trip to michael's

[FJ and G]

Where do all of the pretty women shop?

Michaels, of course!

In addition to girl watching, there are some neat things modelers can get.

Flowers, not for your sweetie but for your layout. The Caspia looked really nice.

There are a wide variety of wires available for scratchbuilding projects. I picked up a package ($2) of 18" long floral stem wires which are the perfect diameter for handrails I plan to install on my Williams diesels.

I found some really fine wire mesh screen which might be used for see-thru diesel grills. One difficulty, however, is that the mesh pattern is diamond rather than square, and the prototype is square pattern. I may decide to use it anyway, however, if the look is right. The mesh is brass colored or silver so I will probably add some black weathering. I'm saving this project for a later date, however.

There is so much more than modelers can find at Michaels. Something on nearly every aisle.

dave v

[cnw1995]

Dave, Hobby Lobby seems to be much the same - and has the bonus of allowing me to look at model railroading stuff as well...

[brianel027]

Yeah, I agree Dave! There are so many things out there that can adapted for use on a train layout. The "girl watching" may not be as good at the hardware store, but there are so many things that can be used. My old favorite hardware store had some bins called "do-dads" and "whatever." The names caught my attention and I found all these piece that I was able to use for scratchbuilding.

The craft department of Wal-Mart has lots of items too. Even the toy department has some cool stuff. I found a contruction set where I took the crane and used it on my nephew's layout. I strung up the crane so it is operating from the front of the layout by use of simple cranks. Much cheaper than buying one in an orange and blue box.

I always watch yard sales and the Salvation Army too. I once found a Lionel engine at the Salvation Army for 95¢. Couldn't beat that deal. Granted it was a cheapie Docksider, but with a little work and some modifications, that little guy pulls like a champ now and has become my nephew's favorite engine for no other reason than it was like the "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" that we brought back to life.

Oh, I'd be careful on checking out the girls at a place where lots of women go. Women do talk... could be rather embarassing to be confronted by the wife as her friend works at Michael's and reported you were checking out the ladies. Heaven help the married guys here if the women have a secret Forum called "Your Husband's Roving Eye."
Man, I wouldn't want to be the moderator of that Forum... talk about hot tempers!! [:D]

Of course, depending on who's running that Forum, maybe incriminating topics would suddenly get deleted. Might be the one time where "topic deleted" would be welcomed news! [^]

[FJ and G]

brianel,

that Docksider was a good find. I've been to pawn shops and Salv. Army & never found any toy trains; just little cars and trucks and stuff.

I too purchased a motorized crane from Wal-mart. I chopped it up for parts and motor and the base of my watertower seen on my website on page 1, is made from a portion of the crane. I painted it and added weathering.

As for hardware stores, True-Value hardware has great deals and they stock a variety of useful do-dads not found in Home Depot or Lowe's.

[cnw1995]

Looking in the toy aisle is a great idea. I have to sharpen my 'vision' to see possibilities within these things that were originally meant for something else.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Gee guys, being recently divorced, maybe that is the place to hang out.[swg] Actually I have found lots of cool and useful stuff at the craft store over the years, mainly scenic materials, detail bits, and paints and such. In addition to Michael's we have a large fabric and craft store, and some of the fabric items can be useful.

Chain link fence anyone??? Maybe a wheat field??[swg]

[Anonymous]

I often find that hobby shops these days seem to carry less and less scratchbuilding supplies. Perhaps they are just responding to the trend towards ready built structures.
Michaels is one of my prime sources for scratch building supplies. You can buy Exacto knives, balsa/bass wood, wood novety items, artists brushes, paints in small bottles, adhesives, fancy papers, stick on lettersets and many other items. As for the scenery, it's quite nice as the customer base is mainly female. I believe that Michaels is a national chain.
My other source is Pearl Paint, that carries artist , drafting and modeling supplies. You can find artists illustration board, chartpack illustration tape, drafting supplies, fine metal stock , a full ine of Plastruct, sheets, plastic stock, trees, and just about everything that you might need to make "cardstock" structures. Pearl has stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and a few other locations. Between these two stores I can find everything needed to scratchbuild model railroad structures.
I don't know how many scratch builders we have here on this forum but it sure seems like it's a dying art. There appear to be few diehard model railroaders as myself that enjoy the art as it was 50 years ago. Our modern computer age seems to include little time for handwork.
I would say that the main scratch builders these days are architects, that are often called upon to present a mockup of the building that they propose to build .

[FJ and G]

There also is a good assortment of drafting tools, curves, compasses, sliding rulers, etc.

dlagrua,

So many people get everything out of the box, from trains to trees to ground foam. Not faulting them but for me, it's the journey, not the destination, that thrills me, and scratchbuilding or kitbashing is a pleasurable thing for me as well.

Some folks, believe it or not, don't even build their own layout but rather hire someone to do it. While that's their perogative, speaking for myself, that would be like missing most of the adventures and misadventures.

dav

[spankybird]

Gee Zee Guys,

I surprised no one has said that Michele’s carries Lemax. From somewhere around October 1, starting with Halloween and then into Christmas, what a great place for trees and houses. You do know that these are the same ones that K-Line has in their catalog and at a less expansive price that K-Line.

tom

[Anonymous]

Another good store if you have one in your area is Ben Franklin crafts,
and for you single guys great for girl watching.[wow]
Keith

[Buckeye Riveter]

Has anyone ever seen, in one of the craft stores, a foam cutter? If so I might be required to darken the doorway.

[garyseven]

Always remember, your results may vary!

As far as women at Beaverton Michaels...well... how to be politcally correct... ain't the most femine of all clienteles. (I am happily married anyhow)

They do have cool stuff that can be used for trains.

[brianel027]

Well I just want to say I like scratchbuilding and kitbashing. Just because I like - more like need - to run smaller trains, doesn't mean I don't want detail, realism and quality. Of course, after years of being in the fine arts (film, painting, photography) I fully understand the power of implication and suggestion.

Even little things like painting molded handrails, adding tool boxes, marker lights and windows to cheap cabooses can make a big difference. Even the cheapie 2-dome metal framed tank cars; I'll cut a piece of black window screen and glue it to the metal frame, adding some underside details out of ordinary wood pieces, adding some warning plaques, plus a nice paint job with the little extra decals can make these cars seem way more detailed than they really are.

Adding wood floors to the short K-Line box cars, adding undercarriage details, a metal brakewheel over the molded in plastic one, replacing the black delrin plastic door guides with thinner color matched (I've gotten good at matching paint) styrene ones makes an improved car. If I redo the whole car, like in CSX, CR or NS, the little extra decals like lube plates or ACI markers also add a lot to the car.

To me, it's like the old movies where they didn't have to show you every drop of blood or every needless detail to make the point. And critics agree, some of those old movies are everybit as powerful as any of the newer ones.

The Impressionist painters didn't need to paint every detail to capture a feeling. Sometimes suggestion can be just as convincing.

[FJ and G]

brianel,

Interesting that ou mention adding wood floors to inside of boxcars (I built a flatcar w/wood planking).

The reason I say interesting is that normally, the boxcar doors are closed and you probably would never see the details. Similarly, with the tank apparatus in milk cars or coils under the coilcar cover or underside-of-car detailings are items you will likely not notice, but yet, it's nice to know that they are there.

dav

[brianel027]

Well Dave, I have a very simple self-designed operating fork lift accessory where every single box car I own can be loaded up with wood crates. Wood crates are really wood cubes from one of these craft places: I use a ball paint pen and ruler to draw lines on the cube to suggest wood slats. I then use a fine point Sharpie marker to suggest the metal bands sometimes wrapped around crates for added strength to keep them closed. I use a small dab of glue on the inside of one door on MPC type box cars (with the extended molded door guide grabbers) to make a "nub" which keeps one door from vibrating open. For others I use a small piece of brass pipe to keep one door shut.

I also add a fake wood floor to the short K-Line gondolas where the inside is just flat with no molded details (unlike the Lionel gondolas). I also have a simple self-designed "gondola loader" where every gondola can be loaded with something. I've taken these small metal Slinkys from a kid's birthday gift pack, wrapped those Slinkys with a couple black rubber bands and that makes a convincing coil load for gondolas that can be loaded from my self-cobbed operating crane.

On stock cars, I use a cut piece of that nylon kitchen scrubber stuff - yellow in color. I rough it up with a metal comb and a nail - just poking and pull at it to create the illusion of straw. Works and looks good. This gets attached to the stock car floor using carpet tape. I then glue some horses or cows to that with a couple sort of half sticking out the doorway. Prototype, no... the doors would be shut with the animals inside. But this is toy train land... we can do as we please. So I have the animals showing - an instant kid pleaser I assure you.

I do kind of agree with you though Dave, that many of the details being added to trains today are sort of over-kill. They're things you don't really notice until you are handling the trains off the track. It's just another gimmick to sell more "realistic" looking trains at prices that are becoming less "realistic" to buy.

That's why when I add the under-carriage details, they're just "suggested" and made to be seen while the train is rolling on the track. The power of suggestion is stronger than most think.

[FJ and G]

brianel,

Very interesting techniques. It would be esp. novel if a small motor were installed inside the boxcar to open the door during stops at the warehouse. Believe it or not, the Santa Fe used to carry grain in their map boxcars!

BTW, I was at Home Depot yesterday in the plumbing section and noticed once again the pipe cutting aparatus that they use to custom cut pipe for you. The grinds from the pipes look exactly like scrap metal loads found in gondolas on CSX that I see every day and a magnetic crane could pick these up.

You'd just have to be cautious about getting them on the track & into the loco gears.

The reason boxcars, flatcars, gondolas and the older open frame auto transporters are so interesting is that you can model loads that they are carrying.

Interestingly, no 3-rail mfgr offers full-sized auto racks of the open variety that carry 12 autos. If you want one bad enought, you have to build it yourself.

One gent uses a resin casting method. A photo of one of his cars is on my website. He made it for 2-rail O.

dav

[jprampolla]

Hi Folks,

I have found wonderful deals at the dollar stores, namely the "Dollar Tree" chain. They have die cast cars, approximately O scale in blister packs in the toy section, as well as animals. I found an O scale die cast limo with an O scale figure, and a wired remote control bull dozer, also about O scale. In late Summer when they bring out the Christmas stock there are porcelain buildings, close to S scale, and little figures that are on a card, about 4 or 5 figures approx O scale, for a buck. Some are rather well painted and they are made of something like a synthetic marble that can be filed and sanded if you need to clean up a mold line or imperfection. Also trees and shrubs in the Christmas stock, some without snow so you can use them anywhere on the layout. They often have quailty speaker wire 50 ft. for a buck and some other electrical stuff that is also useful. I love checking things out there.
Take care, Joe.

[Anonymous]

I too check out Michael's, Ben Franklin, A.C. Moore, and other craft stores for goodies to use on my layout. I like the latex craft paints that provide a nice flat fini***o buildings and such. They come in almost every color you can imagine.

BTW - best place I've found to check out the ladies while shopping - TARGET!

[jkerklo]

Okay, be it on your heads. I went to a Michaels and a Hobby Lobby.

Elliot, yes girl watching was good. You failed to mention, however, that most have small hobbyists in tow. Discouraging. Diligence, however, could mean finding someone that likes to paint scenery; might be worth some effort.

An incredible amount of crafts. I never knew there were so many things to spend time (and money) on.

My imagination is not as good as those that found such nifty items. Maybe it takes more trips. Did see lots of stock things like wood, metal, etc. Some hobby stores don't carry as much, and the Michaels is closer to me.

Hobby Lobby had a lot of K-Line train sets for sale. Some for as much as $350. I was suprised at this. Seems like some manufacturers are trying to address a starter market. Lots of HO buildings, but no O gauge.

I was looking for an air brush. (Yes, I am contemplating scenery, of all things. You guys are definately a bad influence.) I ended up buying it at Mizzels (train store). I asked advice (I know nothing) and bought a Badger 200. Good first choice?

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com