BC&SJ - Help from my friends

Bear Creek & South Jackson III

Getting help - structures on the BC&SJ built by friends.

The Beatle's album, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had a song titled "A little help from my friends" with lyrics "I get by with a little help from my friends.... This also applies to model railroading. When constructing a largish layout, there is far too much work to be done by one individual.

In particular I really appreciate help with structures. Although I've built quite a few, it's not my favorite aspect of the hobby. Here are some structures placed on the railroad (over a period of time) by friends.

All I can really say is THANKS!

Archer Corp.in South Jackson

2009 - Len Bruening, a regular South Jackson yardmaster in years past loves building craftsman structure kits. I handed him a Frenchie Gratts kit and he handed me back this structure. Originally it was planned to be the Beall and Holden Lumber Co. tool house, however a mix up in signals resulted in it appearing with signage as an aggie building so it migrated to South Jackson where it currently resides. Thanks Len!

Klassic Plywood

2009 - Ken Lass, a regular operator on the BC&SJ asked what he could do to help with the layout. I suggested a plywood mill backdrop building for Mill Bend would be a great addition to the layout. Ken obliged with the following structure scratchbuilt of styrene.

Farmhouse

2016 - Jim Moomaw's first venture into super detailed structure kit assembly. He's a meticulous guy, everything fits perfectly. He even used microscope slide cover glass for the windows so they don't have that give-away plastic shine! This house started as an AMB Farmhouse kit. It looked so good that at the next op session, I corraled Ross, a PNR second division MMR and proponent of the NMRA Achievement Program and we wrote up an application for a certificate of merit which Jim received. The farmhouse will be the centerpiece of a farm scene between upper and lower Bear Creek along the track between Oakhill and Bear Creek yard.

Deschutes Printing in South Jackson

2016 - I asked Paul Mack, a work night regular to come up with a stand-in backdrop building for a printing company. Paul's day job is building models for a movie studio. Here's what he came up with. Pauls stand-in buildings look better than some fully modeled ones!

Andrews Well Drilling in Browning

2017 - This stand-in building was a collaborative effort. I printed the sides and laminated them on strathmore board. Paul Mack added braces to keep the walls straight, glued them together, and added a roof. This is the first structure in Browning.

The Junction City Depot

2017 - Jim Moomaw put together an American Model Builder's laser kit SP Type 23 depot to create this striking lineside structure. He spent a lot of time researching the details that would be present in such a structure. His meticulous craftsmanship is obvious. This effort netted him another NMRA Achievement Program merit award. The depot went into service on May 20, 2017, just in time for an ops weekend. Now we need to make the lower quadrant train order semaphore in front of it operable.