It’s the first Friday of April and we’re pumped that it’s finally starting to look a little more “springy” outside. It’s almost time to start enjoying the warmer weather.
But that’s not why we’re excited about Friday’s, we’re looking forward to sharing our newest episode of the Bench Time Model Railroading Podcast with you! And this week we have Renée and Nick from ITLA Scale Models.
ITLA Scale Models is a Canadian based manufacturer of high-quality laser cut model railroad structures, but they’re a little different than the rest… ITLA has a lot of brick and concrete buildings, and many of their structures offer height with 5, 6, 8 stories and the ability to go even higher!
We found it very interesting how they explained the manufacturing of their wall systems too as they pride themselves on not having to use any extra scale lumber like bracing or trim. It’s all done through his materials and manufacturing process. It’s also amazing to look at what you get in the kit… Everything you see is laser cut, details and all (obviously there may be some castings or smaller details, but structure parts are laser cut).
They have a good history in the hobby and the ITLA brand has held a piece of the industry since 2008 and Renée and Nick have operated and owned ITLA since 2012. They go into a bit of the history of ITLA and their involvement in model railroading which is always fascinating to us to hear how all of these great modelers, creators and manufacturers got where they are. And also why they enjoy providing amazing and TALL structure kits.
One of Brett’s favorite parts was the conversation he had with Nick and Renée about the difference between painting and working with laser cut brick (wood brick) walls and plastic and hydrocal brick walls. It was a very interesting take on the differences in materials and something that we hope you all find interesting as well.
ITLA Links to Check Out and Bookmark:
- ITLA Instagram ….https://www.instagram.com/itlascalemodels/
- ITLA YouTube (just starting) …https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeILg0fPa2P118h4CXeSWVg
- ITLA FaceBook …https://www.facebook.com/ITLAScaleModelsInc/
- Nick’s old YouTube pre-ITLA …https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz8uL5MYftaiqGorShfC_Cw/videos?view=0&sort=da&flow=grid
They also have a good-size home layout they work on when they’re not working on their business where they model the Algoma Central Railway along with a mix of Canadian National and Canadian Pacific. Nick goes into a cool explanation of why he chose the era and lines for the reason that it’s one of the few that had steam and diesel mixed on the same lines simultaneously in his region. It allows them to have a wide variety of engines and adds more fun to the layout!
Contest Winner last week: Silverado Northern!
We’ve mailed out all prize packs this week, so if you were due one, it’s on it’s way via the trusty old USPS and should be there very soon! We’ve got a stack of flat rate boxes ready now so we can drop these immediately now.
Silverado Northern built the O scale version of Jack Em’ Up Tires from KC’s Workshop and you can see a photo of it below:
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Episode Artwork: David Ross
