Walthers' Red Wing Milling Co. in HO Scale

Walther's Red Wing Milling Company kit was first released as a kit = a flour mill named for Red Wing, Minnesota. Waltbers adapted the kit to a Centennial Mills structural flat, and it's now sold as the Cornerstone series Flour Mill, retailing for $35-45. At 11x10x8 inches in HO scale, it's a compact kit that can be built as a flour mill or factory. But why stop there? Long intrigued by this kit, and still not the owner of one, I've saved many imaginative images showing how fellow modellers have adapted this kit to their layouts, using their own scratchbuilding skills and modelling chops. This post includes some of my favourites. The original, unassuming box that served as a portal for modellers to show so much creativity:

I did built a rather large model of Winnipeg's Five Roses flour mill in Winnipeg. That sprawling facility included 19th century elements with more modern ones and a neat curving track arrangement. This one can also be integrated with silos, other Red Wing kits....well, you get the idea. Read on to see how limitless the possibilities are. Interestingly, it appears many modellers don't use the kit's smokestack! Each photo (only one of which is mine - that of Bob Ascah's opened-up version) is captioned with the information made available by the modeller.

Two kits in one structure on this Conrail layout by Ken  McCurry

Eric Brooman's 'iconic' Utah Belt hosts one 

Grant's Grain

Ron Copher's Lake Erie & Southern - video capture - creative kitbash

Two from one for $23.99 - a bargain for Michael Walker

London & District Layout Tour

In France!

Tucker's Treats

A long one - Whyte Paper Co.

Contagiously fictitious GERN Industries

Des Moines Transfer Railway

Steve Mallery's PRR Buffalo Line

A long-john long-shot! Stanfields Woollens by Steve Vallis

Dick's Layout from Larry's Flickr 

BNSF Fall River Division

Bob Ascah's Lafarge backdrop - Kingston Rail-O-Rama 2018

Railview Historical Society - video capture from a Rapido Trains Inc. video

Another big one - on the waterfront - NOUPT layout

PJ's Train Shack weathering highlights the rarely-seen side of the kit

Nicely scenicked on the Bonavista Railroad

Saving the best until last - John Pacheco's imaginative use of brick exterior:

Running extra...

I've admired the ubiquity of the Red Wing Milling kit for awhile. I appreciate these modellers' tacet use of their modelling efforts in photo form. There's not a suitable application for a flour mill, even if I did obtain one of these kits at a trainshow, on my Kingston Hanley Spur HO layout. However, these is the Davis Tannery! Hmmmm....'

"He/she is speaking his/her truth." I hear this often on television. As in - someone making us believe their version of events, spoken no matter how earnestly, somehow explains their background and the contextual events surrounding their story. What ever happened to speaking THE truth? Doesn't that make everyone's version of events fit reality? Existential exigency!

It took a few days, but I finally photographed one of VIA's new 'Love the Way' word-wraps. Predictably, enthusiasts are divided on the aesthetics and relevance of any new paint scheme variation. I guess they're just speaking their truth! Though it is not very railroady at all, it is bold and modern. Here's VIA 906 at Kingston. The engineer's side features the French version: