on SGMA layouts!  Come see them in action this November in Milwaukee at Trainfest 2016.

Bob Nelson

Even so they would still look cool painted up on a standard gauge layout!