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Building Fronts for Suspended Layouts

Posted by Stephen Kiser (Flower Mound, TX - USA)
Recently I installed a suspended layout in my home and I want to add some building fronts to add character to the layout. I've only been able to find one vendor (Fiddletown) for these products. Are there any other vendors and if so how might I be able to contact them.

Posted by Bill McNeal (Jacksonville, Fl. - USA)
I just remembered that Precision Products sells 4 different building fronts as set. A saloon, a Hotel, a doctors house, and a general store. These are vacu-formed plastic veneer and require painting.
See their ad in Garden Railways Feb 99 issue pg125. I have used alot of their products for many different buildings. I highly reccommend them.
Bill

Posted by Jim Banner (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Canada)

For indoor-only backgrounds, colour printouts of computer-generated images are quick and easy. They can be done in any drawing or CAD program that allows duplicating elements, which includes most programs, even simple ones like Windows Paintbrush. All you have to do is draw the element once, whether it is a brick, a pillaster, a window, a board or whatever. Then you keep on duplicating until you have a whole building front. Sides too, if you like. With small elements like bricks, you can duplicate the original one into a block, then treat the block as an element and keep on duplicating it. Mounting the printouts on shallow boxes made of foam core gives a three dimensional effect.
If you prefer something more substantial that can be used indoors in winter and outdoors in summer but still want to keep the costs low and the designs unique, consider scratch building in Styrene. The link below gives the methods, one of the postings below gives the plans.
Jim

Saskatoon Railroad Modellers Home Page

Posted by Scott Suleski (Amesbury, MA - USA)
Stephen,
Garden Texture offers plans in there '99 catalog for Urban Store Fronts. They are located on LSOL under the Shopping heading at Manufacturers profiles with a link to their web site.
good luck,
Scott

Posted by Bill McNeal (Jacksonville, Fl - USA)
I remember seeing some wooden building fronts at Wal-mart in the craft department that looked to be about the right size. I don't know what they were intended for or if they still carry these items. They were unpainted and inexpensive. Just thought you might look there next time you are in a wal-mart. There were about 3-4 different ones.
Bill

Posted by Bill Uffelman (Naperville , IL - USA)
You can turn Piko kits into flats, Use the fronts and rears as appropriate. OR why not build some "flats". Use 3/16" or 1/4" foam core from the art store, glue on strip wood or embossed plastic brick or stone as appropriate. Windows and doors from Grandt or Simpson or use the Piko leftovers.
Plans for lots of structures on line at http://www.detnews.com/metro/hobbies/hotbox/ and
http://www.narrowgauge.net/slvrlk2.htm and the town site links on the page.