(Let me say from the start that I am no expert when it comes to the history Maine's 2-foot railroads, so please feel free to inform me of any incorrect statements I may make!) 

The beautifully crafted Randolph Depot was built in 1890 on the bank of the Kennebec River to serve as the headquarters for the 2-foot gauge Kennebec Central Railroad, a "shortline" in the truest sense (only 5-miles long) that moved both coal and passengers to Togus, Maine, where a National Home was located for American veterans.  The Home continues to function today, now known as the Togus Veterans' Administration Center.  Oddly enough, the railroad had no direct connecton with any other rail line, but received most of it's business via either barge traffic on the river or traffic crossing the river bridge from Gardiner, Maine, on the opposite bank.  The railroad operated until 1929, holding the hope of re-opening for many years, but never to do so.  The depot stood until the late 1930s.  Today the site is overgrown and only a few wooden and concrete piers along the river bank mark the railroad's location.

For additional information on the railroad and the depot, I highly recommend the book Two Feet To Togus by Robert Jones (Evergreen Press, Burlington, VT) as an excellent reference (and great read!), as well as the excellent drawings by Wesley Ewell (revised in March 2005), plus the information provided by Peter Barney in his book The Kennebec Central and Monson Railroads.  Another wonderful source of information is Linwood Moody’s book: The Maine Two-Footers.



The kit truly reflects the prototype's intricate and "welcoming" design.  It was a structure that simply made you want to  enter and explore it's interior.  Small by most depot standards, the footprint of our S-scale model only measures 7 x 7-inches (18 x 18-cm), but if the full train waiting platform is included, the overall size extends to 9 ½ x 7¾-inches (24 x 20-cm).



The detail of the prototype's intricate wood moldings have been incorporated in the kit, and we've included our textured, peel-and-stick shake shingle material for the roof.


At some time during the life of the building, the original baggage room along the front was converted into the Superintendent's Office.  The double doors were replaced by double windows and an outside entry door was added to the sidewall under the platform roof.  The stairs were also modified for the new entrance.  The kit contains components to allow either version to be constructed.




 

Assembly of the laser-cut kit incorporates an extensive use of slot-and-tab design features.  A 33-page, spiral bound instruction manual includes 54 photos of the process.  The metal chimney casting was made from a master created just for this kit to match the prototype's.