Vintage N scale: Help to ID what this paint scheme might be...?

[nickelplate759]

Good lord!  How was the humidity down there?!  Can't be good for the basement space or the house above. 

DFF

The trick for unfinished basement is ventilation.   Years ago I had what I called a "flow-through" basement.  Fieldstone walls, through which water, air, light, mice and chipmunks could enter or leave, and a floor that was mix of natural stone (granite) and concrete with drainage channels, and a drain at the low end.  Really interesting during a heavy rain, but there was almost always a little water running through the drainage channels.  With all the ventilation in the walls the air wasn't all that humid.

[learmoia]

Good lord!  How was the humidity down there?!  Can't be good for the basement space or the house above. 

DFF

I'm sure humidity fluctuated to some extent, I think he had a dehumidifier down there.. But I don't recall mold/allergies being an issue when I was down there as a kid.

But lets say I were to go back in time and revisit.. might be a different story.  I always saw this in rose colored glasses..

I do remember being told.. "if you see boxes of little pellets.. don't touch it.. it's rat poison.. "

The trick for unfinished basement is ventilation.   Years ago I had what I called a "flow-through" basement.  Fieldstone walls, through which water, air, light, mice and chipmunks could enter or leave, and a floor that was mix of natural stone (granite) and concrete with drainage channels, and a drain at the low end.  Really interesting during a heavy rain, but there was almost always a little water running through the drainage channels.  With all the ventilation in the walls the air wasn't all that humid.

Right... Unless you have water entering and pooling in an enclosed space.. Humidity and Mold does not really become issues until you try to seal up your house in the name of energy efficiency and climate control.

~Ian

[thomasjmdavis]

I think we are talking about the same buses- the ones at the far left here:


But please don't go to any trouble searching catalogs (unless you want to)- I don't "need" (in the modeling sense) them, and have buses from Rasputen, Wheels of Time and some others that fit my motor coach needs.

On Michigan basements, yes, I have a genuine Michigan Michigan basement, but over the century+, the whole area under the house has been dug out and has concrete slab floors- including a nice block walled 12.5x25 foot train room for the once and future layout.  For those worried over humidity...yes, it can be problematic, but in my own case, the original basement was probably fine.  Making a Michigan basement work well is mostly a matter of siting the house properly.  In the case of this one, the house sits at the top of a small hill, and if you dig 2' deep, you hit sand - so the drainage is very good around the house.  The couple issues that currently exist are the result of some unwise remodeling by previous owners. And nothing the dehumidifier can't deal with.

This conversation reminds me that I better get up on the roof of the "enclosed breezeway" (whateveryoucallit that connects the house to the garage) and do the yearly seam sealing and some shingle repair.  That addition is a case study in construction errors on foundation, concrete slab, wall construction and roofing.  Was planning for a new roof this year for the whole house, but current pricing is out of budget.

[cfritschle]

I think we are talking about the same buses- the ones at the far left here:

The buses in the photo above appear to be the Wiking Mercedes-Benz O 305 city bus.  They were first released in 1977.



The two buses parked at the train station (in Reply #8) look like they might be the Wiking Mercedes-Benz O 302 intercity bus.  They were first released in 1970.



The example of the Wiking Mercedes O 302 shown above is equipped with a Faller power chassis, but this is the only yellow Wiking Mercedes O 302 I have.   

I believe the most recent release of the Wiking Mercedes O 302 was in the Touring paint scheme in 2012.



The prototype Mercedes O 302 was marketed in North America, so having some on a North American themed layout is plausible.

[learmoia]

Yep.. agreed Walthers part 781-970 in the 1991 catalog.

The Bus in the 2nd and 3rd photo look to be a different model.. (I found it as Viking N Vehicles which was featured in a 1970s JMC/Con-Cor Catalog)

[learmoia]

For those who might be interested to see some of the planning sketches he did, I have attached some below.

I always found it funny that most were done on graph paper but usually free hand and not to scale.

Attn Moderator.. since this has drifted into Layout Engineering... Maybe (if you can) merge it with my dormant Layout Engineering thread..

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=45194.0

The layout planned in that thread is based on memories of this layout.. so it's related info.. (at least to me.. )

[cfritschle]

Yep.. agreed Walthers part 781-970 in the 1991 catalog.

The Bus in the 2nd and 3rd photo look to be a different model.. (I found it as Viking N Vehicles which was featured in a 1970s JMC/Con-Cor Catalog)

Yes, the O 305 (1st photo) is a city bus, while the O 302 (2nd and 3rd photos) is an intercity bus.  The O 302 was originally designated as the N6p in Wiking's 1970 catalog, then the N71, then the 9071 and finally the 0971.  The O 302 looks more like a GM Fishbowl bus, and I believe the two buses at the station in the last photo before the video in Reply #8 are very likely Wiking models of the O 302.  The buses are facing away from the camera, but the three "sunroofs" are visible in that photo.

It looks like your grandfather had a lot of Wiking vehicles.   

Edit:  There is also a yellow Wiking O 302 bus at about 1:28 in the video.

[nkalanaga]

In the 1970s, if one wanted good vehicles, Wiking was about the only choice.

For another railroad under the house, see "Digging Into N Scale" in the August Model Railroader.

[pmpexpress]

@learmoia

BTW- Where on earth did the buses shown on the left side of the 2nd photo come from?  One looks like a "fishbowl" bus of the early 60s (or the somewhat similar one that preceded it in the late 50s). I have a couple of resin buses that came from the 1990s, but don't recall anything much besides a Bachmann scenic cruiser and a school bus available in the 60s-70s.

Believe they were a pair of early production Wiking N71 Mercedes 0 302 German "Deutsche Bundespost" postal service buses.

Wiking manufactured an additional five N-Scale models with the black and yellow Deutsche Bundespost livery (i.e., a Magirus LKW Parcel Van, a Mercedes Box Truck, and the N31 set with a Mercedes Benz L 406 Panel Van, a Volkswagen 1300 Beetle, and a Volkswagen T1 Panel Van).

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRF6FAPy1TCPO3PbCBzUXJbQElKk-KEnhq1fg&usqp=CAU

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQzlf0c8dR7geN1TnelkybZDVtklzA5GsoybA&usqp=CAU

https://www.hobbyprof.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/small_image/4bc902580eadb91e3e51c2bbf9fb17d8/v/0/v094902.jpg

https://cloud10.todocoleccion.online/trenes-escala-n/tc/2019/06/04/17/166916972_143397680.webp

https://cloud10.todocoleccion.online/trenes-escala-n/tc/2019/06/04/17/166916972_143397672.webp

https://cloud10.todocoleccion.online/trenes-escala-n/tc/2019/06/04/17/166916972_143397668.webp

https://cloud10.todocoleccion.online/trenes-escala-n/tc/2019/06/04/17/166916972_143397676.webp

The early run Wiking N71 models had lighter gray chassis, wheels, and bumpers, while the later production Wiking 9071 and 0971 0 302 buses had darker gray chassis, wheels, and bumpers.

As Carter has astutely pointed out, the three roof top skylights that are positioned near the rear section of the buses' roofs are a unique feature of the Wiking N-Scale models.

https://wing-auctions.c.yimg.jp/sim?furl=auctions.c.yimg.jp/images.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/image/dr000/auc0204/users/2b4a51806815f2090275040ad387137dacbb17f3/i-img600x450-1618998998jzbxuw61913.jpg&dc=1&sr.fs=20000

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0925/5240/products/24_327081d6-e09e-477f-84c6-b0742070948f_1024x1024.jpeg?v=1438199845

https://www.spurweite-n.de/NDBPics/Wiking/N71.jpg

https://cloud10.todocoleccion.online/trenes-escala-n/tc/2019/06/04/17/166916432_143396940.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ak0AAOSw0m1dDkJw/s-l640.jpg

https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/373517257947_/Merzedes-Omnibus-POST-Postbus-von-Wiking-0302.jpg

[Ed Kapuscinski]

In the 1970s, if one wanted good vehicles, Wiking was about the only choice.

For another railroad under the house, see "Digging Into N Scale" in the August Model Railroader.

I can't wait to read the article about Dave's layout. He's a true maniac, and a great guy. I'm glad it's getting the exposure it deserves.