This new kit (available in HO and O) for a fire hose house is based on a building still standing in Idaho Springs, Colorado. The O scale kits sell for $54.95 and the HO versions are $32.95. Each kit comes with an additional kit for a two-wheel hose cart that are available separately.
I assembled the O scale kit. It consisted of an inner core of laser-cut walls that interlock at the corners. Over this you add thin laser-cut walls with bricks etched into them. This is some of the best brick work I have seen. The floor, roof, windows, front doors, and roof trim are also laser cut and there is some very realistic tar paper for the roof that is already cut into sections for you.
The instructions warn you that warping can be a problem. I assembled the several layers of bricks on the front wall on the fl at and found that the top ¼-inch warped, and I just could not get it straight. If I were to do this kit again, I would assemble the core and make sure the interlocking corners were absolutely tight. Then add the front wall adding the brick layers while on the core rather than on the flat. Other than this warp, the kit assembled easily and I pushed back from my workbench with a feeling of satisfaction.
The Hose Cart is a simple model. It has a laser-cut wood frame and wheels, with a white metal axle, hub caps, and fi re hose nozzles. Realistic material is supplied for the fire hoses which I stained grey, so it did not look so new. A sign reading “Museum” is provided, so maybe the building is a museum today. I enjoyed this kit and now need to find somewhere to put it on my layout.
—Bob Brown
Berkshire Valley Models
438 Morgan Woods Dr.
Fenton, MO 63026
