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DURANGO FULL 10-STALL KITS
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I apologize that this has taken so long. My plan was to crank them out
a decade ago. I managed to get most of the 10-stall kits out but barely any of the less than
full sets out before my father became ill and required my full attention. And now his Estate,
in closing requires my shop and myself to move.
After a year in storage and moving to Toppenish,
I am finally working on the next batch already reserved.
Meanwhile, here is the story behind them.
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We are doing both Durango (brick) and Gunnison (brick and stone).
Not only are they narrow gauge icons, in quarter-inch, I believe
they are some of my best work yet. My friend Glenn Farley has built and installed
Gunnison on his layout which be published in The Narrow Gauge Gazette and a
highlight of the 2012 32nd National Narrow Gauge Convention (Sept. in Bellevue, Wash.)
where you might also see my Durango pilot model.
I have been posting photos of my progess on the patterns, molds, castings,
lost wax and white metail parts, and the initial construction of my Durango pilot model. I
know I need to post more but these will get you going.
Click this link to see the progress I'm making:
CONSTRUCTION INDEX
Or click on this link to see:
2006 NARROW GAUGE CONVENTION
And click here to see:
2012 NARROW GAUGE CONVENTION
The footprint of our 71 foot brick roundhouse (17-3/4") is set
back 96'-0" (24") from the turntable center with 14'-6" on center (3-5/8") stalls
at the engine doors and 25'-0" wide (6-1/4") rear walls. We've intentionally done
the roundhouse longer than the 67 ft. prototypes (actually this is an inside
measurement while ours is the total length outside) so your model locomotives
with their over-sized drawbars can better fit in. We also know space on your layout
is often an issue so we have shortened the approach a little bit (little over an inch
from the 101' prototype) thus widening the rear walls by about one scale foot (1/4")
in the process. The resulting models if done with all 10 stalls (Durango) or 11
(Gunnnison) will just fit on a 4' x 4' sheet of plywood. See the "GENERAL LAYOUT" pdf
footprints links below.
We'll offer the following options for those who order the
complete 10 or 11 stalls. Options may be limited on lesser orders. We'll see.
Originally, the engine doors were framed in brick. They were either
engineered wrong, constructed improperly, or simply replaced with wider openings. There
is a photo showing a 10 stall roundhouse handsomely faced with brick poratls. The captions
identifies it as Gunnison but this can't be- Gunnison had 11 stalls. So it must be an early
photo of Durango. Later we see Durango was faced with wood frame construction while Gunnison
was partially rebuilt in 1938 with six stalls done in wood. If there is interest we are
offering this as "original" on both locations featuring handsome windowed engine doors and
a clean brick face. These will require a $25.00 surcharge per stall.
We are offering Durango in two additional versions. The "classic"
early version with windowed engine doors of various sizes, stalls 7, 8, 9 and 10
for instance heightened for the larger engines. And the "late" version, with
non-windowed (rebuilt) engine doors, machine shop in stall 1, stalls 4, 5 and 6
extended. Instructions will be given on distressing and aging the brick as much
or as little as you like. The cap stones for instance failed due to the harsh
climate and were repaired with concrete patches. That's a simple fun project.
We are also doing the attached buildings for Durango. The boiler
house and coal pocket to the north, and the foreman's office, crew room and storage
to the south. We will treat these as additional stalls but you can probably talk me
into including them with full ten stall orders. These are so interesting we decided
to release them separately as two-stall dioramas.
Then for Gunnison we're doing the classic mid-40s look with a
mixture of door styles that is so hard to describe I won't even try. Just about
each one is different! Stall 1 is fully windowed, stall 2-7 are extended and
heightened, stall 11 houses the snowplow. Right side wall is stone.
We will package the kits with a strict five stall minimum
with the exception of either side of Durango, these as the side wall plus two stalls,
and the boiler house or foreman's office, as a diorama.
Additional stalls beyond the first five are $150.00 each. If you opt for the
extended stalls you must purchase a minimum of three on top of the five masonry.
These were wood frame construction modifying the existing masonry stalls adding
13'-0" (3-1/4") out the back on Durango, or 9'-6" (2-3/8") on Gunnison with 3 ft.
in height there.
The models feature my hand-rendered scale brick expertly cast
in White Hydrocal in my shop. It's not jobbed out to China or the lady down the
street. We are using my hand-carved stone for the Gunnison version's right side
wall, and same stonework for (1") foundations all around. The roof panels are precisely
laser-cut and marked for rafter locations, with timber frame trusses, as are the
wood frame extensions. You will love the smokejacks, doghouse vents and other
detail. The engine doors are laser cut with working photo-etched hinges.
The windows are also laser-cut, with mullions on both sides of laser-cut "glass".
They can be built wide open, or shut tight for winter. Cast Hydrocal inspection pits
are included: two narrow and one wide per 5 stalls.
Wow, pretty amazing when you put it all together! Well, we didn't
stop there. Can you imagine the brick detail inside too! You don't have to imagine it, we
did that too. This will be the ultimate display case for your prized On3 locomotive fleet
and the focal point of your layout. In fact you can forget the rest of the layout and
just model the engine facility. It will make a great place to display your roster.
We spent years studying drawings and photos, figuring out
just what was "right". There are many answers to that when you consider different
dates, variations and two locations. Our intention is to provide you with the components
to construct various versions of the roundhouses. Thus the brick patterns will be
an early version that will allow you to modify to a later version, adding the concrete
patches if you want, boarding up windows, fixing engine doors, extending stalls and so on.
Right up to when Gunnison was torn down and Durango burnt (if you want to model it after
the fire you can built the kit, burn it down (video on You-Tube please) and we'll discuss how
you can rebuild it).
To construct your model properly you'll really need to start
from 1-3/4" below ground. Yeah, sorry, more than likely you'll have to scrap what
you already have but trust me, in the long run it will be worth it. You'll want to
build your new roundhouse and approach tracks on a good firm base (not supplied).
We recommend a high quality 3/4" plywood (you'll need at least a whole half-sheet
if you are doing all 10 or 11 stalls!), with 1" of Homasote (double thickness) on
top becoming the cinder floor. A 1" stone foundation will skirt this floor and can
be buried (like Durango) or exposed (Gunnison), or whatever your layout requires.
The inspection pits will be 1" deep as well and built into this base.
Click on this link to see:
CONSTRUCTING THE BASE
Then on top the base we'll build our roundhouse model starting
with the foundation. I recommend pinning the walls in place rather than gluing. Same
with the timber trusses, and the roof panels simply lay in place. This allows you
to refine the fits and adjust as necessary, access your locomotives, plus in the end
you'll be able to disassemble your model and move it to new locations more easily-
There are many benefits to a little extra work.
My collaborator Glenn Farley has completed the Gunnison Roundhouse
while I am lagging far behind on the Durango pilot model, now thinking I want to do the
later version. If we wait for me to finish... We're much better off getting this thing
into production! My model was shown at the 2006 Durango narrow gauge convention,
Glenn's Gunnison at the 2008 Portland convention and no doubt will be a highlight of the
2012 convention to be held here in Seattle. Glenn plans to submit a feature article to
the Narrow Gauge Gazette on Gunnison and I posting construction photos for Durango
on the web site. See links below.
Glenn scratch-built his 85 ft. turntable. I'm thinking about doing the
same or maybe using a Wiseman kit (a copy of the old Colorado Scale Models kit).
Complete 72 pages bound step-by-step instructions for the roundhouse are included.
Tabloid-size plan sheets and templates include location plans (Gunnison and Durango), elevations for all sides,
roof and truss templates, and assorted details. Everything you need to construct your
museum quality roundhouse.
These are truly DELUXE C. C. CR"O"W SCALE models of the highest
quality.
They will be
released in the order of reserve starting with the complete Durango 10 stall kits first.
Let me know your name, address, phone number and how many stalls of which location to reserve.
For Durango let me know which era: original, classic or late.
Spring 2025 UPDATE: I apologize that this has taken so long.
I'm working on a batch of 10-stall and may actually contact
those on my list. All is not lost, just almost all.
E-mail:
C. C. Crow
Write to reserve your model today.
RESERVE YOURS TODAY!
E-ORDER and I'll put you on the list. |
C. C. CROW P. O. BOX 149 TOPPENISH, WA 98948
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