Construct Scale Model Old Wild West Buildings. Ideal For School Projects, Dioramas,
and Intricately Detailed N Scale, OO Gauge, and HO Scale Railroads

If replicating an a slice of US history interests you, or constructing a realistic scenic diorama for your model railroad has appeal, then this range of downloadable plans will certainly be of interest. You can build a complete wild western street scene right out of US history from the late 19th century, or you can construct a small mining town from the same era, or combine both scenic themes. There are 13 old west models in the wild western building series and a range of mining town structures in the old mine town series.

These HO scale, OO, and N scale plans are easy to download, and a huge amount of fun to construct with the help of some discarded cardboard from old cereal boxes, and perhaps a few sticks of balsa to make support posts to support the verandas of buildings on these old west models, or so a cowboy can tie his horse’s reins to a post in front of the cantina. You’ll be making a do-it-yourself hitching post!

The Cheap and Easy Way to Make Old West Models for a Wild Western Town

A term often mentioned in US history books is the “American Frontier.” In general terms this was the period in the United States of westbound expansion that started with English colonial settlements as far back as the early 17th century ending in 1912 when the last of the territories became States. Geographically, the American Frontier refers to the settlement of native Indian lands found west of the Mississippi. Today they are Texas, Midwest, Great Plains, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, and the West Coast of the USA. During the second half of the 19th century, and into the early 20th century, the focus was mainly on the American West – hence the terms Old West and the Wild West (yes it was wild at times!). It was the days when cowboys roamed the country and the railroads began to spread throughout the USA.

Construct 13 Old West Models For Your Model Railroad or School Project

Scale Models of Old West Mining Town Structures for a Model Railroad

There’s Gold in Them There Hills! Having relocated westward to California the settlers were generally just grateful to have arrived safely (those that did) on the beautiful shores of the Pacific Ocean. Most were looking forward to settle down, and enjoy the peace as they proceeded to build a new life. For many, that was not to be.

In 1848 gold was discovered in California which triggered a wild, “free-for-all” gold rush with even more people relocating to the West, and many where immigrants from other countries. Driven by the desire for easy money, around 175,000 people began the journey from east to west in the hope of striking it rich by prospecting for gold.

Some were successful finding gold and becoming wealthy. Sadly the many others lost everything they owned in the struggle to become rich. There’s no question, however, that “the California gold rush”, is remembered as one of the most extraordinary eras in US western history. So, the California gold rush saw the rise of many old wild western towns—some survived and prospered, and others became ghost towns when the gold prospectors left.

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This website also includes a series of plans for old west mining town scale models to download and construct. There’s a mine chute, school house, miners cabins, mine site office, managers and miners accommodation. The printable plans are mighty sturdy when constructed from paper and card and are suitable for old time model railroads in need of HO scale buildings, and are also suitable for N scale and OO gauge model railways.

Let the wagons roll! Many of early settlers travelled westward crossing the Oregon Trail, which ran from Independence (in the East), right across to what is known today as Oregon City (in the West). This was the era of the long horse drawn wagon trains.

Traveling by wagon train was a long, arduous journey, and whilst many folks made it safely across the country, sadly many died along the way. Some succumbed to sickness or exhaustion and other settlers were killed in clashes with Native Americans who were defending their buffalo and land from what they must have pictured as the plague of uninvited invaders.

The cowboys we saw so much of in old western movies generally started out as cattle hands, or herders. The cattle herds of the old wild west were massive with many herds comprising thousands of cattle. The cattle served as a replacement for the slaughtered buffalo. The problem was that the land was generally arid and hard, so the cattle needed to roam to find feed, just as the buffalo once had. Cattle would often roam many miles in search of enough water and food. It was cowboy’s task to shadow and protect the herds on horseback. The cowboys had to manage movement of the cattle as well as care for the cattle before driving them back to the ranch for slaughtering. There was also the threat of cattle rustlers, and without a lawman (Sheriff or Marshal) nearby to form a posse, the cowhands often took the law into their own hands.

The cowboys of the old wild west were often away from home for weeks and sometimes months at a time. They traveled rough and camped out under the stars. They survived mainly on beans, dried meat and black coffee brewed over the fire. This was a hard life and often the cowboys would ‘let their hair down’ by drinking at saloons and meeting with the ladies in the nearest town.

Saloons Among the Range of Old West Models to Download and Construct

The series of printable old wild west models on this website includes a saloon and a hotel. There’s the Blue Mountain Saloon and the much larger Palace Hotel with rooms to rent. These model buildings can be assembled after gluing the downloaded images to cardstock and using balsa for posts and wooden walkways. The saloon and hotel can be printed and constructed as HO scale buildings, or built to OO gauge, or N scale (if you have a smaller model railroad).

In the saloon, the cowboys would pass their time drinking whiskey and beer, often to the point of extreme intoxication. Many of the cowboys got heavily involved in gambling and this was often the flashpoint for fights that often got out of hand with serious, often fatal, consequences. Then there were the saloon ladies who extended physical comforts for the exchange of money and drink.

Gunfights and violence would sometimes break out in the bars, saloons and hotels of the old wild west, and altercations were frequently settled in shoot-outs. The town Sheriff or Marshal would often have a difficult time trying to keep the peace by maintaining law and order.

Cowboys and cowgirls in wild western times generally carried a revolver at their side, and many were well skilled at using guns to slaughter cattle, fight off snakes and predators, and as personal protection from outlaws, cattle rustlers, and anyone else wanting to do them harm. The more experienced and often professional users became known as ‘gunslingers’ who travelled from town to town in search of business as hired hands or bounty hunters. There are numerous scenes from old wild west movies (and TV shows) where the good guy (goodie) and the bad guy (baddie) meet on the dusty, deserted street of an old western town. The tension rose as they paced slowly towards each other, with their trigger fingers poised over their still holstered guns, as the passers-by scrambled to safety behind buildings, and inside shops and saloons. Survival was absolutely dependent on being proven the fastest draw.

The handgun referred to as a revolver (and sometimes by the manufacturer’s name, as a ‘Colt’), was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. The handgun had a revolving barrel that could be quickly loaded with six bullets. Each bullet then be fired in rapid succession. These revolvers were also known as ‘six-shooters.’ Prior to the invention, each bullet would have been loaded and fired one at a time. So, the rapid-firing six-shooting Colt revolver was a quick and deadly weapon. Cowboys would commonly wear two guns, with one being strapped to the left thigh, and the other one in a tough leather holster on the right.

Another major part of the old US wild west was the railroads. The first railroad to cut across the US continent from the east to the west was constructed between 1863 and 1869. The railroad stretched from Iowa to California. These steam trains (iron horses) transported people, goods, livestock, and fuel across vast distances. Nothing came close to having the same after-effects on the American west as did the railroads. Railroads also transported timber and stone across the plains which in turn led to even more rapid development of towns and cities. New towns quickly rose from the dust to become hustling, bustling communities.

So, as you can see; from a model railroaders point of view, there are numerous possibilities to include trains, track, and towns in an N scale, OO gauge, or HO scale wild western rail layout. Downloading the printable PDF plans for the 13 old west models is easy, and from the images above you’ll observe that these old western model buildings are fabulously real looking in miniature form. You just download, print, and assemble the old west models ready for positioning on your scale model railroad depicting the wild western days from US history.

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