Pretty Village buildings and Washington, D. C. at the centre of layout innovation?

Repro of Pretty Village Hotel #5

I did a little digging through the Model Railroader archive to see if I could find anything about John Swartzell. I did, and it's quite interesting.

First, there's an article called History of Model Railroading in the Feb '37 issue that has this to say about Swartzell's layout:

The first model railroad that we know of, built as an operating entity according to present ideas, was the Baltimore & Ohio Junior of John Swartzell, Washington, D. C., the track layout and plan of which is shown on the next page. This road started in 1904 as a tinplate line, and the layout shown dates back as far as 1919. The photo above shows how complete it was in careful planning and execution. O gauge with 1/4" scale was used.

Yeap, and the plan does look like that Shorpy photo. But, more importantly, Swartzell's layout wasn't just any old layout, it was the first one to be what we today take to be a layout: a trackplan that seems realistic and allows for operation like an actual railroad set within a scenic context that also seems real in organization and modelling. Also, its construction dates back to 1919, so it pushes back the date of the first known layout quite a ways. The Jan '89 issue reiterated the importance of Swartzell's layout in the opening essay to Legendary layouts and the men who built them.

Interestingly, in that Feb '37 article no mention is made of Hugh Boutell and the HO layout he built in the '20s, although mention is made of Eric LaNal being an HO pioneer, although LaNal later noted Boutell as having the first HO layout in the US.

So, Swartzell had what was considered the first modern model train layout in the US, and Boutell had the first HO layout. Both were residents of Washington, D. C. at the time of these innovations. And both made use of Pretty Village toy buildings. Admittedly, they were used to fill out the non-railroad and domestic aspects of the layouts, but without them would the layouts have appeared as complete scenes? I'd argue maybe not. They fulfilled a role, albeit a minor one, to help boost those two layouts to iconic status. 

Unfortunately, in the Dec '37 issue, MR ran Mr Swartzell's obituary, noting that he died on 18 November 1937.

Another Pretty Village sighting

Pretty Village buildings used on J. N. Swartzell's layout, Aug '29 | Shorpy

I was browsing around Pinterest and came across this photo from Shorpy. It's the layout of Mr. John N. Swartzell of Washington, D. C., dated 5 August 1929. Over at Shorpy there are 4 photos of Mr. Swartzell's layout: 2 from 11 December 1925, and 2 from 5 August 1929. The 1925 photos look like they were taken to document construction. 

One thing that caught my eye were the Pretty Village buildings in the background. I've noted them in the photo: item 1 is House No. 15; item 2 I can't identify from my reference material although it has the characteristics of a Pretty Village model; item 3 is Hotel No. 5. 

I speculate that Mr. Swartzell's layout is in O scale, and if that's the case he's been quite strategic in placing the Pretty Village models in the background as they're somewhat smaller than O; probably closer to S or HO. If you look at the other 1929 layout photo you'll also see what look like Pretty Village models deeper in the background, in the mountain's foothills. This is a rather sophisticated use of these buildings.

My suspicions were that these Pretty Village toys were likely used on many early model train layouts as they were relatively inexpensive and sized just about right for O or HO layouts if carefully placed, as we saw with Hugh Boutell's layouts* (here and here). To me it's interesting to trace the use of these kid's toys that were first released in the late 1890s to early 20th century model railroads.

*I wonder if Boutell and Swartzell knew each other as they both lived in Washington, D. C. in the mid and late 1920s?

Restoring E. L. Moore's Norfolk & Southern yard office

After some restoration work

Until recently I looked down on E. L. Moore’s Norfolk & Southern yard office that was published in the Feb ’66 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. It seemed a simple, two-page space filler project. I shouldn’t have been so snobby. As Mr. Moore points out in the article, it’s a model of an actual Norfolk & Southern building, but what he only mentions in a letter to Hal Carstens, dated May 16, 1965, is that the prototype, along with the blacksmith shop, was one he himself discovered in Charlotte. Much like the HOJ POJ MFG CO. and the 1900’s Foundry, those two little buildings were Charlotte structures he saw, measured, and modelled. So, there’s a little thread of Charlotte history running through a subset of his models that should be given some consideration on my part.

Before restoration

The model as received wasn’t in too bad shape. The end walls have warped a bit. Some parts had broken off, but were included along with the fence section that stands in the landscape outside the front door, so it was complete. 

The more concerning problem were the discoloured edges to the end walls and the slopes on their upper brick work. At first I thought they were exposed raw wood from where the Northeastern brick sheet was cut, but looking closer with a magnifying glass showed faint brick work. It turns out Mr. Moore painted bricks on those edges to finish them, and he outlines the procedure in the article:

Now you will need a paint mixture to cover the raw surfaces to match the brick. Take a few brushfuls of red, a couple of yellow, then a touch of green - and maybe a bit of white if it needs lightening. When you’ve got a close match cover the surfaces and stripe, using a fine pointed brush, and an off white paint to simulate mortar joints.

He doesn’t say what kind of paint was used, but after 56 years it appears to have almost faded away. However, from the article’s photos, it looks like he did a good job of matching the Northeastern brick pattern. I decided not to overpaint these edges, but just leave them as is. I think I’d do more harm than good if I tried to match the brick.

I did do a little touchup painting on those two sets of concrete steps. It looks like their lower edges collected a little plaster from sitting on somebody’s layout, so I overpainted those areas with some thin flat black to blend them into the black washes Mr. Moore had already applied to the stairs. You can also see a little plaster on the lower edge of the front wall. I’ll leave it for now as I’m not sure how to remove it without damaging the brick surface.

So, not much to see here. Glued a few pieces back on and touched up some stairs. 

But, there’s one last thing. Take a look at this cover letter E. L. Moore sent to Hal Carstens with the yard office manuscript:

August 25, 1965

Major H. Hoople Carsten,

Ye Editor,

Railroad Model Craftsman

Ramsey, N. J.

Dear Major . . .

By golly, I didn’t think you’d do it — really dunno as it was worth the extra wordage but I wuz not in the mood to be factual . . . but I can understand now why Mr. Zip (JDL: aka Linn Westcott, editor of Model Railroader magazine), if, as according to one of his readers, he writes three quarters of what goes into his mag, has little time or desire for humor.

But here is one in the approved style, short and terse, to make up for Major Hoople’s excesses (JDL: The ‘excess’ was a long, tall tale in the Hoople Warehouse article; no tall tale in the yard office article). And it’s from the same yard in which I discovered the blacksmith shop.

Y’know why I kinda like RMC best? Not because of your shiny coated paper or your plastic bags — but because it ain’t so damned technical that it gives one an inferiority complex — so keep it kinda that way for us more simple minded folks. But this ain’t no testimonial because now and then I gotta pat my friend, Bill Rau (JDL: Bill Rau was an associate editor at MR at that time), on the back too.

Mud in your eye . . . 

{signed E. L. Moore}

(Had this article ready but held it about a month so as not to push too much into the old boy’s craw at a time)

Yes, that last bit in red was actually typed in red at the bottom of the copy of the letter. He’s done that on a few letters, and I’ve wondered for what reason? A note to himself? A note to a relative? A note to me? I can’t say I know anything about the complexities of the space-time continuum, but one wonders :-)

The Hoople Hypothesis

Restored Hoople & Sons

I don't know if philosophers have their philosophies put to the test, but it seems with every restoration I'm testing my 'Do The Least' philosophy.

Do The Least? Ok, the sentiment is good, but how does it play out in actual restoration projects? Well, let me propose The Hoople Hypothesis: If doing the least doesn't restore the spirit of the model, then more small changes will be implemented until aesthetic disturbances are alleviated. 

Rail side view of the restored model

Major Hoople's Brick Warehouse is a favourite of mine, but when I received it I noticed a number of problems: three roof supports were broken off, although one was stashed inside; most of the loading dock doors were missing; two loading dock legs were broken off and two were missing; the brick stairs on the end wall had fallen off, but it was stashed inside; and the 'concrete' caps on the stepped walls looked like they had been chewed on by insects. So, what was the least that could be done to restore some sense of the goodness of this model? 

Top: My 2 new roof supports; Bottom: An original

First, I had to glue back on the original parts that I had on hand. 

Second, after thinking about how this model would appear in a diorama, I figured I had to make two new roof supports, and two new loading dock supports on the rail side so the building at least looked like it was structurally sound. And to finish up I'd have to touch up paint the concrete wall caps so they didn't look like raw balsa chewed by vermin, which they were. 

First the roof supports. Here's how E. L. Moore describes their construction:

Now come the roof braces as seen in Figure B. You'll need four for each side each composed of three lengths of 1/16" square stripwood or balsa, these to be attached to the brick wall.

Locations of the missing roof supports

I made mine from 1/16" balsa strip. I used the support I had that had broken off as a template. I traced its outline on a 3x5 card, and then built two overtop. After some colour tests with green paint I had on hand, I decided to paint them with Tamiya XF-5 Flat Green. 

The vertical components of all the broken roof supports were still attached to the walls, so all I had to do was attach the three sideways Vs to the intact verticals, and then touch up paint the verticals to blend in everything. Old reliable Weld Bond was used for gluing.

For the rail side loading platform legs, all I did was cut two pieces of 1/4" square balsa strip, paint them with Revell Aqua Color 3606 Tar Black and glue in place. On the model those supports were cut and folded from Northeasten brick sheet. As this material no longer exists, and since Mr. Moore had weathered his with rather thick black paint, I figured black balsa pieces would be a rather unobtrusive fix.

Gnawed, raw balsa concrete caps prior to painting

It was then on to repairing the concrete wall caps. You can see in the photo the ones on the model look like something has chewed on them: they're rough edged and the tasty paint has been gnawed off. I figured I'd just paint them instead of replacing them with new ones. It was the exposed raw balsa that was giving me a problem; I could live with the rough edges.

Here's what Mr. Moore had to say about those concrete caps:

When you have the front wall completed add the concrete caps at the top. I made these of 1/16 balsa, sanding them down to about 4 or 5 scale inches, then after fitting and cementing, color with a bit of gray paint to which a touch of yellow has been added.

I have a rather large collection of acrylic grey paints, and some yellows too. I spent some time mixing greys with a dab of yellow, but all I got were greeny-grey blends. Honestly, the grey on the concrete caps looks a little on the blue side, so I'm a bit confused about adding yellow to a store bought grey. In the end what I did was mix some Model Master 4680 Gray Primer with a little Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. This mix was sparingly dabbed on the areas of raw balsa and blended into the remaining paint with a finger. When dry, a little, thin wash of the flat black was applied over all the concrete caps.

Wagon side view of restored model

 And that is that.

Well, almost. I'm still wondering if the skylights should be replaced. After 56 years they have yellowed, and are partially unglued from their frames due to warping. Maybe when I see this model in a diorama I'll revisit this question. It seems dealing with Do The Least, even in light of The Hoople Hypothesis, satisfaction is never completely achieved, just parked for awhile until the model is viewed in other situations. 

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Psst.

If you're interested in hearing the untold story of Major Hoople's warehouse, go and get some coffee and get back here for the next section - take your time, I can wait :-)

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Digressions and some deep background

This project, which was published in the September 1965 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman, has a little more to it than meets the eye. It's both a classic E. L. Moore build in concept and style, and a departure from his usual construction materials. Let's begin with the departure.

I do wisht as how you'd try Northeastern's products

E. L. Moore was famous for using balsa wood. He even used it for making brick walls, carefully scribing in rows and rows of brick into balsa sheets. His firehouse is a good example. However, if you're a magazine that advertises products, and one of those products is HO scale brick sheeting, then having content featuring the use of said brick sheeting by a famous model maker might be a good thing advertising-wise. Here's a letter from Hal Carstens to E. L. Moore suggesting he give Northeastern brick sheeting a try in one of his projects:

April 8, 1965

Edgerton Llewylln Moore
525 Oakland Ave
Charlotte, N.C.
Howdy there Ee-El:

Preparing your factory for the June issue.(JDL: Small MFG. Plant, RMC, June '65, which featured both concrete blocks and bricks scribed into balsa) Kinda cute but I do wisht as how you'd try Northeastern's products, on account Jim Doyle at Northeastern finds glider flying a mite expensive and the added sales would ease the pinch. Maybe if I prodded Jim, he'd even send down a batch of busted pieces and samples of something? Say the word.

Have decided that maybe I should try my hand at an HO pike soon as the basement is done - on the premise that I don't have the room to do what I'd like to do in O gauge at present. Whaddaya say to that? HO and I are no strangers. Built my first Megow caboose back in '39 or so. And me so youthful.

Would like to see some more complicateder opuses, like the factory. Like these ideas - which you may discard if they create grist for your thinking apparatus: two level depot with stairway to the second level tracks crossing the lower. An ancient brick (red of course) warehouse. (JDL: This suggestion eventually became the Hoople warehouse model, which used red Northeastern brick sheets) Even another type of warehouse spelled somewhat differently would be fun altho too many readers would take offense so it must regretfully be bypassed. Operating bascule bridge of a smallish type. What would an abandoned trolley line look like? A sorghum factory would be sorta sweet to see. Etc.

Model railroading is fun.

Hal

That letter sowed the seed for what would be Hoople’s red brick warehouse, made from Northeastern red brick sheets of course.

I have used other materials

A slightly affronted E. L. Moore  replied to Carstens a week or so latter confirming that he’d cook up some project that used Northeastern brick sheets.

April 14, 1965

H H Carstens

Editor

Publisher

Managing Editor

Treasurer 

Secretary

& Train Pusher

Ramsey, N. J.

Hi Colonel . . . 

Dammit it ain’t as if I’d cut my teeth on balsa and can’t get the goody taste out of my mouth . . . I have used other materials, but I like what comes easiest. Fact is, I keep a little Northeastern siding on hand for emergencies and special occasions but I’ve never tried any of their brick or fancy siding materials. As for brick paper, I wouldn’t even consider using it even if old Walther was starving. Fact is, I never figure fellows using what I use when I mention brick — I figure they gotta use something like Northeastern — or paper.

As I say I’ve never tried their brick or concrete or such like . . .  iffen they’ve got some old brick they pulled down from some ancient stables I’d gladly give it a try . . .  I spose I could even dirty up that jazzy new looking stuff, but it sho seems a pity. I’m willin’ to deprive myself of the pleasure of working with good ol’ kitewood (JDL: aka our friend balsa) if it’ll make you and Northeastern and your goddam readers happy. So pass your friend the word and see if they’ve got any old scraps they’ve been walking on or used in the place of corncobs. When them guys can put out some shingle stuff to match my balsa shingles (JDL: I tried his shingle making method here.) I’ll give ‘em all my business — which ain’t much.

So you’re stopping at HO instead of going to the E W S (eensy weensy stuff). Fact is, at your age you oughta be working the other way . . .  you oughta be gettin’ farsighted and need to work in O gauge instead of tring HO. Me, I have four, five pair glasses, none of which cost more than two bucks, graduated from normal newspaper reading distance, right down to where I can see a nit on the end of my nose and tell has ass from his snoot. Maybe I mean a mite and not a nit.

Okey, I’ll come up with something . . .  not that I know what a bascule bridge is, but I’m acquainted with the other mentions.

Time to do my spring housecleaning now. I always try to clean the joint up at least once a year, otherwise it gets like heavy walking underfoot.

{signed E. L. Moore}

To keep the Majuh in good humor I’ll try some

A month or so later E. L. Moore sends an order off to Northeastern for brick sheets and some other materials. But Moore being Moore, this isn’t some just-the-facts-ma’am order.

May 10, 1965

Northeastern Scale Models, Inc.,

Box 100 Ballard Vale, Mass.

Gentlemen:

Majuh Hoople Carstens of RMC thinks I oughta use real red brick instead of that which I make from kitewood, as he frowningly terms my use of balsa, in making models which find themselves in RMC’s pages. He claims you need the business far more than the balsa people. I told him if you’d learn to make shingles such as I can make from balsa then maybe I’d consider a changeover. I don’t suppose it’s commercially feasible to use heated dies and I dunno whether balsa could be worked with cold ones. I use an electric burning pen to produce mine and to date no commercially produced shingles I’ve seen are worth a darn. I’ll stick to my balsa.

I always keep some of your siding on hand but I’ve never tried the brick — however, to keep the Majuh in good humor I’ll try some — I’d prefer some that’d been walked on or dipped in grime but I suppose all your stuff is apple pie new. But then I guess I can dirty it up to look natural.

So, send me:

4 sheets HO red brick      @ .75. 3.00

10 1/32 x 1/32 stripwood   @ .02.  .20

10 1/20 x 1/16    “        @ .02.  .20

10 1/20 x 1/8     “        @ .03.  .30

5  1/32 x 3/16    “        @ .04.  .20

5  1/32 x 1/4     “        @ .06.  .30

                                  ____

                                  4.20

                                   .50

                                  ____

                  Check enc..     4.70

Please cut strip wood to 12” length — this will simplify mailing and if you don’t do it I have to do it here when I stow it away.

I thank you . . . 

{signed E. L. Moore}

You’ll note that in this letter and an earlier one Mr. Moore mentions he’d like some sort of weathered brick, but if that isn’t available, he’ll do the weathering himself. Well, he could only be supplied with clean stuff, and in the article he has some detailed instructions on how to go about weathering the sheets.

Also, I find it interesting that he bought the materials for this piece of content marketing and wasn't supplied them for free by the manufacturer or RMC. Although we later find out Northeastern included some free samples along with the order.

I’ve conjured up plans for that brick warehouse

A few days after sending off his order to Northeastern, Mr. Moore lets Carstens know about his purchase, and that he has developed some plans for what will soon be known as Hoople’s warehouse in the cover letter to his manuscript for a yard blacksmith shop. And he signals in the salutation who the H Hoople in Hoople’s warehouse is really referring to.

May 16, 1965

Mistuh Majuh H. Hoople Carstens

Editor . . 

Railroad Model Craftsman

Ramsey, New Joisey

Well I’ve conjured up plans for that brick warehouse and have also ordered a carload of brick and when it arrives I shall immediately begin building. And dammit, hereafter when I have occasion to mention b - a - l - s - a, I she;; do so only in a whisper, and immediately shout in parenthesis ( OR SHEETWOOD!)

Meanwhile, just to fill in time and space here’s a little gem I corralled in the Norfolk Southern yard here a week or so ago. I wunner how it remained undiscovered so long. Have never seen anything like it published so far as I can recollect. And jest notice them plugs for Northeaster ( it takes all of maybe six inches of siding) augtha keep ‘em working overtime!

Ah well, great day in the morning . . .  and the evenings are pretty good too even if I am obliged to pursue a less strenuous hobby these days, as somewhere I read “A man’s age is likely to be the determining factor as to whether he will chase women or pursue a less active hobby”.

{signed E. L. Moore}

Have a merry time deleting to your heart’s content

A month or so later, model complete, Mr. Moore sent off the manuscript for Major Hoople’s Brick Warehouse to Carstens, and it was published in the Sept ’65 issue of RMC. Here’s the manuscript’s cover letter:

June 13, 1965

H. Hoople Carstens, Editor,

Railroad Model Craftsman

Ramsey, N. J.

My deah Majer . . . 

My friend Bill Rau said he was all for livening up a certain article, but that Mr. Zip (Linn) (JDL: Linn Westcott at Model Railroader magazine) had a very factual mind.

So . . . if you, too, have a very factual mind, just get your blue pencil in hand and have a merry time deleting to your heart’s content. Have fun at it . . . I did. And I ain’t had nothin’ to drink since Glory Day.

{signed E. L. Moore}

P S

Mister Northeastern sent some right purty extra sample stuff in addition to what I ordered. I’ll hafta send him a pitcher. But such damned pretty prissy brick.

That blue pencil being used over at Model Railroader was deleting a lot of E. L. Moore's tall tale from his Turn Backward, O Time article about the shortline terminal yard that appeared in the January '67 issue. The Hoople warehouse article contains an extensive tall tale meandering through the entire story as well as photos that both illustrate the build and supplement the tale. No blue pencil was used on the Hoople story. So, even though a new material was used in the build, the structure of the article was classic E. L. Moore.

Thanks very much

Another month later E. L. Moore sent a thank you letter to Northeastern:

July 14, 1965

Northeastern Scale Models,

Box 100, Ballard Vale, Mass.

Gentlemen:

Received my last little order and also the generous additional sheets you added. Thanks very much. I gave “Mister Northeastern” prominent mention in my warehouse article which Major Hoople Carstens now has. Am preparing a couple of others, a yard office of red brick, and Uncle Charley’s retirement cottage of yellow brick and some flagstone and am enclosing a couple of extra photographs of these . . . so, if you’ve never seen a brick - er - er - powder room, you’re looking at one now. Furnished with both catalog and roll paper. Always heard that old adage “built like a brick - er - powder room” but never did see one, having just an ordinary clapboard sided one when I was a kid so I had to build one. Chic Sale never mentioned going in for brick — he was an old wood man.

{signed E. L. Moore}

It turns out the yard office is part of the collection, so I should work on restoring it too. Unfortunately, Uncle Charlie's retirement cottage, which was published as The Bookery, isn't in the collection and I think is lost to time. But, I had a good time building my own a few years back. That brick outhouse he's referring to is the one in the Bookery's backyard.

An exercise in teeth sharpening?

A beaver had a go at gnawing down this tree and then for some reason gave up. No doubt this is a little modelled pond-side detail :-)