HO-scale models

Dear Bassa,

Per your request. I made these from scratch. They are made from balsa wood — light and sturdy — and in HO scale (1:87). Some people prefer basswood but it’s a much thicker wood (and therefore a little harder to do.) I just used a fine X-Acto blade and some Elmer’s Glue. My dad loved everything old and classic, including the railroads. He converted his 8-car garage (yup, 8 cars) into a giant model railroad set. He was the “engineer” and I was the “architect”. We built small towns here and there, nestled in the hills and valleys of his twelve train tracks.

I started making model buildings from scratch from a very young age. In the beginning, they were made from cardboard boxes. My window curtains were hand drawn with color pencils. Several years ago when I came home to pack up the house after my dad passed away, I found them in an old box. They had been lugged around several countries and were bent and misshapened, but he still kept them.

Anyway, here are the newer better balsa wood version. I took these photos for you while I wait for the boiling water that I just poured down my drain to unclog the clog that I created….

Which one do you like best?