Hooker's Point Lighthouse Contest Diorama-- HO Scale

 National Model Railroad Association Award Winner 1996 Atlanta, Georgia National Convention:

•   NMRA Merit of Achievement Award - 121 Points

•   Testor's Highest Iron

•   Badger's Best Weathering

•   Voted Most Photogenic by the Editors of Model Railroader, NMRA Bulletin, Model RailRoading, Model Railroad Craftsman.

•   NMRA Bulletin November 1995 Front Cover Photo

This is what the Judges saw ... along with 360 degrees of attention to detail!  Just a few notes about the inspiration for this diorama ... I kit-bashed a Master Creations Rutherford B. Hayes Coachworks, a Volmer Windmill, scratch-built a Fine Scale Miniatures Coal Dock & topped it off with a Badger Airbrush bottle upside down wrapped with Scale Structures Limited engine house window castings  for the light globe all in about 400 hours of loving attention to detail.

This is also a scanned image of the original proof used the "Gazette" for my innovative article on Hot Glue Casting as written in the Nov/Dec 1996 Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette. For the record, the Narrow Gaugers in Cincinnati, OH this past August 1997 were not impressed!

This is a more close up view of the Coal Dock's backside  "on the water" with Egg Shell technique rock castings, 'real" copper turning the green patina that is so hard to replicate, and a bunch of other stuff missing ... this was a work-in-progress photo.

And now the front side of the Coal Dock with "Hot Glue Castings" barrels for the counter weights, foundation footings, and more ... another photo shows the boats, dock details, & more that are also "Hot Glue Castings".