Kit #1 in the "1 of 500" Series
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Jack & Art Discuss Schmidtchen’s

The prototype for this kit came right from our own "Wharf Street" layout, the one that we built here in the shopat Bar Mills.  A free-lance structure designed by our head-design-guy and very excellent friend Jim Mooney, Schmidtchen's is absolutely one of the truest "jewels" in the worls of model railroad structures.  We built ours on a hillside, but if you want to build yours on a flatter surface don't be concerned, we have made the kit so versatile that even "flat" installation is possible !
We'd like to tell you that this is a "simple" kit to build.  We'd be lying.  While we do have to be concerned about the modeling challenge levels of our kits that are sold through regular retail channels, when it comes to the direct-sale "special rin stuff" the gloves come off.  This kit is a challenge, it's supposed to be.  But look at the end results !

From the diamond patterned roofing shingles to the custom made tilt-out plastic windows we've done our best to make a kit that wasn't only truly unique, but a good value as well.  The resin-cast "stone" foundation provides a unique yet sturdy base for the building.

If you're like us and love this structure we know you're gonna want to get one.  We fully expect the remaining of the 500 manufactured kits to disappear by this upcoming Holiday season.  Then they're gone.
If you want to spend a lot of money on E-Bay for one just wait a year or so, you won't be disappointed !


"Schmidtchen's Physical Footprint"





“Schmidtchen’s” is our 1st “1 of 500” kit and will probably no longer be available by the time you read this catalog... (printed in March 2008).  A heavily detailed craftsman-type kit this structure can be built on either one or two levels (as shown).  Order directly from Bar Mills only, this kit will not be issued again... once they go they’re gone !

"HO"   $129.95
 

 


The "original" Schmidtchens on our
"Wharf Street" layout.


Even from a distance the unique roofline stands out from the rest.
Weathering Clapboard Walls....
    Few topics in structure construction offer as many different approaches as “weathering”, or “aging” the clapboard wall panels of your structures.  Weathering is nothing new, even the methods are hand-me-downs of generations gone-by... as with everything else we’ll sometimes add a new twist to an old technique, but you can be sure that this as well as most techniques were developed by modelers long ago.
    There is a commonly conceived notion that “adding-nail-holes” to clapboard is an essential part of structure assembly... nothing could be farther from the truth.  While most of us like the rugged look that nail holes provide it’s unlikely that you’d be able to spot them from more than a few feet away... and when we view our models we are indeed many scale feet away.  So follow this technique... but save it for you foreground structures... aging every building the same will result in a visually repetitious layout !
    The most common tool used for introducing nail-holes is a “pounce” wheel... in many ways the wheel resembles the spur of a cowboys boot.  By applying mild pressure to the wheel and running it along side of a metal straight-edge rows of nail-holes can easily be introduced to a piece of clapboard.  There are two notable pitfalls to the technique... firstly, although it may be prototypical lines of nail-holes place too closely to each other on a model can do more to hurt than help the look of your work.  And secondly, it’s very easy for a “wheel” to wander... leaving you with nail-holes that can “snake” down your walls in a wavy pattern.
    You’ll want to introduce nail holes while you clapboard is still lying flat on your workbench, don’t try to add them to your completed structure !
    Pounce wheels can be purchased in many arts/crafts and fabric stores.  Different modeling scales will require different pounce-spacing... so examine a wheel before purchasing it.
    Another simple method of aging your structures is to randomly “lift” individual strips of clapboards from the milled siding.  Using a sharp single-edged razor, or (my favorite) a “chisel” blade in a hobby knife just guide your tool under random clapboards.  They will lift easily... just make sure to occasionally scribe them vertically to introduce “breaks” between the individual boards.
    Both of the above techniques can be done before priming, painting, or staining your wall panels... the choice is yours.  We like to distress and do our “dirty-work” before doing just about anything else to a wall.  Remember... trying to add these effects to a completed wooden structure can be a big mistake !.
    Fortunately the clapboard siding used on Bar Mills structures is cut “irregular” & “uneven” to help introduce a slight aged look without any additional work by the modeler.