I’m at the point where I can start planning structures and overall scenes in the Angels Creek area. The more planning I do, the more I want this area to look like I am leaving town: one or two old buildings and open land. My original idea was to have an old gas station on the north side of the road; however, I think I need one additional structure to balance the scene properly.
Cover Photo from Visit Tuolumne County
When I was a kid, model builder Al Armitage scratch-built a model of an old brick building he named “The Sonora Store.” Later, Tom York made hydrocal kits for these, and I have always wanted to build a model of it myself. If you grew up in the foothills of California’s Gold Country, you’ll recognize these old brick buildings. Because of wildfire concerns, stone and brick were used to help prevent the buildings from burning. Most have fallen into disrepair over the one-hundred and fifty-plus years they were built. The large iron doors and window covers were even more unique and used for added fire protection.
By chance, I found a kit for sale on Ebay and decided to purchase it, not knowing if I would use it for the layout or a diorama. After sitting on a shelf for quite a while, I wanted to see if the structure would fit the area. The idea is to slightly modify the kit, leaving off the right side wall and mounting it flush against the backboard. The addition of this building should make Angels Camp look perfect.
Now, that leaves the space on the south side of the road to add a gas station. I have admired Chuck Doan’s Red Oak Garage he scratch built several years ago and I want something similar here. Because of the space limitations (5 inches deep by 6 inches wide) something this size will not work. I do have an Evergreen Hills 1930s Gas Station kit that will fit the scene but I want to scratch build something for this area. My idea is to modify the Evergreen Hills kit to look more like Chuck Doan’s model and fit the look of a building in Calaveras County.
Below is the plan for this module so far. The next step will be to start assembling the Sonora Store kit as well as drawing pland for the gas station build.
