Cannot find small bits an pieces on net HELLP!!! and other things

[Woody Elmore]

If you read stories about the building of the UP going west, the first things erected in towns were saloons which allowed gambling and bordellos. Most of the structures were moved on flatcars although some of the "buildings" were glorified tents.

The railroad fed the employees and they slept in company dormitory cars. I read one account where the men were moved around at night while asleep so that they were free during the day for labor the minute they were up and fed breakfast.

As for the sleeping figure with a sombrero I would think that a company might think twice about offering such a figure because it is a stereotype. 

[Jim Banner]

A stereotype, yes.  But a good one or a bad one?  Having been brought up on Kipling, including his "only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun," I see a siesta in the hottest part of the day and a large hat to provide the shade for that siesta as sane and logical adaptations to the climate.

Two men look at a scene.  One man sees ten guys working hard while the eleventh is goofing off, having a nap.  The other man sees one person with the sense to conserve his strength in the hottest part of the day so that he can work harder and longer when it cools off a bit, while the other ten idiots are busting their humps in the heat.  Which man is prejudiced?  They both are.  Which one is right?  Neither is.  What is really going on here is that one of the workers passed out from heat stroke when the crew ran out of water.  Ten other workers shaded the victim with a borrowed sombrero and went back to work, while the twelfth member of the crew (who we don't see) ran two miles up the line to fetch a pail of water.

A sitting figure, or even a standing one with his legs cut off, can quickly acquire a sombrero if you use a washer and a bit of putty.  As the sombrero is central to the scene, you can make it a really big one and let the viewers make their own interpretations.



The photos show some figures with hats added and in one case a dress to send the young lady back to the 19th century.  The hats are all styrene washers and Squadron Green Putty.  In each photo, the centre figure is an original, unmodified one.  Oh the scandal of women wearing pants in old times and backwards countries.

Jim

[buzz]

Hi Jim
Sorry for delay in reply work (Real trains) got in the way of hobby's
if you have more pictures they would be appreciated.

Ray
Any idea how far apart the roof supports are I spaced them at about 4'4"
and it seems a bit close??
regards John

[buzz]

Hi Woody
Stereotype it might be but a sensable one.
it comes from a Spanish custom.
Given the very arid and hot dry climate the layout will have it, makes perfect sense to knock off for lunch at 12:00 have an after lunch nap and start again around about 15:00 when it starts to cool down.
Science has proved it's a smart thing to do but its not part of most western cultures.
Any way the whole layout is going to look like a wild west movie
so siesta has to be part of it just like the gunfight has to be part of it.
regards John

[renniks]

Reminds me of the old Noel Coward song  --"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun".

Eric UK

[CNE Runner]

Oh boy...I don't read a thread in a while and all sorts of interesting things transpire. Like Jim, I have had to 'redecorate' figures to bring them back to the 19th century. There actually is very little offered, in the model figure world, that fits the late 1800s in upstate New York (outside of Musket Miniatures). Jim, I really like the 'fit and finish' of those figures.

John, you are absolutely correct in reasoning out the siesta was largely due to climatic factors (try working in Arizona when the temperature reaches 110+F). The siesta had nothing to do with laziness (from my observations our Central American brothers are some of the hardest working folks I have ever seen). With air-conditioning, modern Mexicans are dispensing with the traditional siesta; and are working schedules similar to Amerigo's (BTW: the work day, in much of Mexico, was lengthend to make up for the siesta break).

As for your question regarding the spacing of the adobe roof poles: I would say your spacing is very close to the prototype. Wood is in short supply throughout much of the Southwest - so it would be used sparingly. More modern structures have the fake roof poles somewhat closer (probably in the neighborhood of 3'). Unfortunately we will not be journeying out to New Mexico until May 2010 - so I can't measure them personally. Perhaps there is a poster that lives in that area and can do some 'field research'? Failing that, you could find a picture of a pueblo building and extrapolate the measurement from it (assuming you can estimate the height of the structure).

Eric - Here in the Heart of Dixie, we have modified that quote to read: "Only old hounds and Yankees go out in the midday sun." Keep working on your accent and y'all will fit in fine."

Enjoy the rest of the weekend,
Ray

[Jim Banner]

My apologies to Noel Coward and my thanks to Eric for that correction.  You can find the text at:
http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiMADDOGS.html

Jim

[buzz]

Hi Guys
I have two adobe houses on the go one is a wild west structure for the model railway.
The other is the house at Wadi El Iset ( for war games)
I have come across a problem and I don't quite know what to do about it.
As I have never encountered this kind of problem before.
the base structure is foam core board with wood filler to fill any awkward gaps and round the corners.
The problem is getting the right texture on the sides.
When I think the texture is about right well you cannot see it with the naked eye and it goes real flat and I mean real flat when painted.
When the texture is made a little bit coarser so it shows through the paint
it is way to coarse.
Any thoughts.
The other problem is the houses at Wadi El Iset should have privacy screens rather than glass windows, I thought gyprock tape would do it.
( not sure what you call it in the US but its used on type of plaster board wall sheet)
Wrong the house at Wadi El Iset looks like its got a nine pane window
instead of a privacy screen any thoughts on this one.
Both structures are semi scale HO
regards John
PS the beauty of these structures construction is that several trials have been able to be rubbed down and try again.

[fieromike]

John Anderson uses some of his scenery powder to mix a batch of stucco for his adobe type walls.  A large adobe depot pictured here:
http://www.rrscenery.com/ashfork2.html

Mike

[buzz]

Hi Mike
Sorry for delay in reply work getting in the way again.
Don't have easy access to the product mentioned.
Do you think hobby sand as put out by Games Workshop mixed in with the paint might work I have some of that sand left over from a war games project
It would at least get some texture on the model well maybe.
regards John