Gilbert Products History

The Gilbert Products History clinic was very interesting. I think the point that most impressed me was how the A. C. Gilbert Co. pioneered recycling and reuse policies. The example shown here was an American Flyer 314AW locomotive with an air whistle. Gilbert's main competitor sued them because they had a similar product and claimed patent infringement. When Gilbert lost the suit the engineers simply repackaged the whistles into an Erector set accessory rather than dump the parts into the dumpster.

The Erector set Hudson Locomotive was an item that I had heard about since I became aware of Erector sets, but the one in the photo below is the first one I have seen.

Structures

Ron Dietrich was the instructor for this clinic. The thing that I found interesting was how he made details on some of the structures out of ordinary house hold items or package materials that would otherwise be discarded in the trash.

As I understood it, the structures on display here are made from the same kit modules arranged and stacked to make the desired number of stories then painted or finished as desired. In other words it is similar in concept to an Erector set only once it is assembled it is permanent.

Trees, Water and Waterfalls

Bill Edwards was the instructor for the trees clinic. His presentation was entertaining and informational. He demonstrated how to make trees and shrubs using Woodland Scenics ground foam in various colors, black polyester fiber, an aerosol adhesive and some weeds that he found near a railroad track. Bill works for one of the railroads at the Union Terminal intermodal yard in Cincinnati, Ohio. The blue substrate is construction Styrofoam.

The lake in these photos was made using a wavy textured piece of bathroom panel. The panel was painted with earth tones near the shore and an indigo color in the middle. The final coat of paint was a sprayed on clear acrylic coat. Notice the reflection of the shore and trees in the "water".