Q: On the Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch project layout there were three small industries in the middle. Do you have the brands and descriptions of the structures used? — Andy Sestak
Before I answer your question, Andy, I want to back up a step to catch everyone up to speed. The Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch was Model Railroader’s 2018 project layout, featured in the January through April issues. In addition, the 2’-9” x 8’-2” HO scale model railroad was the subject of numerous videos, which you can watch on Trains.com.
The three buildings you’re asking about are, from left to right when looking at the layout, H.G. Wright Distributing Co., a beer distributor; Clyde L. Foy Co., a food broker; and George A. Hormel & Co., as you probably guessed, a meat distributor. As you can see in the photo above, all three of these industries were single-car customers. However, the layout is set in the mid-1950s when loose-car railroading was common, so this is prototypical.
All three of these buildings were modeled by Trains.com Director David Popp. He used the DPM Landmark Structures freight depot, item No. 10700, as the starting point for kitbashing the H.G. Wright building. The easy-to-build injection-molded plastic kit is available from Woodland Scenics.
David turned to a pair of City Classics’ Carnegie Street Manufacturing kits (No. 109) to model the Foy and Hormel buildings. Unfortunately, City Classics is no longer in business following the passing of owner Jim Sacco in March 2022. However, you may still be able to find the Carnegie Street Manufacturing kits, and other offerings from City Classics, at brick-and-mortar and online retailers, model railroad swap meets, and online auction websites such as eBay.
You can learn more about how David modeled Tar Branch buildings in the Winston-Salem Southbound series on Trains.com Video.
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