B.T.S. Cabin Creek Series "Greeley's Place" in O scale

Reviewed by George Riley/photos by the author

Choosing the structures that give your railroad the right look and feel can seem a daunting proposition, particularly in On30. With literally hundreds of kits currently available in 1/48th scale, the challenge is to select those examples that convey the model railroad's time and place and are at the same time thrifty of our limited spaces. For those who have migrated from smaller scales, O gauge-sized structures will appear to be absolutely massive.

The Cabin Creek Series of small town buildings from B.T.S. is the perfect solution to our needs in narrow gauge. These reasonably priced, space saving kits capture the many residential and retail structures that seem to inhabit nearly every hamlet and crossroads from Maine to California. They are at home in every period from the late nineteenth century to the present.

Greeley's Place is a prime example of what the series has to offer. This laser-cut wood kit includes white metal detail castings and construction paper roll-style roofing that allows the builder to assemble a complete vignette. A delicate laser-cut chair for "setting" on the front porch is even included. The finished model requires a space of only 4" x 4 1/2" for its foot print.

The B.T.S. Cabin provides an easy to follow building system that uses several sheets of high quality laser-cut wood pieces for the bulk of the construction and includes details in metal and construction paper for its completion. Every wood part is pre-cut to size, the builder really only needs to use a knife to take the parts out of their carrier fret. The fit of the individual parts is flawless and the model is pre-engineered to build true and square, much to the credit of the kit's designer. The cabin can be assembled as a rough hewn building right from the box or dressed up with the optional battens provided to apply over the board joints on the model.

The model effectively captures the look of the multitude of small cabins that were built from rummaged materials and what was at hand. This cabin offers a number of possibilities ranging from a rough hewn prospectors shack to a cabin for a 1930s era tourist court and any number of era between, depending on the builder's choice of finish and details. Greeley's can easily be backdated with the addition of aftermarket shake shingles and the addition of wooden barrels to the 1860s. These virtues alone recommend this kit for inclusion on anyone's model railroad as well as the rest of the Cabin Creek Series.