Last week I was in a local hobby shop and prompted by my discovery of a single Campbell kit being sold on consignment I initiated a discussion with the store owner about Campbell kits. I lamented on times when stores had a complete selection of these kits on the shelves. The owner smiled and said that nobody builds those anymore. A customer who had been handling and judging by the look of appeasement on his face, apparently admiring, a ready built structure in a brightly colored windowed box chimed in with comments about the wood quality control issues, he had “heard” about, that were germane to all Campbell kits. This from someone considering buying a plastic pre built model from China.
Over the years I have heard the remarks from experienced/advanced model builders about the quality of the wood used in the Campbell kits or the slightly oversize windows. However, when pressed for disclosure, each of these modelers have sheepishly confessed that they had built at least one or more Campbell kits usually in their earlier years in the hobby.
While there are no statistics I am aware of to substantiate my feelings, I believe there are more BUILT Campbell structures on model railroads than any other wood craftsman kit and part of the reason is the instructions and isometric drawings done by Sherry Collins which are included in every kit. (I really wish I had met that lady before she passed.) If you follow the excellent instructions that accompany the kits you will end up with a built model. How appealing that model is depends on your attention to detail, the finishes you select and neatness in applying glue etc. I will guarantee you will get more personal satisfaction out of that build than any RTR item you have on your railroad.
On the way home I reflected on my personal experience with Leo Campbell’s contributions to the hobby. In the late 1970’s I was a member of a model railroad club in Chicago. We needed some structures for a project we were doing and we had little money. I sent letters to about 18 of the major manufactures soliciting donations. To the best of my knowledge, Leo Campbell was the only one who responded by sending us five of his kits. Yes 5! And they were not the less desirable kits. Several, like the Quick’s Coal were substantial kits. I never forgot that generosity!
Recently I was doing a bit of organization in the “black hole”. This had already netted one project described in my blog “Timing is Everything”. This time it turned up a two structure Campbell kit #366 with one structure missing and the other unbuilt and still in the box. This partial kit was not on my extensive inventory list but according to the price tag on the box apparently I gave $8 for it at a swap meet some time back. I pulled it out of its hiding place and got much the same feeling as when I had opened that very first Campbell kit back in 1974. Based on the original store price on this kit of $14.50 I believe it was probably first sold in the early to mid 1970’s. Currently, the suggest retail for this double structure kit is $67.24.
While I have numerous remotoring and regearing projects in the shops and am awaiting parts for some of them, I decided that building this kit would be the focus of my attention for the next few days.
I decided that for the most part I would build this kit in much the same manner as I had built the first kit. No major sanding of components as most first time builders do not do that. There would be no nail holes, no broken boards no distressing of wood or other techniques I have learned since that first build in 1974. Except for painting I would do a “vintage” build. Besides, recent conversations on some of the structure related hobby boards suggest that the whole nail hole distressed board thing has been overdone.
(Click on any image for a larger view)




Some window glazing, a few window shades and a bit of chalk weathering and the structure is pretty much done. In the future once the final location of this structure is decided, I will add details around the building as suits my needs and maybe a figure or two.

I'll look forward to your comments.
One down, about eight hundred more kits to go. Now lets see, what’s next and, what was I originally looking for??
CWRailman