Welcome! Please have a look around the site and familiarize yourself with some of the great features. Products are now easily sorted using the "Categories" box on the left side of the page, and there's a handy "Search" box at top right. You'll find CONTACT info and more in the "Information" box ... and our popular how-to articles are in the "Tips & Techniques" box. (Click BLUE text on this page to go directly to those items. Others colors are used only to add emphasis to certain items.)Newsletter: If you use the "log in" option on the home page, you can create an account and sign-up for our periodic newsletter. Subscribers get a "heads-up" on new items and occasional special offers!Product photos: The main photo for each page (top of the listing) is ONE SIZE ONLY! There is a button that indicates "larger view" -- but that will only bring up the same size photo. The smaller thumbnails toward the bottom of each product page WILL enlarge when clicked!
Recent News & Updates ...
September 1, 2010: The Wandering Woodchuck Doodlebug Speeder will be here VERY soon! Here's an updated preview to whet your appetite. Sign up for our newsletter to be advised when the new kit becomes available ... here's how ... go back to the main page, click the tab that says "Welcome Guest, would you like to log in?" Enter your email address, create a password and be sure to check the box to get the newsletter!
July 12, 2010: We're working on some new items for late summer and/or fall release ... meanwhile, there's a Limited Tim SALE ... (details omitted, now expired!)
April 16, 2010: The Mann's Creek "Buck Jimmy" wooden ore cars are available now and one sale! These are perfect for building a string of cars on medium or larger layouts ... and also right at home on mini- and micro-layouts, where they'll operate on as little as 6" radius! Take a look at the listings to see features that make assembly easy and pick some up while the sale lasts.
April 16, 2010: I've added another thread to the Railroad-Line forum to describe a 1/35 scale project that I've started. If you're interested in modeling in other scales, please have a look: Chambers Gas & Oil structure build in 1/35.
March 10, 2010: A new edition of our print catalog is now available as a free download, so you can take a copy with you where ever you go! Also, I'm busily making new mold sets for a re-introduction of our popular Mann's Creek "Buck Jimmy" ore cars
February 24, 2010: Oh no, they're calling for another snow storm! Well, after "snowmaggeddon" I'm very hopeful that this one will be a little more moderate. Could be some slight delays in shipping again ... depending on severity ... but you're always welcome to email and check the status of your order.
February 24, 2010 -- my turntable project: Over the last few months, I've been scratchbuilding a gallows turntable for a micro-layout project. This actually mounts on top of an Atlas turntable, which provides the drive and indexing. No, it's NOT a new kit ... but I've been posting the entire project on the Railroad Line forum and there's pretty much a complete "how-to" on the project there: Small On30 or 55n3 Gallows Turntable build/bash (click blue text) ... and if you need a set of plans to undertake a similar project, let me know and I'll point you to some!
February 24, 2010 -- micro-layout project: The turntable will be a focal point on this little 20x33" micro-layout that I'm building. I'm doing it in "55n3" (1/55 scale) as an experiment ... using this scale, HO gauge track works out to actual 3' gauge ... and the "28mm" war-gaming figures scale properly as well. Found a nice selection of those in an "old west" theme, so the railroad is set in the desert and it's called the Dead Mule & Sinagua RR. This will be a slow-going project (the turntable took a few months!) ... but it's my first effort at modeling southwestern scenery, and provides some other interesting challenges with the new scale/gauge combination. (Actually, just a bit smaller in scale than On30 ... so I'll be able to use some of the small BVM On30 stock on this railroad!) You can follow construction of this layout on the Railroad Line forum as well: 55n3 Dead Mule & Sinagua RR (click blue text). Oh, and of course the "plan" is easily adaptable to On30 as well!
February 10, 2010: I guess I'm like the bad neighbor who keeps the Christmas lights up until February -- I've just replaced Santa Claus on the main page with an abominable Snow Monster in honor of the BIG SNOWS we're getting here this winter! City streets are a mess with no place left to put the snow. Post office didn't deliver on Saturday or Monday due to the snow (and some nearby neighbors didn't get mail Tuesday either). Meanwhile, I'm stacking up quite a few orders that are ready to ship as soon as it's safe to get out to the post office. We're in an old part of town with some narrow, hilly roads between here and the post office. You're welcome to email to check the status of your order ... and thanks in advance for your patience and understanding! (PS -- Quite busy here this winter, so THANK YOU for all your orders. Much appreciated.)
December 1, 2009: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays ... I hope you'll all enjoy a wonderful time with family and friends ... and perhaps a little "time off" to work on your On30 projects! The joint's a jumpin' here as we crank out some last minute items ... if you're ordering for a gift, please let us know and we'll do our best ... and consider our Gift Certificates as a sure-fire last minute alternative.
October 1, 2009: It's football season, so you'll need a string of our new 20' Wood Reefers to deliver cold beer to the mining towns and logging camps along your railroad! And, of course, they'll be useful for delivering frozen turkeys in another month or so and a variety of perishables all year long.
Long-time customers will recognize the reefers as a re-issue of our popular kit. Just about a year ago, there was a big frenzy here to get the new web site together and we had to trim down the line to keep things manageable. Reefers are back now, and we'll be re-issuing some other old favorites as time allows. Check back often! Or sign-up for our newsletter as described above.
September 27, 2009: Added a variety of new Schnozzer photos from William Andersen, Verne Niner and Allen Littlefield. Great ideas for painting, weathering and detailing. Take a look and order yours today! (Hey, I've got a throw a sales pitch once in a while.)
August 30, 2009: Hold on to your hats, we've got a bunch of updates this time ...
Schnozzer kits are now available! I've made a big pile of these in hopes of keeping up with good delivery times ... and there's an intro special good thru 9/30/09. (Hey, how's that for a low-pressure sales pitch? Hurry, you've got a month!)Check out 20 new detailing and kitbashing parts that have been added! You can click the blue text here ... or from the home page, select "New Products" in the Categories box and sort by date added.Now you can preview our Instruction Sheets on-line and print a free Catalog.Thanks again for your patience while awaiting the new Schnozzer kit ... I've been busy making lots and lots of molds for this kit and all the new detail parts ... and shooting photos ... and all the regular kit-making and such. I wanted to make sure that I was somewhat caught up on the general "mayhem" to make sure delivery of these will go smoothly. Get's a little crazy here, but it's always worth it!
July 24, 2009: Schnozzer photo updated to show new paint scheme ... I've also shot photos for a bunch of individual detail parts and bashing items that will be added ... coming soon!
June 10, 2009: Schnozzer update -- getting close! After studying the sample shown in New Paltz, I decided that I wanted to make a couple of improvements. I've re-contoured the hood slightly to make it look better ... made samples and that looks great. And, I decided to make some interior detail pieces. Those patterns are complete now and I'll make test castings for those today. Assuming that goes well, I'll begin step-by-step assembly photos and final prep in the next few days. Also, started painting another sample in an alternate paint scheme to show additional ideas. Thanks for your patience ... this will be a really fun kit and great for beginners!
June 10, 2009: Norway and Luxembourg have been added to the countries that will be accepted by our shopping cart. Thanks to all our friends around the world!
May 25, 2009: Where's the Schnozzer kit? Coming soon! As you might guess, running a small business is a constant juggling act. After hustling to get the Schnozzer sample loco ready to show at the New Paltz On30 meet in April, I found myself quite busy catching up on regular orders, mold-making and so forth.
There are still a handful of things to do before releasing the new Schnozzer kit ... and we've had a little challenge here with an exceptionally RAINY spring! Mold-making and casting is best done on the dry / low-humidity days and it's been too cool to use air-conditioning to temper the humidity. So, I've been casting and mold-making like a maniac during the dry periods and packaging kits and doing other prep work on the rainy days.
As soon as the current bout of rain lets up, I'll get a batch of individual parts painted so I can shoot the step-by-step assembly photos. (Because it's really difficult to photograph the assembly steps with unpainted white parts!) And, continue to make multiple mold sets so we can make a lot of kits quickly when the "official" release of the new kit is made.
So, THANK YOU for your PATIENCE! I do try to balance all the many concerns to make sure that current orders are filled as quickly as possible and all the other activities like mold-making, casting, etc. are done with the proper attention to detail and quality.
Um, okay, so ... When will the Schnozzer be released? As soon as everything is ready to insure good instructions and a good flow of orders. Check back often, or click the line on the Home page that says "Welcome guest, would you like to log yourself in?" and sign-up for our newsletter.
PS -- The excess number of rainy days this spring has allowed some little bits of time to play with new designs for more interesting stuff ... once the a/c is turned on for summer, we'll start rolling into those without rain delays!
April 21, 2009: We've been busy making Silver City Sidewinder kits ... and developing some exciting NEW items for spring and summer release. The first kit will be the "Twin Schnozzer Engine by Durante Motors" ... an easy-to-build conversion for the the Bachmann HO 45-ton loco. Inspired by the little Mack switchers, our freelance version is well suited for mini- and micro-layouts ... or for industrial and yard work on larger layouts. Please check back soon ... or sign up for our newsletter! (Use the "log in" option near the top of our main page to sign up.)
January 10, 2009: Happy New Year! I've just added a popular article from our old web site -- "Painting with Dry Pigments" illustrates a great way to achieve weathered wood tones use dry weathering pigments. Techniques are shown on our 15' log cars, but they're useful on other car types too! More articles and new photos will be added as time allows. Thanks to all who kept us quite busy during the holidays.
December 20, 2008: Web site is running again! Our web site crashed earlier today ... but fortunately everything has been restored thru the "magic" of making and keeping back-up copies. Many hours were spent trying to "fix" the problem ... in the end, it was best to simply un-install the program, then re-install it and restore the back-ups. Everything is up and running now ... Sorry for the inconvenience!
And, since I'm on-line making updates, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I hope you'll have a wonderful time with your family and friends ... and some extra model-building time if you get any time off from work! I know I'm looking forward to taking at least a little time out to "play with trains." -- Dallas
November 4, 2008: Added a new article called "Work Train Bashes" ... featuring a variety of great kitbashes ranging from simple tool cars to far-out snowplows! Look for the "Tips & Techniques" section on the left side of the page to see all of our articles.
November 3, 2008: Added new customer photos to #255 Silver City Sidewinder (showing comparison between our kit and the "regular" Bachmann On30 Shay) and more photos to #383 Ruffled Duckling railbus, #513 Workboose and #624 Office Car. Thanks to all the contributors! (Click the thumbnails below the main product listings to find the customer photos.)
October 29, 2008: Minor change ... I've figured out how to link the photos on the main page to take you directly to the item mentioned! Also added note about "product photos" above.
October 28, 2008: Our new site is officially open for business! Thank you for your patience and support during this busy time.
October 26-27, 2008: Added many more product listings, customer photos and articles including two new articles: Boxcab Bashing Ideas and Hopper Bash & Details.
October 25, 2008: Look for the "Tips & Techniques" box on the left side of the page to see our handy articles! Added the "Critter Bash, 35-ton" article. More to come ...
October 23, 2008: Completed the "About Us" section with some background info.
October 22, 2008: Gallery photos are now included in the product listings! So if you already have kit #383 for example ... go ahead and take a look at the #383 Ruffled Duckling listing to see photos of kits built by your fellow modelers. It's a great way to get new ideas about paint schemes, detailing and kitbashing!
October 20, 2008: We're making progress ... adding descriptions of our extensive line and recreating the many "how-to" articles from our old site.
October 1, 2008: Uh-oh! We've just received word that the old Boulder Valley Models site will close at the end of October ...and now the mad-scramble begins. Thank you for your patience as we construct an all-new site in short order! (The old site was built over a period of 8 YEARS ... our new site will be up and running by the end of the month with some great new features.)
November 26, 2008: Now you can purchase BVM Gift Certificates on line! If you're shopping for an On30 Modeler, you know how hard it can be to find just the right item ... so choose a Gift Certificate and let your friend or loved one choose his or her favorite item(s). (And if you're hoping to receive a gift certificate, point your friends, family and/or Santa Claus to our site!)
