Okay, this thing is done:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54964335287_335f1faee0_b.jpg

After three hours in the basement alternatively glittering and vacuuming, then 36 hours for a thorough dry, I think we can stick a fork in it...done! There's a lot of room for improvements and I've made ...

It's terrific Howard, with a call-out for the grand-master of modern-era little-cardboard-house construction. Hopefully it lights up a bit of interest in the model railroad community, if not the general Christmas arena as well. Might even generate a bit more "traffic" around here, which could be fun ...

Digging around in my photo archive, found this shot from the National Christmas Museum. Taken back in the early 2000's, it's their recreation of a counter at a prewar Woolworth's store. Lots of little houses for sale, and at good prices:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33951029018_51fda24dc8_c ...

Shot the tunnel with a basecoat of Rustoleum "moss green" and "warm caramel", topped with a coat of Rustoleum "primer white". Paint really exposes all of the imperfections in the paper, so a bit of touch-up using some lightweight spackle compound, then some more paint. Following that, the masons ...

Well, I'm resigned to the notion that I'm not going to make it by Thanksgiving...might take another week or so. In the meantime, we finally got around to papering it:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54947203168_5787313a7a_b.jpg

I'll let it sit until Black Friday...see how well it dries and ...

Okay, break over; I went ahead and based the hotel as a stand-alone:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54932103544_8b0fc721bf_b.jpg

Not the neatest job, but serviceable. The base is 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", and the front of the building is 4" x 4", with 2" x 4" wings on either side. The back is 7 ...

Wow, those are terrific, Steve. Nice vibrant colors and textures!

Thanks for the plans/dimensions, Howard. I almost always take a look at those to get a sense of how big/small these projects are.

Another terrific little house!

Paul R. II

I posted that last pic on one of the tinplate train forums I follow, Howard...a couple of the responses included "Now I know why there are no Priority Mail mailers at the post office." :lol:

I'm taking a short break from the tunnel to complete the Buena Vista hotel as a separate putz house. I'll ...

Okay, so the last thing I've managed to finish (well mostly finish) is pasting in some paper webbing to help support the paper mâché application. In its sopping wet form, paper mâché sags pretty bad, so you need something underneath to prop it up a bit. In the model train world, one would use ...