O Scale Brick Church

quote:

Originally posted by MOZGAWA:

Would anyone else like to see a picturesque little brick church with stained-glass windows?

Rob Mozgawa
Madison, WI

I reply to the thread I posted on the three-rail forum about the cathedral I made (not brick - cut stone blocks, made from Pegasus Gothic building kits), someone posted some pictures of churchs made by other manufacturers, not for model train layouts but for wargames of something, including a couple that were the right scale and either brick or stucco, etc.  They were quite nice. 

Here's the Bachman church painted and weathered by one of the guys......go down to the 6th picture.

Peter

https://ogrforum.com/t...terfield-county-fair

Rule292:  There are wood company house kits available, and that show up on eBay

from time to time...but I do not think they are duplexes, though.  A search of O scale

structure kit builders should turn them up.  The one church I have built is a southwestern adobe chapel, with its cemetery.

As a small time manufacturer for the past 15 years I think I can safely answer the question why no one is rushing to invest in bringing out a church in O scale. years ago I custom made an HO model of the Weston Ct Congrational church for a customer.

As part of the process I also created  modular building drawings in HO and O scales. I thought there would be an interest in church backdrops so I selected a church from another demonination and preposed it at several train shows. The responce is that churchs are a very personal thing to most persons and they would be interested only in a church model that was identical to their own. So for a generic church the cost of creating the masters for production would greatly exceed the revenue that would be returned.

I should also add that recently I created an O scale model of of the New Haven CT City Hall for my trolley layout. This building has a gothic architecture. I thought the components would be useful  to others in building a church, railroad station, etc so I posted the resin castings on my web site www.westportmodelworks.com and so far have very few takers.

Photo below shows the HO church model and my City Hall O scale model. The drawings are no longer available but the castings are.

Les Lewis

That is a beautiful church you made.  I think you are correct that the choice of church type, etc., is rather unique to each person so there are not a lot of takers for any one model.  Probably why so many people on this forum talk about scratch building one.

I think Les hit the nail on the head.

Everyone wants the Church they went to growing up.

That is a lot of very different churches.

Wood, Brick, Stone and every size and many shapes.

Lee, I love your Gothic Cathedral and were I not modeling Rural Western Colorado I would make one. I have the small MTH church and it fits my theme fine.

I even posed a newly married couple exiting the front. (Still need to add the cans and window writing to the car, Haven't found just the right car yet...)

Les, great job. The church looks real good. The city hall is beautiful.

That a church architecture is a very personal thing and everyone harbors a preference for their own...and THAT is THE fundamental discouragement to manufacturers is as big a crock of poopie as I've ever heard in this hobby!!

I have no doubt that this attitude has been encountered when surveying interest.

But why is this any different than responses given to market surveying/trolling for preferences in locomotives, rolling stock, road names, eras, residential architecture/styles, industrial buildings, vehicles, etc., etc., etc., blah, blah, blah???

We all have our preferences and prejudices when it comes to the choices offered/proposed for this hobby. 

I think the original post is a very valid suggestion/request.  And, while there are less-than-a-handful of O 'scale' church offerings out there, the Model Power, MTH, Plasticville, et al representations are simply (IMHO) somewhat  'trite' (for loss of a better term...forgive me!).  I say that because while folks like Korber, Branchline, Bar Mills, Banta, B.T.S., Stoney Creek, Altoona, Mt. Albert,...Ameritowne.... (shall I go on???) create and provide beautiful, exciting, iconic, quaint, structures of all sizes, locales, vocations, etc., I haven't seen any efforts to create a church.

And, if the rest of you are so able to identify a denomination based on the general architecture of most small churches, more power to you....and I wonder where I was when that lesson was taught???

No, I think the dearth of credible church models is for other reasons I won't even venture.

I'm with Rob Mozgawa in 'leaning' on Woodland Scenics (DPM) to come through.  I've made the same pitch to them at trade shows.  They've never said 'no'.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if Menards might have some influence in WS's coming O scale offerings and the possibility of a small church.

BTW, Branchline (Laser-Art) makes a dandy clapboard church model in HO.  I've encouraged them, also, to switch their laser multiplier to '2X' and generate at least a limited production O scale version of the same.

Wrong denomination.  Too personal.  ..............Good grief, Charlie Brown! 

KD

I agree with DKDKRD:  I was on a kick once many years ago to photograph rural churches and made a tour down a two lane state road finding quite a few, but, unless they were the very simple churches of Mennonites or Dunkards, your guess would have

been as good as mine as to denomination.  I would have found no onion dome Russian

Orthodox or Greek Orthodox in the part of rural America.

Both BTS and AMB make a kit for a church.  The AMB one does not look all that interesting, but the BTS one is one that I've built and also reviewed in the last issue of OST.  Fits in just fine in my rural town...

I would have found no onion dome Russian

Orthodox or Greek Orthodox in the part of rural America.

Really?  Try looking in Mount Union, PA up where the East Broad Top terminated and interchanged with the PRR - Church of the GOC of America, Sts. Peter and Paul's Parish on Front Street built back in 1916 funded by the Czar of Russia.....  There's another one over in Perry County over in Horse Valley, but I have not been over that side of the mountain for a few years now.

This was southern Indiana along the Ohio River.  While in coal mining areas of Pa.

settled by Eastern Europeans, no surprise on finding onion domes.  Indianapolis might have a few, but rural Indiana?...I saw none.

Dept 65 has at least 16 churches that would scale fairly close to o gauge. I have two and until something better comes along they'll have to do. At least they're not the cookie cutter type.

I constructed three churches for various customers. One was from a Thomas Kinkade painting. It was a wood structure with a stone front. It was my favortite one. I do not have any digital pictures of it though.

Alan Graziano 

The BTS church is very much the country church still present today.  Only brick was probably chimneys or foundation.  From the BTS website.


A small rural church that I attended in Western PA.  As a teenager, Mother asked me to help one of the neighbors repair the rope for the bell, that had broken.  Old head says the date on the bell was 1918.  I think??  We were always on repair/work duty with Mother and Uncle Clair at this church/cemetary. 








Cade's Cove, Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

Nice picture of that framing setting up on the stones!

Another interesting set of church pictures from Teton National Park, near the small town of Moose, WY, just north of Jackson (Hole) WY. The large center peak is the Grand Teton (cross) 13,770, There are also pictured Middle Teton (left) 12,804, Mount Owen (right of the Grand Teton) 12,928 and Teewinot. (far right) 12,325



Kneeling at the altar rail.

I dig for this photo when I need serious inspiration. 

The large center peak is the Grand Teton (cross) 13,770, There are also pictured Middle Teton (left) 12,804, Mount Owen (right of the Grand Teton) 12,928 and Teewinot. (far right) 12,325.  At the left edge of the picture is South Teton 12,514.  Hopefully I got this right.

That is a very nice Shot Mike.

I hope you don't mind if I keep a copy for my personal use.

And DK;

While I point out that everyone wants the church from their memory, I do have the MTH church on my layout. It will do for now.

Besides, my earliest church memories are the homes of the various church members, We didn't have a building until I was in my early teens !

And even then it was a converted home.

But some of the Churches in my memories are close to the BTS model if slightly larger.

Another one is similar in shape but cut stone.  And stained glass windows would be icing on the cake. I think I'll add them to my MTH piece.

I still believe that is the reason you don't see many churches offered.

Polls come back with every style and size imaginable with no clear preference, so they do not get made, where offering any Church would be better than none.

These links below show a scene that inspires me to add a church to my layout. The BTS church looks similar to the Walthers modified HO scale structure that he's using. Reminds me of the many small churches I've seen in rural Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.

http://www.magnoliaroute.com/magnolia_route_654.htm

http://www.magnoliaroute.com/magnolia_route_653.htm

http://www.magnoliaroute.com/magnolia_route_376.htm

In my prior post I mentioned that I once created a drawing for a church but dropped it from my inventory. Well after following this forum I decided to repost the church on my web site www.westportmodelworks.com I have only the front of the church as a card stock drawing in O, S, and HO scales. I choose to draw the Saugatuck Congregational  Church in Westport, CT. I choose it for several reasons one being it is im my town and easy to get all the measurements etc. Second almost every town in New England  seems to have a church of this style. The sight of the bell towers is quite striking popping over hillsides and populated areas.

My original vision is that modelers would use these drawings as follows. Note the O scale version is quite tall and can easily overpower a layout. However if one selectivly uses part of the drawing, especially the steeple, and placed it on a backdrop behind a an industrial area or scenic hillside the efect would be to add dimension to the layout. Like wise O gaugers could make use of the S or HO versions to suggest dimension.

Appreciate your thoughts.  PS it is listed as Building #15.

Les Lewis

Hey Guys - looking for churches? Check out THE RAILROAD CROSSING   www.yourhomeonyourlayout.com

Richard Krieg is the master model maker.  He has photos of churches he has made/created.   He also has some stock churches he sells too.  If you send him a photo of your favorite church, or any structure for that matter he will copy it to the "T"  AND his prices are extremely reasonable.  You get great quality.  He is a pleasure to deal with.  He built a white clapboard church for me.  It's AWESOME!!

I'll try to post some photos as soon as I get a chance.

Just thought I'd share this information.

Cheers and Happy Railroading!

Patrick W