PLEASE READ BEFORE ORDERING
Our card kits have gained a high reputation, and many repeat orders, which is a testimonial to our satisfied customers, but we find that a few purchasers have not bothered to read the write up.
a) The kits are printed on card, and are not READY-TO-RUN plastic or metal models.
b) Because the subjects we cover often have very limited sales, pre-cut card is NOT possible without increasing the price to prohibitive levels. This means YOU have to cut out the parts, including any windows, doors etc. If you are looking for a “SHAKE THE BOX AND IT FALLS TOGETHER” KIT, then our kits are DEFINITELY NOT for you. If you are prepared to do quite a lot of work, then you will end up with a model that has far more detail than the majority of the throw it together kits.
c) We use quite thin 160gsm card for our kits, and there are several reasons for this. Partly this is to keep costs down, but there are more significant reasons. If you look at most kits, the windows are recessed far more than they should be due to the thickness of the material, and beading or other overlays are also much too prominent, so are either omitted by kit designers or are grossly over-scale. With the thin card we use, you can get it RIGHT, but it is more work for us to design and for you to build.
d) Anyone knows that you can’t bend card in two planes, so domed roof ends are “out” on a kit. – WRONG – with the thin card WE use, it will deform to permit domed panels. By using a multi-layering technique we can cover items that are quite impracticable in heavier card. We tried various thicknesses until we found what will work. Another benefit is that two or three layers of thin card, when glued together are MUCH STRONGER than one thicker piece of card and are less likely to sag or deform.
e) With thin card, we can add a lot more detail. For example our Ramsey water tank kit depicts a wooden tank that is very weathered with rotten wood. The colour artwork on all four faces is an exact match for the original, and with multi-layering you get 3D decayed wood in full colour. How many other kits do you know that offer that ????
TO SUMMARISE – IF YOU EXPECT A KIT YOU CAN THROW TOGETHER IN FIVE MINUTES, THEN YOU WILL NOT LIKE OUR KITS. If, on the other hand, you are prepared to take some time, you can build a delightful model, and have a look at the photos of the kits in our range. The display model is built up from one of our kits, but you need to take time and put in some effort.
Best wishes
An “Elro” HO Gauge CARD Model Kit by Elena & Robert Hendry which builds up into the Alco/GE battery/trolley locomotives of the celebrated Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Electric Railroad, America’s fastest interurban electric railroad. To complete the kit, which comes as a static model, but can be motorised using commercially available components, you will need scissors/craft knife, a steel ruler, glue, scrap card, wire, handrail knobs, glazing material, and felt tip pens or paint to touch in exposed edges of the card. A Card bell, knuckle couplers and trucks are included in the kit, but for a better model, these parts should be replaced with commercially available components.
The American interurban has always been popular with modellers, but as a minority interest, kits or imported etched brass equipment, have always been understandably expensive because of the low production runs that manufacturers can expect. The high cost and complexity of such models, superb though they are, is daunting to many modellers wishing to enter the traction field. In September 2007, we launched our first kit for the Manx Electric Railway, which was a British interurban. At that time there were just two kits in OO scale (both for the same vehicle) and nothing in O scale, as the MER had attracted hardly any trade support in over a century. Within four months, we had kits for no fewer than TEN MER vehicles in our range, and have customers who had bought every kit as it came out, and were demanding more. Because the “Ro”, or Robert part of ELRO, had always admired the celebrated North Shore Line, we decided it would be great to have a North Shore loco in our collection, so we studied drawings and photos of the two Alco/GE locos that entered service on the North Shore line in 1928. With their on-board storage batteries, they could operate away from the wires, so industrial private sidings did not need a complex and potentially hazardous overhead wire. The two engines ran until the end of North Shore Line services in 1963, and unlike the traditional large US freight locomotive which looks ridiculous on short trains, were quite at home on consists of two or three freight cars and a caboose. They could operate round incredibly sharp curves, and are the ideal prototype for the modeller who is strapped for space. As battery trolley locos, the modeller can prototypically string overhead on the “main line” but does not need to worry about complex overhead with masses of frogs in the sidings that make de-wirements common.
As work progressed on the kit, we realised that the engines had changed over the years, exchanging their original black paint for green in later years, acquiring a second trolley pole, a raised trolley plank, access rungs by the side of the cab door, and other detail alterations. We considered developing a kit for either engine in all forms, but decided there would be so much scrap material left over for the buyer, that it was better to produce TWO separate kits. One kit would build up into for 455 in the original BLACK livery. The second kit would be for 456 in green with all later additions. The black 455 kit, although intended for an engine in 1928 style, could be adapted to cover any intermediate stage in 455’s history until she went into green colors.
In this age of plastic and resin, the use of colored card in a kit may seem “old-fashioned”, but card is a very versatile and convenient modelling medium, and where small production runs are called for, is ideal, as it offers versatility at low cost. To do a kit like this in plastic would put up the cost 20 fold or more because the massive tooling costs have to be recouped on a short production run. The kit consists of several sheets of pre-printed fully coloured card, along with detailed instructions and a photo of a completed model to refer to during construction. It includes the body sides, ends, floors, and interior detailing. It can be built up as a simple “box” by a younger or less experienced modeller, or the multiple layers, including overlays for the strapping and hinges permits superb 3D effects. The card is quite thin, but this means that it bends smoothly but flooring and other structural areas should be reinforced with additional card that is readily available from stationers, or you can use a cornflake or similar packet if you are into recycling ! In assembling the bodies, a multi-layer sandwich is assembled adding strength, whilst separate add on details are included, although the beginner can omit these if he prefers as they are printed on the sides as well. Painting is often the biggest worry for modellers, and many fine models are let down by a mediocre paint job. Apart from being much easier to build that a brass or white metal kit, another benefit of our pre-printed card kits is that this daunting task is avoided as the model is pre-colored with full lettering, striping etc. In fact, the reason we did our very first “kit” was that we wanted a British tram with incredibly complex striping, and baulked at trying a paint job like that. With computer aided design, we could blow it up to 800% of final size and get it exactly right and then get it printed. The kit includes fold-up card bogies that are suitable for a static model. The card sideframes can be added as overlays to a commercial power bogie for a working model, but the correct Alco RM63B trucks are available from commercial model traction suppliers as well.
Unlike expensive etched brass kits that many modellers find too daunting, and are not really suitable to the younger modeller, if you do get it wrong, it is not a matter of hundreds of dollars that have been thrown away. If you do make a mess of it, you can put it down to experience and start again. For the freelancer, it is a useful tool. Forget about the North Shore Line, paint out the NSL logo and build the model up as a battery electric for a switching layout or an industrial yard. The choice is up to you.
The display model is from one of our kits. Having had the “pleasure” of building other manufacturer’s kits that do NOT go together, we always make a “proving model” to make sure all is well. As well as being fair to buyers of our kits, we make kits of stock we want for our own layout, so we want one anyway ! For that reason, we have added a full set of handrails, a cast bell, and working trolley poles to our model. They do not come with the kit, but show clearly that with a few inexpensive additions, the basic model can be an attractive addition to any layout. At the time our Publicity photo of the proving model of 456 was taken, we had not acquired working Alco trucks, so she sits on the original card trucks, but even these have been improved for the production kits.
If there is a sufficient uptake from traction modellers for our North Shore loco, we will be happy to consider other US interurban equipment at a later date, if it is suitable for card construction.
The kit is available in
455 IN ORIGINAL BLACK COLORS or
456 IN 1950s GREEN COLORS
If you want both versions, then order one of each, or order the preferred version
An “Elro” HO Gauge CARD Model Kit by Elena & Robert Hendry which builds up into one of the classic interurban cars built by the Jewett Car Co in 1907 for the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad. The ten cars in this class, No’s 128-137 were built for the rapidly developing North Shore Line, and after improvements in the 1920s with end doors and third rail shoes, operated over the celebrated Chicago elevated as well. Originally carrying Pullman green, they were re-liveried in the eye catching Traction Orange colors with a red letter board and window frames, and our kit depicts 131 in this classic and popular style. They were amongst the last cars built for the North Shore Line with the steam style Monitor roof with its pronounced clerestory with swept down ends. Mostly stored in the 1930s, half of the class were leased to theChicago, Aurora and Engin Railway for ten years and after a brief return to the North Shore at the end of World War Two, sold to the CA&E where they ran until 1954.
The American interurban has always been popular with modellers, but as a minority interest, kits or imported etched brass equipment, have always been understandably expensive because of the low production runs that manufacturers can expect. The high cost and complexity of such models, superb though they are, is daunting to many modellers wishing to enter the traction field. In England, traction modelling is even rarer than in the States, and we wanted models of the Manx Electric Railway, which was a British interurban. At the start of 2007, there were just two kits in OO scale (both for the same vehicle) and nothing in O scale, as the MER had attracted hardly any trade support in over a century. We decided that if we wanted MER cars, we had to design the kits ourselves, and within four months, we had kits for no fewer than TEN MER vehicles in our range, and have customers who had bought every kit as it came out, and were demanding more.
We decided to work with pre-printed colored card. In this age of plastic and resin, the use of colored card in a kit may seem “old-fashioned”, and hardly likely to produce a quality model, but have a look at the picture, which is of the proving model for the kit, and see what you think. As we wanted it for our own layout, we have fitted it with working trolley poles, handrail knobs and wire handrails etc, but with these minor additions, which are not a part of the kit, you can have a comparable vehicle running on your traction system at a fraction of the cost of a brass import or a plastic kit. Why is this ? Card is a very versatile and convenient modelling medium where small production runs are called for, as with the interurban field, and offers versatility at low cost. To do a kit like this in plastic would put up the cost 20 fold because of the massive tooling costs to be recouped on a short production run. The kit consists of no fewer than nine sheets of pre-printed fully coloured card, along with detailed instructions and a photo of a completed model to refer to during construction. It includes the body sides, ends, floors, the complex monitor roof, and trucks. It can be built up as a simple “box” by a younger or less experienced modeller, or the multiple layers, including overlays for the strapping and hinges permits superb 3D effects. The detail fanatic can incorporate over 350 separate parts from the kit in his model if he wants to, which works out at just a few cents per part !
The card is quite thin, but this means that it bends smoothly, but flooring and other structural areas should be reinforced with additional card that is readily available from stationers, or you can use a cornflake or similar packet if you are into recycling ! In assembling the bodies, a multi-layer sandwich is assembled adding strength, whilst separate add on details are included, although the beginner can omit these if he prefers as they are printed on the sides as well. Painting is often the biggest worry for modellers, and many fine models are let down by a mediocre paint job. Apart from being much easier to build that a brass or white metal kit, another benefit of our pre-printed card kits is that this daunting task is avoided as the model is pre-colored with full lettering, striping etc. In fact, the reason we did our very first “kit” was that we wanted a British tram with incredibly complex striping, and baulked at trying a paint job like that. With computer aided design, we could blow it up to 800% of final size and get it exactly right and then get it printed. The kit includes fold-up card trucks that are suitable for a static model. With a significant window area, extensive interior details are provided, including the floor with the position of the seats marked on it, the bulkheads, toilet compartment walls, seats, controllers etc
Many modellers find etched brass kits too much of a worry, for if you get it wrong, hundreds of dollars have been thrown away. With our card kit, if you do make a mess of it, and card is a very forgiving medium, you can put it down to experience and start again without having lost much. Etched brass is also a daunting challenge to the beginner, and we have often heard people say they are too scared to start How many guys are there out there who remain too scared to start ? Probably quite a few, but with experience comes confidence.
The display model is from one of our kits. Having had the “pleasure” of building other manufacturer’s kits that do NOT go together, we always make a “proving model” to make sure all is well. As well as being fair to buyers of our kits, we make kits of equipment we want for our own layout ! For that reason, we have added a full set of handrails, trolley poles etc. They do not come with the kit, but show clearly that with a few inexpensive additions, the basic model can be an attractive addition to any layout.
Apart from assembling as car 131, separate number panels are provided for cars 133 and 134 for the modeller who may wish to operate a train of North Shore stock. This kit is also available in undecorated form, AND in Chicago, Aurora & Elgin colors as well.
Given the reference to CARD and KIT in the item description and in the write up, it may seem un-necessary to say that this is NOT a ready-to-run die-cast metal model, but one e-bayer bought one of our kits and then complained that the description was “misleading”, for although it included the words CARD nine times and KIT, he thought it was a complete R-T-R metal model !!! He complained about “misleading” advertising, and returned the kit. We refunded his payment in full, even though the mistake was entirely his, so he very kindly trashed us with bad feedback. Happily most e-bayers are really nice and we have quite a few customers who have bought each of our MER or Glasgow kits as it has been released, and the kind comments really do matter, but sadly one incident like that does stick in your memory.
Chicago Aurora & Elgin Interurban Car 130, HO Gauge Kit
An “Elro” HO Gauge CARD Model Kit by Elena & Robert Hendry which builds up into one of the classic interurban cars built originally by the Jewett Car Co in 1907 for the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad. But leased to the neighbouring Chicage, Aurora & Elgin in 1936 amd purchased by “the Roarin Elgin” a decade later. Originally North Shore colors, they were re-liveried in the eye catching dark blue, sky blue and red colors of the CA&E and our kit builds up as car 130 or 137 in this color scheme. The cars remained in CA&E service until c1954.
The American interurban has always been popular with modellers, but as a minority interest, kits or imported etched brass equipment, have always been understandably expensive because of the low production runs that manufacturers can expect. The high cost and complexity of such models, superb though they are, is daunting to many modellers wishing to enter the traction field. In England, traction modelling is even rarer than in the States, and we wanted models of the Manx Electric Railway, which was a British interurban. At the start of 2007, there were just two kits in OO scale (both for the same vehicle) and nothing in O scale, as the MER had attracted hardly any trade support in over a century. We decided that if we wanted MER cars, we had to design the kits ourselves, and within four months, we had kits for no fewer than TEN MER vehicles in our range, and have customers who had bought every kit as it came out, and were demanding more.
We decided to work with pre-printed colored card. In this age of plastic and resin, the use of colored card in a kit may seem “old-fashioned”, and hardly likely to produce a quality model, but have a look at the picture, which is of the proving model for the kit, and see what you think. As we wanted it for our own layout, we have fitted it with working trolley poles, handrail knobs and wire handrails etc, but with these minor additions, which are not a part of the kit, you can have a comparable vehicle running on your traction system at a fraction of the cost of a brass import or a plastic kit. Why is this ? Card is a very versatile and convenient modelling medium where small production runs are called for, as with the interurban field, and offers versatility at low cost. To do a kit like this in plastic would put up the cost 20 fold because of the massive tooling costs to be recouped on a short production run. The kit consists of no fewer than nine sheets of pre-printed fully coloured card, along with detailed instructions and a photo of a completed model to refer to during construction. It includes the body sides, ends, floors, the complex monitor roof, and trucks. It can be built up as a simple “box” by a younger or less experienced modeller, or the multiple layers, including overlays for the strapping and hinges permits superb 3D effects. The detail fanatic can incorporate over 350 separate parts from the kit in his model if he wants to, which works out at just a few cents per part !
The card is quite thin, but this means that it bends smoothly, but flooring and other structural areas should be reinforced with additional card that is readily available from stationers, or you can use a cornflake or similar packet if you are into recycling ! In assembling the bodies, a multi-layer sandwich is assembled adding strength, whilst separate add on details are included, although the beginner can omit these if he prefers as they are printed on the sides as well. Painting is often the biggest worry for modellers, and many fine models are let down by a mediocre paint job. Apart from being much easier to build that a brass or white metal kit, another benefit of our pre-printed card kits is that this daunting task is avoided as the model is pre-colored with full lettering, striping etc. In fact, the reason we did our very first “kit” was that we wanted a British tram with incredibly complex striping, and baulked at trying a paint job like that. With computer aided design, we could blow it up to 800% of final size and get it exactly right and then get it printed. The kit includes fold-up card trucks that are suitable for a static model. With a significant window area, extensive interior details are provided, including the floor with the position of the seats marked on it, the bulkheads, toilet compartment walls, seats, controllers etc
Many modellers find etched brass kits too much of a worry, for if you get it wrong, hundreds of dollars have been thrown away. With our card kit, if you do make a mess of it, and card is a very forgiving medium, you can put it down to experience and start again without having lost much. Etched brass is also a daunting challenge to the beginner, and we have often heard people say they are too scared to start. How many guys are there out there who remain too scared to start ? Probably quite a few, but with experience comes confidence.
The display model is from one of our kits. Having had the “pleasure” of building other manufacturer’s kits that do NOT go together, we always make a “proving model” to make sure all is well. As well as being fair to buyers of our kits, we make kits of equipment we want for our own layout ! For that reason, we have added a full set of handrails, trolley poles etc. They do not come with the kit, but show clearly that with a few inexpensive additions, the basic model can be an attractive addition to any layout.
Artwork is provided to allow you to build the model as car 130 or 137. As the Elgin used to keep these elderly 50 mph North Shore cars separate from its own 60 mph equipment, they often ran paired, making the ability to build up a couple of models especially useful to the CA&E fan. This kit is also available in undecorated form, AND in North Shore line traction orange. As the cars returned briefly to the North Shore in the 1940s, before sale to the CA&E, the kit would also be suited for a North Shore modeller.
Given the reference to CARD and KIT in the item description and in the write up, it may seem un-necessary to say that this is NOT a ready-to-run die-cast metal model, but one e-bayer bought one of our kits and then complained that the description was “misleading”, for although it included the words CARD nine times and KIT, he thought it was a complete R-T-R metal model !!! He complained about “misleading” advertising, and returned the kit. We refunded his payment in full, even though the mistake was entirely his, so he very kindly trashed us with bad feedback. Happily most e-bayers are really nice and we have quite a few customers who have bought each of our MER or Glasgow kits as it has been released, and the kind comments really do matter, but sadly one incident like that does stick in your memory.
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An “Elro” HO Gauge Card Construction Kit by Elena & Robert Hendry to build Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad Box Motor Express Car No 7. The kit builds up as a static card model, but can be motorised, using commercial mechanisms. To complete the kit, you will need power trucks if you require a motorised model, plus scissors/craft knife, a steel ruler, glue, scrap card, wire, and felt tip pens or paint to touch in exposed edges of the card.
The Chicago, Aurora & Elgin, was one of the three great Insull Interurbans to serve Chicago. With its access to downtown Chicago severed by an advised municipal road building plan, the line closed in 1957. Although primarily a passenger operation, the “Roarin Elgin” operated a few box motors in express and milk service, sometimes running them in pairs as locomotives on freight assignments. Following the reception of our CA&E passenger car kit, we decided to add a kit for CA&E box motor No 7 to our range. No 7 was built in 1906 and converted to a tool car in 1941. Alternative parts mean that the kit will build up into the express car in its all-over red colors with white title lettering, or into the later tool car variant with grey speed stripes and later title. By combining parts, an all-over red car with no road insignia or name that is suitable for a freelance traction line can also be built. The “Roarin Elgin” was notorious for the poor lasting qualities of its paint jobs, and the streaked appearance of the matchboard siding in the kit recaptures “the Elgin look”.
In this age of plastic and resin, the use of card in a kit may seem “old-fashioned”, but card is a very versatile and convenient modelling medium, and where small production runs are called for, is ideal, as it offers versatility at low cost. To do a kit like this in plastic or resin would put up the cost 10 or 20 fold. The kit consists of several sheets of pre-printed fully coloured card, along with detailed instructions and a photo of a completed model for you to refer to during construction. It includes sides, ends, floors, roof and interior detailing, including the controllers, bulkheads, etc. It can be built up as a simple “box” by a younger or less experienced modeller, or the side stanchions and strapping plates that are included in the kit can be added. The level of detail is up to you, but as an open car, it is well worth taking the time to detail it. The card is quite thin, but this means that it bends smoothly but flooring, ends and other structural areas should be reinforced with additional card that is readily available from stationers, or you can use a cornflake or similar packet if you are into recycling ! In assembling the sides, we make up a “sandwich” comprising the pre-printed side, and scrap card. The kit includes fold-up card bogies, but these can be replaced by commercially available mechanisms, so you can run your completed model on a model railroad, as we do with ours.
Unlike expensive etched brass kits that many modellers find too daunting, and are not really suitable to the younger modeller, this card kit is readily affordable and is a good start to modelling, and provides a way to recreate an exceptionally attractive interurban item of yesteryear. The photo of the finished model, which has been fitted with working power trucks, trolley poles, wire handrails and truss rods, instead of the printed card items, shows what you can be achieve with the kit. Whilst some experience of card construction kits is a help, the beginner can try his hand to gain that invaluable quality, experience.
Given the reference to CARD and KIT in the item description and in the write up, it may seem un-necessary to say that this is NOT a ready-to-run die-cast metal model, but one ebayer bought one of our kits and then complained that the description was “misleading”, for although it included the words CARD nine times and KIT, he thought it was a complete R-T-R metal model !!!! We refunded him, even though he clearly had not bothered to read the description, and then he trashed us with a neutral feedback which now counts against us.
THIS IS A CARD KIT, WHICH YOU NEED TO BUILD
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An “Elro” HO Gauge CARD Model Kit by Elena & Robert Hendry which builds up into one of the classic monitor roofed wooden bodies interurban cars built by the Jewett Car Co in the early 1900s. The prototype was one of ten cars, Nos 128-137 built by Jewett for the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad in 1907, but displays characteristic Jewett lines, and would be at home on any Mid Western or Pacific coast interurban layout, and even on some of the bigger Eastern seaboard systems.
The car was actually built as a model of the North Shore stock, but as freelance own company traction systems are common amongst US traction modellers we have offered it in undecorated form as well. It is finished in traction orange with maroon red letter boards which was a common color scheme, although orange letter boards are also included. On many traction systems, cars like this arrived when the road was opened, and were still there when it closed, so it has immense versatility for any period from c1900 to the demise of most traction lines by the 1950s.
The American interurban has always been popular with modellers, but as a minority interest, kits or imported etched brass equipment, have always been understandably expensive because of the low production runs that manufacturers can expect. The high cost and complexity of such models, superb though they are, is daunting to many modellers wishing to enter the traction field. In England, traction modelling is even rarer than in the States, and we wanted models of the Manx Electric Railway, which was a British interurban. At the start of 2007, there were just two kits in OO scale (both for the same vehicle) and nothing in O scale, as the MER had attracted hardly any trade support in over a century. We decided that if we wanted MER cars, we had to design the kits ourselves, and within four months, we had kits for no fewer than TEN MER vehicles in our range, and have customers who had bought every kit as it came out, and were demanding more.
We decided to work with pre-printed colored card. In this age of plastic and resin, the use of colored card in a kit may seem “old-fashioned”, and hardly likely to produce a quality model, but have a look at the picture, which is of the proving model for the kit, and see what you think. As we wanted it for our own layout, we have fitted it with working trolley poles, handrail knobs and wire handrails etc, but with these minor additions, which are not a part of the kit, you can have a comparable vehicle running on your traction system at a fraction of the cost of a brass import or a plastic kit. Why is this ? Card is a very versatile and convenient modelling medium where small production runs are called for, as with the interurban field, and offers versatility at low cost. To do a kit like this in plastic would put up the cost 20 fold because of the massive tooling costs to be recouped on a short production run. The kit consists of no fewer than nine sheets of pre-printed fully coloured card, along with detailed instructions and a photo of a completed model to refer to during construction. It includes the body sides, ends, floors, the complex monitor roof, and trucks. It can be built up as a simple “box” by a younger or less experienced modeller, or the multiple layers, including overlays for the strapping and hinges permits superb 3D effects. The detail fanatic can incorporate over 350 separate parts from the kit in his model if he wants to, which works out at just a few cents per part !
The card is quite thin, but this means that it bends smoothly, but flooring and other structural areas should be reinforced with additional card that is readily available from stationers, or you can use a cornflake or similar packet if you are into recycling ! In assembling the bodies, a multi-layer sandwich is assembled adding strength, whilst separate add on details are included, although the beginner can omit these if he prefers as they are printed on the sides as well. Painting is often the biggest worry for modellers, and many fine models are let down by a mediocre paint job. Apart from being much easier to build that a brass or white metal kit, another benefit of our pre-printed card kits is that this daunting task is avoided as the model is pre-colored with full lettering, striping etc. In fact, the reason we did our very first “kit” was that we wanted a British tram with incredibly complex striping, and baulked at trying a paint job like that. With computer aided design, we could blow it up to 800% of final size and get it exactly right and then get it printed. The kit includes fold-up card trucks that are suitable for a static model. With a significant window area, extensive interior details are provided, including the floor with the position of the seats marked on it, the bulkheads, toilet compartment walls, seats, controllers etc
Many modellers find etched brass kits too much of a worry, for if you get it wrong, hundreds of dollars have been thrown away. With our card kit, if you do make a mess of it, and card is a very forgiving medium, you can put it down to experience and start again without having lost much. Etched brass is also a daunting challenge to the beginner, and we have often heard people say they are too scared to start How many guys are there out there who remain too scared to start ? probably quite a few, but with experience comes confidence.
The display model is from one of our kits. Having had the “pleasure” of building other manufacturer’s kits that do NOT go together, we always make a “proving model” to make sure all is well. As well as being fair to buyers of our kits, we make kits of equipment we want for our own layout ! For that reason, we have added a full set of handrails, trolley poles etc. They do not come with the kit, but show clearly that with a few inexpensive additions, the basic model can be an attractive addition to any layout.
As well as being in undecorated form, the car is available in North Shore Line traction orange, and in Chicago, Aurora & Elgin colors as well.
See also our North Shore line battery trolley locos and Manx Electric Railway interurban kits.
Given the reference to CARD and KIT in the item description and in the write up, it may seem un-necessary to say that this is NOT a ready-to-run die-cast metal model, but one e-bayer bought one of our kits and then complained that the description was “misleading”, for although it included the words CARD nine times and KIT, he thought it was a complete R-T-R metal model !!! He complained about “misleading” advertising, and returned the kit. We refunded his payment in full, even though the mistake was entirely his, so he very kindly trashed us with bad feedback. Happily most e-bayers are really nice and we have quite a few customers who have bought each of our MER or Glasgow kits as it has been released, and the kind comments really do matter, but sadly one incident like that does stick in your memory.
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An “Elro” HO Gauge CARD Model Kit by Elena & Robert Hendry which builds up into one of the fascinating traction orange liveries refrigerator or reefer cars of the Illinois Traction System. This large mid-Western interurban was built up under William B McKinley in the early 1900s, and was one of the largest and best run of the US interurbans, and was one of a handful of lines to operate its own refrigerator or reefer cars. The nine vehicles were built by American Car & Foundry Co in 1907, and were a fascinating blend of interurban car building practice and steam railroad reefer boxcar design. Originally colored green, they went into the long lived tangerine colour of Illinois Traction in which our kit is available.
The American interurban has always been popular with modellers, but as a minority interest, kits or imported etched brass equipment, have always been understandably expensive because of the low production runs that manufacturers can expect. The high cost and complexity of such models, superb though they are, is daunting to many modellers wishing to enter the traction field. In September 2007, we launched our first kit for the Manx Electric Railway, which was a British interurban. At that time there were just two kits in OO scale (both for the same vehicle) and nothing in O scale, as the MER had attracted hardly any trade support in over a century. Within four months, we had kits for no fewer than TEN MER vehicles in our range, and have customers who had bought every kit as it came out, and were demanding more. Following the wholly unexpected response to our North Shore electric loco, we have added a kit for this delightful reefer to our range, as it such a hybrid of conventional steam freight car and interurban design.
In this age of plastic and resin, the use of colored card in a kit may seem “old-fashioned”, but card is a very versatile and convenient modelling medium, and where small production runs are called for, is ideal, as it offers versatility at low cost. To do a kit like this in plastic would put up the cost 20 fold or more because the massive tooling costs have to be recouped on a short production run. The kit consists of several sheets of pre-printed fully coloured card, along with detailed instructions and a photo of a completed model to refer to during construction. It includes the body sides, ends, floors, the complex monitor roof, and trucks. It can be built up as a simple “box” by a younger or less experienced modeller, or the multiple layers, including overlays for the strapping and hinges permits superb 3D effects. The card is quite thin, but this means that it bends smoothly but flooring and other structural areas should be reinforced with additional card that is readily available from stationers, or you can use a cornflake or similar packet if you are into recycling ! In assembling the bodies, a multi-layer sandwich is assembled adding strength, whilst separate add on details are included, although the beginner can omit these if he prefers as they are printed on the sides as well. Painting is often the biggest worry for modellers, and many fine models are let down by a mediocre paint job. Apart from being much easier to build that a brass or white metal kit, another benefit of our pre-printed card kits is that this daunting task is avoided as the model is pre-colored with full lettering, striping etc. In fact, the reason we did our very first “kit” was that we wanted a British tram with incredibly complex striping, and baulked at trying a paint job like that. With computer aided design, we could blow it up to 800% of final size and get it exactly right and then get it printed. The kit includes fold-up card trucks that are suitable for a static model.
Unlike expensive etched brass kits that many modellers find too daunting, and are not really suitable to the younger modeller, if you do get it wrong, it is many dollars that have been thrown away. If you do make a mess of it, you can put it down to experience and start again.
The display model is from one of our kits. Having had the “pleasure” of building other manufacturer’s kits that do NOT go together, we always make a “proving model” to make sure all is well. As well as being fair to buyers of our kits, we make kits of stock we want for our own layout, so we want one anyway ! For that reason, we have added a full set of handrails, and working trucks to our model, although being in the UK, we have not been able to obtain the correct and somewhat unusual trucks that the original cars were mounted on. They do not come with the kit, but show clearly that with a few inexpensive additions, the basic model can be an attractive addition to any layout.
The kit is numbered to build reefer No 1806, but the artwork includes a fully color drawing, and if you want a pair of reefers you can buy a second kit, and use the two color drawings from both kits in place of the ordinary sides to produce a second differently numbered car. Should you wish to obtain a pair of Illinois Traction reefers, contact us before paying, and we can arrange to add a second car to your order.
See also our North Shore line battery trolley locos and wooden interurban cars, CA&E box motor and interuebans and Manx Electric Railway interurban kits which may be of use to US traction fans as well
Given the reference to CARD and KIT in the item description and in the write up, it may seem un-necessary to say that this is NOT a ready-to-run die-cast metal model, but one e-bayer bought one of our kits and then complained that the description was “misleading”, for although it included the words CARD nine times and KIT, he thought it was a complete R-T-R metal model !!! He complained about “misleading” advertising, and returned the kit. We refunded his payment in full, even though the mistake was entirely his, so he very kindly trashed us with bad feedback. Happily most e-bayers are really nice and we have quite a few customers who have bought each of our MER or Glasgow kits as it has been released, and the kind comments really do matter, but sadly one incident like that does stick in your memory.