Elwell General Store - The Green Mtn. Version

Elwell's General Store seems to be a gathering place for the locals

 A New Store at White River Jct......by Don Janes

   Back in November of 2013 George and I attended the Model Railroad Expo in Pittsfield, MA.
 While in the vendors room we stopped at the BEST  table to check out their offerings.  We always buy some detail castings and other goodies from them.  On display was a great looking little general store and small freight station diorama.  Every year BEST offers a show kit.  This year it was Elwell's General store, named in honor of legendary modeller Dick  Elwell, owner of the incredible Hoosac Valley layout.  Dick lives just up the road from Pittsfiels in Adams, MA and had his layout open for EXPO attendees.  George bought the kit right away and then along came fellow CV modeller Marty McGuirk and his friend Stick Harris who both also bought  a kit.  They all asked me when I was going to buy the kit as I was really trying to resist the urge to spend $100 plus on a general store.  Finally I gave in a pulled out my wallet.  In the long run I am really glad I spent the money because one, it is a great kit and two, Dick Elwell has been a good friend of mine for many years and has inspired my me more than anyone else in the hobby.  Once I saw George's finished model on his layout any doubts about buying this kit vanished.
       Over the last few weeks I finished my Elwell kit and have found a home for it in the foreground at White River Jct.  It is finally in place and open for business.  I won't go into what the kit consists of or construction as George covered that in a post earlier in the year.   I did weather mine a little more than George using techniques like the rubber cement trick to create a peeling paint effect and using chalks to age the store a little more.  Since the structure is in the foreground I modeled the double door on the side in the open position to show some of the crates and boxes inside.  Like George I substituted Northeastern slate roofing sheets for the metal roof in the kit and used Builders in Scale green rolled roofing on the porch and post office roof.  With the addition of some Central Valley board fencing, extra details and figures from my parts drawer the scene is now complete.  Now the locals can do their shopping and hang out and shoot the breeze at Elwell's General Store.

A B&M freight is heading into the yard behind the bustling little store.

The side doors were modeled open to add detail. Here we see a local farmer delivering fresh vegetables to the rear store room. Below the B&M freight has finished its work and is heading out of town