Once Again: The Molasses Mine

The photo was sliced from a larger one that appeared in the Feb '76 issue of Railroad Modeler in a story about Lila Martin's Sierra and White River Railroad. An excellent layout, and more so to me because I spotted the E. L. Moore based plastic kit, Molasses Mine and Factory, on it. The caption is intriguing: Just beyond the station (shown in the full image) is a large industrial area. The large factory was built from an article in RAILROAD MODELER (their caps). You may recall that in the Nov '76 issue of RMC, there was also a kitbash based on the Molasses Mine kit - this kit made the rounds! Being an E. L. Moore completist I now must find that RM article about the large factory :-)

6 April update: As I read my way through these old model railroad magazines I see the E. L. Moore plastic kits, in both straight ahead, box-stock builds and kitbash articles, on many layouts, and used as donors to kitbash articles.

I'm not recording them all so I don't bore myself silly with the task. Here's one of the last I'll mention,it's from the Oct '76 issue of Railroad Modeler and appeared in the Showcase section. Its caption reads: The Mill Creek UPS building was constructed from an AHM Ramsey Journal kit in HO by Sam Greco of Dearborn, Michigan. The building was modified with a scratchbuilt roof, loading doc, awnings, etc. The gutters were formed of aluminum tubing, while many detail parts are from SS Ltd. The tractor trailer units are from the New Athern highway vehicle kits.It's a decent little building and sort of exemplifies how ubiquitous those kits were at the time. I assume it's a combination of their generic looks, low-price, and small size. Seeing them all has given me a sense of how pervasive the E. L. Moore legacy was in those days even if most purchasers didn't know the backstory of these kits. However, appearances of the Molasses Mine I will continue to note as it seems such an odd kit, and I'm always surprised to see it.

Speaking of surprises, Railroad Modeler always seems to be full of them in one way or another. Here's the cover of that Oct '76 issue. Looks fairly standard. That's a Fine Scale Miniatures coaling tower they review in the issue. All is good.

But, when I looked closer I saw this little drama unfolding on the walkway. Is that guy in the black three-piece suit wearing a Green Hornet style mask ? Maybe it's a shadow, but from the angle of the lighting, it looks like a mask. And what's that young woman in the yellow dress doing on that other walkway? Both figures are gone when it comes to the kit review. But, there they are, front and centre on the cover, and it isn't even the April issue :-)

[7 April update: That announcement of AHM's Molasses Mine kit appeared at the bottom of the New Products section in the Dec '73 issue of Railroad Modeler. The text reads: A very different type of industry is the subject of a new HO kit from AHM. Molded in plastic in a variety of colors, the kit is quick to assemble though some time should be spent in repainting some smaller details and adding a nice weathering job to the structure. Kit No. 5828 sells for $4.98. I couldn't find an equivalent announcement in Model Railroader, and I'm hunting for one in Railroad Model Craftsman, as the article it's based on appeared in RMC. Inquiring minds need to know :-)