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building blue prints

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  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
building blue prints
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 12:18 PM
[:I] very new to G-scale trains,and Forum chit chat, but realy liking things that I've seen, was wonting to build my own town out of wood but cant find were to get G-scale blue prints? if any one out there can help I would be greatly thankful as I've seen some realy nice buildings on E-Bay, but they go for an arme and leage. and the kits are supper to. but still would like to build my own you can e-mail me at jenkins@fasd.k12.pa.us or petertrain2@yahoo.com thank you so much[8)]
  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Elgin, IL
  • 3,677 posts
Posted by orsonroy on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 12:37 PM
Garden Railways magazine regularly prints G scale plans. Try their backissues.

Of course, it's easy to convert any building plan to whjichever scale you want by using a scale ruler. Armed with the proper measuring tools, you can convert Z to full sized!

Ray Breyer

Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 28, 2005 12:17 PM
Thats just my problem, I do not have the blue prints or the proper measuring tools, nore do I know where to go to get them, was looking for some one, or some company that would saile them already down scale, like winfilde collection, or some one on the iternet. any help here would mean a lot
  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Elgin, IL
  • 3,677 posts
Posted by orsonroy on Thursday, April 28, 2005 1:08 PM
For $12 or so, you can get everything you need from Walthers:

Scale ruler in N, HO, S and O scales: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/285-1251
Use this to convert printed plans from most model RR magazines. Use the appropriate scale to find the "real" length of anything. Then, draw out your building on your material of choice (for outdoor use I'd really recommend Plexiglas or PVC over wood) using this G scale ruler: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/233-9029

Everything else is a piece of cake! Like I said, the various model magazines have been printing building plans for decades. I've got most published during the 1980s and 1990s, and I have literally thouands of plans available to me. Since there are so few plans online (discussed in depth on a post a few months ago), I'd head over to a model RR swapmeet and dig through the piles of backissues for appealing plans. You can usually pick up an old MR for a buck.

Ray Breyer

Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: US
  • 1,300 posts
Posted by Sperandeo on Friday, April 29, 2005 10:38 AM
Hello Peter,

First, any building plan in any scale can be used to make a G scale model. One way requires that you have a scale rule for both G scale and whatever scale the drawing might be. Use the rule that matches the drawing to take measurements, and use the G scale rule to lay out the parts of your model.

Or you can enlarge the drawings on a copier. If the drawing includes a conversion percentage you can set the copier for that degree of enlargement. Lacking that, most drawings give a few important dimensions. You can work by trial and error to make enlargements where the dimension on the drawing matches your G scale rule. When it does, you have a G scale drawing.

Many, many building plans have appeared in "Model Railroader" and other model railroad magazines. You can find them using the Model Train Magazine Index at the top of this page – click on "Index of Magazines."

You can order photocopies of plans from out-of-print back issues of MR from customerservice@kalmbach.com. For magazines of other publishers, contact those publishers. Or go to www.railpub.com, a dealer specializing in out-of-print magazines.

Good luck with your buildings,

Andy

Andy Sperandeo MODEL RAILROADER Magazine

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 29, 2005 10:50 AM
thank you so much for all the good help, I will be putting it all to good use.

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