It might not be the burning question of the ages, but I was very interested to recently see noted clearly on a set of drawings for the Scale-Craft OO 4-6-0 the dates and number of hours in each sitting that were taken to build one of these back in 1939. The list starts as follows:

10-23 – 1 Planning
10-24 – 1 Planning
10-26 – 5 Assembly

The list includes notations also for Paint and Letter, concluding on 12-15 with ¼ hour for assembly. All told it totals up 37.5 hours spread over 20 separate work sessions!

The Scale-Craft 4-6-0 kit was a quality product but by no means “shake the box.” Makes you want to show a bit more respect for these old models and their builders!

The 4-6-0 drawings below are from pre-war Scale-Craft decal sets.