I wish I had pictures of these but a couple of other things that I remember being used in the past when I was a member of the Stillwater OK model railroad club. One member, Bill scratchbuilt a beautiful arch bridge that was about three feet long. It was on a curve and he needed something strong for support- he used the shelf standards that are used with the little clips as girders. The rest of it was built from Plastruct. Very few people spotted their origin.
Grain elevators are another area that can be scratchbuilt. I scratchbuilt a grain elevator from cardboard tubes for them, and sheet basswood, only commercial products used were plastruct railings and windows. We had another that was done from wood angles to simulate the hexagon shapes in the Union Equity elevators in Enid. That was one that we purchased that another modeler had scratchbuilt. In N-scale I used cash register receipt cores to build one.
We also started on a city scene- this was before any of the bigger downtown buildings came on the market. Mirror stock and the eggcrate ceiling panels made some convincing modern structures.
Two other cost saving tips related to benchwork.
-Save money on insulation foam by checking job sites for free offcuts and craigslist for good prices on surplus full sheets.
- Big Table layouts aren't en'vogue anymore, but if you're considering a 4x8 layout, consider instead a Ping Pong Table. A used (especialy heavy vintage plywood) table can often be purchased for a fraction of the cost of the lumber necessary to make one. Plus the 9x5 size gives you enough space for two concentric loops bigger than 22"!
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
Eilif - Big Table layouts aren't en'vogue anymore, but if you're considering a 4x8 layout, consider instead a Ping Pong Table. A used (especialy heavy vintage plywood) table can often be purchased for a fraction of the cost of the lumber necessary to make one. Plus the 9x5 size gives you enough space for two concentric loops bigger than 22"!
I love this idea. I’m a big fan of old fashioned “table” layouts. I’m currently building a 4 x 6 layout, but for my next layout (there’s always a next layout, isn’t there?), I’m going to use your idea. Your blog says that it’s almost 30% more space. The caveat is the increased difficulty in reaching the center but that’s not a deal breaker for me. Thanks!
Alan
Bubbytrains
Eilif Two other cost saving tips related to benchwork. -Save money on insulation foam by checking job sites for free offcuts and craigslist for good prices on surplus full sheets. - Big Table layouts aren't en'vogue anymore, but if you're considering a 4x8 layout, consider instead a Ping Pong Table. A used (especialy heavy vintage plywood) table can often be purchased for a fraction of the cost of the lumber necessary to make one. Plus the 9x5 size gives you enough space for two concentric loops bigger than 22"!
Another thought for layouts. If you are building a city scene or flat top without a stream cutout a thought is hollow core doors. (great for N-scale too) These work better for linear layouts and come in various widths. I picked up some oak trim strips (on clearance even) to further stiffen them and finish the front. If you have a Habitat for Humanity thrift store you can get the doors cheap. Look also in the clearance door section in the local home improvement store too- sometimes they have scuffed or slightly damaged at a huge discount. Jim
Bubbytrains I love this idea. I’m a big fan of old fashioned “table” layouts. I’m currently building a 4 x 6 layout, but for my next layout (there’s always a next layout, isn’t there?), I’m going to use your idea. Your blog says that it’s almost 30% more space. The caveat is the increased difficulty in reaching the center but that’s not a deal breaker for me. Thanks! Alan
drgwcs Another thought for layouts. If you are building a city scene or flat top without a stream cutout a thought is hollow core doors. (great for N-scale too) These work better for linear layouts and come in various widths. I picked up some oak trim strips (on clearance even) to further stiffen them and finish the front. If you have a Habitat for Humanity thrift store you can get the doors cheap. Look also in the clearance door section in the local home improvement store too- sometimes they have scuffed or slightly damaged at a huge discount. Jim
Hollow core doors are great. I have a wargame table made from 6 panels from bi-fold doors. I put a blanket and two 2x4s on the kitchen table and set the panels on top to make a 6x7 foot table and when I'm done they fold up and lean up on the porch in a footprint about one foot squre.
The Bi-Fold door panels are especially worth consudering as they measure just shy of 12 inches across. Beeing narrower, they're also a bit more rigid too.
This backgorund scene was cheap.... All of the houses are smaller than HO scale which forces the perspective on my HO layout. They were purchased at a thrift store. I touched up the paint on some of them to look more real. ..... The church was a Hallmark Chirstmas tree ornament purchsed on sale at the end of the Christmas season. I applied Dull Coat to take away the shiney finish. ..... The covered bridge was on sale for 80% off list in a gift shop. It was broken, but I glued it together. Also, I weathered it.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Heartland Division CB&Q This backgorund scene was cheap.... All of the houses are smaller than HO scale which forces the perspective on my HO layout. They were purchased at a thrift store. I touched up the paint on some of them to look more real. ..... The church was a Hallmark Chirstmas tree ornament purchsed on sale at the end of the Christmas season. I applied Dull Coat to take away the shiney finish. ..... The covered bridge was on sale for 80% off list in a gift shop. It was broken, but I glued it together. Also, I weathered it.
Neat- another couple of thoughts for the Hallmark houses. They ran a series a while back that were called Sarah Plain and Tall that were usable in HO. The general store was especially neat but needed a new back door. They produced another series of houses/buildings that had a lot of good interior details in them. I have several that I picked up cheap and was going to gut them for interior details but somehow they wound up on the Christmas tree.........sigh Jim
That's a nicely-done scene, Garry, and very effective.
Wayne
Wow. By far the best use of decorative houses I've ever seen.
I picked up some of the dollar tree plastic Christmas houses this year. They're quite close to HO, but they're more stylized and really only good for Christmas displays.
As you can see, the LION is not too fussy about the tables of him.
Here are two 3'x12' benched pushed together to form a blob 6'x12', and of course I cannot reach the middle, but as you can see there is nothing there.
LION made most of this part of the layout with 2" thick tarpaper backed fiberglass roofing insulation, wes, from a dumpster dive.
On the left they are used as vertical risers, in the back you can see that second level loop is entirely of this material. It needs little in the way of support.
Below is the armpit of the layout. Visitors do not go back there, but here it is...
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Sticks and stones may break my bones........
but being cheap will never hurt me, and they make good scenery materials.....
I have several things in these scenes that use natural materials, and you cant get much better than free.... There are some other things too here that were built using inexpensive materials.
Natural materials were used in a lot of this. I would caution to run a magnet over stuff before you use it just to be safe. One trip to colorado years ago was accompanied by tupperware... plus I used other natural materials. The streambed is done with natural rocks. The mine tailings are from the actual site. (use caution here) mixed with white glue and applied. (The only problem is that I have a seam here- when the layout has been moved- it is very hard to match the color) The same was done with Colorado dirt- mixed with white glue and applied with a putty knife. Woodland scenics ground foam etc was added. I use real branches for deadfall. Stone is also good for making retaining walls. I'll touch on the trees later.
The large mine building here- The Argo Tunnel chutes were completely scrachbuilt. The inner core is cardboard. Over that were cut dowel rods- lots and lots of dowel rods The corregated siding was made of alluminum foil pressed over an existing piece of siding. The other parts were built out of basswood strips. Jim
Natural trees- A few cheap thoughts
The dried flower aisle at the craft store can be a useful place to find materials (Hobby Lobby and Michael's often have coupons too) A few that I have used and one package can yield quite a lot of material.
Baby's breath (mini gypsophelia) One of the things that a lot of model trees lack is leaves Using this gives a tree with a pretty neat structure- the trees inbetween the buildings were mainly made with this. You will need to pick your bunch in person, many baby's breath are sold with the pods open- you don't want this- make sure the pods are closed. These have a structure that looks like leaves. Spray the tips with a green spray paint- or they make good autumn aspens just left alone. To make these you will need to bundle several braches together using floral or masking tape. There will be a few long leaves you will need to clip off before doing so.
German Statice- This is a little different- here we are just after the stems to use as trunks of the tree. Try to get a bundle that looks a little browner on the stems- some will look too green to make a good trunk. Trim off the flower buds till you are down to what looks like trunks. Then kind of work through cutting out the size trunks you want. You will get some small and large. After that use either Woodland Scenics net folage or their clump folage. One bad thing about this- this stuff does smell bad- this dramaticaly reduces once the buds are clipped. might be a good activity for the patio table.
Jack Work trees- making evergreens. These start with a carved balsa wood trunk- get one that is a little soft- stain it before putting in the branches. For branches there can be a variety of things to use. Sometimes you can get airfern that gives a light airy branch. I used a dried stem on these that I found at Hobby Lobby but to be honest I dont remember what it was- just looked good. (It's been a while since I made these too) For those that are stiff you can generally push them into the Balsa after putting a dab of tacky glue on them. Airfern will need a hole started with a pushpin first.
Finally don't overlook the Christmas "Picks" we are a little late now- but these sometimes can have good fodder for evergreens. I have heard a couple of more extreme examples where one guy cut up an artificial Christmas tree.
A good, cheap material for making structures is foam-core poster board. It's also a very strong material. I used it not too long ago to build a 12 stall roundhouse, and the most expensive things on it are the hinges for the stall doors. Total cost for the project was about $15, vs $40 or more for one of the commercial kits on the market.
Wolf359 A good, cheap material for making structures is foam-core poster board. It's also a very strong material. I used it not too long ago to build a 12 stall roundhouse, and the most expensive things on it are the hinges for the stall doors. Total cost for the project was about $15, vs $40 or more for one of the commercial kits on the market.
Foamcore is great for building the backs of structures that will not be seen. I used a Magneson hotel front and foamcore to build this hotel- (the one with the Hotel St George on it). The sides were covered with a scrapbooking paper that looked like a brick texture. Recently I was at a thrift store (The scrap exchange in Durham NC) that dealt in craft/art supplies and found some foamcore that used a thin plastic insted of the paper faces with the foamcore center. This will wound up as backs for structures that I am building for the club in an area that has seen some water issues in the past. Jim
Have one more to add- I'm trying to think of others but I hope others come up with more ideas- I an grateful for all the other ideas.
Guardrails are something that is a little rare to find. Besides Rix (I've used them but needed a lot) there isn't much out there. or is there? The rail on the right is actually n-scale fencing purchased from China. It resulted in a rail that showcases the vehicles behind it. There are a lot of inexpensive details that are you can get from China. You have to watch the scale though- a lot of the figures and benches are off in 1/72 or 1/100.
For the other railing I wanted something more substantial as it bridged the tracks and had the Union Station on it. This one I found while looking through Home Depot. They have several miniature moldings that have some possibilities. I used this same one for a cornice for a building that the prototype had an oversized cornice. In O scale there would be a lot more that would be usable too. They are only about 3 bucks a stick. Jim
Great topic. I prefer to think of it as “budget model railroading.”
I’ve tried many things but I can only think of a few right at the moment...
drinking straws for pipes.
bridal veil material for chain link fence.
aluminum foil painted rust and cut up for scrap metal loads.
bamboo skewers and furnace filter for conifer trees.
parts of old computers for detail parts and scrap metal.
plastic bubble packaging for scrap yard junk.
most of my industry and highway signs are google images printed on paper.
black and tan sandpaper makes good paved and gravel roads.
tubular objects for storage tanks.
cereal boxes/paper board for parts of structures.
I’ve learned some good ideas so far from various posters. Keep it coming!
drgwcs Have one more to add- I'm trying to think of others but I hope others come up with more ideas- I an grateful for all the other ideas. Guardrails are something that is a little rare to find. Besides Rix (I've used them but needed a lot) there isn't much out there. or is there? The rail on the right is actually n-scale fencing purchased from China. It resulted in a rail that showcases the vehicles behind it. There are a lot of inexpensive details that are you can get from China. You have to watch the scale though- a lot of the figures and benches are off in 1/72 or 1/100. For the other railing I wanted something more substantial as it bridged the tracks and had the Union Station on it. This one I found while looking through Home Depot. They have several miniature moldings that have some possibilities. I used this same one for a cornice for a building that the prototype had an oversized cornice. In O scale there would be a lot more that would be usable too. They are only about 3 bucks a stick. Jim
Thanks for posting that! I've seen some of those n-scale railings and wondered about them. Also, your use of molding is inspired! Really looks like semi-decorative concrete.
The N scale works perfect for a guardrail. There are several styles but I thought this one worked best. I just fixed an overpass on another part of the layout. Plastruct I beams basswood deck and used Model Power HO iron fencing for the railing. It needs to be glued on the sides rather that the top to look right. The larger uprights are painted a concrete color.
I should also mention that a good material to use for log loads is sticks. Especially if they're of uniform color. I have a decent amount of trees in my yard, so I have a virtually unlimitted supply, and I've used sticks as log loads on several flat cars, and they work quite well. The best part is they're free!
My first layout (8x20 Lionel, circa 1956-58) was built with "whatever I could get" to make it work. My little money went for track and some Plasticville structures - leaving little for benchwork or scenery.
Finding lumber and even nails in Chicago was not all that difficult as construction debris was often around, and I was a regular "walking the alleys" to get what I could find. Of course plywood was the biggest challenge. I found pieces in various places, but my biggest "find" was a 4x6 piece that touted the street repairs to California Avenue, and was signed at the bottom by Mayor Daley.
Old screening was easy to find, and plaster of Paris was available for 5 cents a pound at the local hardware store. Much of the ground cover was used coffee grounds (baked in the oven to kill critters) and dyed sawdust. I did have to splurge for lichen, however. Oh, paint was often available in my alley jaunts....
That process was the complete oppisite of layouts to follow - but it left me with a great appreciation for "making do" with what one can afford, and it was a terrific education.
That said, what I find notable is that I enjoyed that Lionel layout as much or more than the "new and improved" layouts that followed. Go figure.........
Oh, while I'm here..........what happened to the "high roller" layout thread?
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
mobilman44Oh, while I'm here..........what happened to the "high roller" layout thread?
It real quickly got to be NOTHING about model railroading, and "Vinnie" made it go away. So "forgetaboutit hey"
Mike.
My You Tube
I'm on my forth real layout, I have yet to buy any lumber or foam. Its all used,recycled,scraps.
I used up 2 half full buckets of drywall mud, got them free.
A good half of my trees are weeds
A throwen out pillow gave me a pile of polly fiber
I now use only craft paints,50cents at wallmart
A good many of my buildings started out as ''for sale'' signs
Window glazeing come from the clear plastic that every thing come in
Dirt ground cover..garden and old potting soil
Ballest,gravel sand..fines from the drivway
Small Ga. wire can be bent into stair hand rails.
Asphalt shingles can become paved street
Nothing gets tossed withou looking at it thru HO eyes
I did not even read this thread until the "high roller" thread came along, the title did not interest me and sometimes my time for this forum is limited.
After reading it I will just say this, most of this just sounds like common sense scratch building, not being "cheap" at all.
There are lots of good ideas here, cheap or not.
But what do I know......
Sheldon
I have been thinking of the days when I really did cheapskate model railroading. This was when I first switched to HO scale and was in my twenties with three little girls to raise.
.
I built my first HO layout, which I guess was an ISL, using lumber from pallets I got from work. I think over half my early HO purchases were used junk, and it was a budget item in the family ledger to buy a Proto 2000 freight car kit.
All the wiring came from a construction scrap dumpster where I found a ten foot long piece of elevator control cable. Score!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
For sale signs are a great source of cheap styrene. And handy in a pinch if the nearest hobby shop is an hour away. I have not tried to glue them but the corragated plastic signs might be usable too as a more durable material than foamcore.
Went to a place today that might be a thought as a source of inexpensive materials. I am not sure how many of a similar idea there might be around the country but today I was in the Scrap Exchange in Durham NC. They bill themselves as a creative reuse arts center. Looking around the place I am quite at a loss to explain what kind of kooky art one could make out of this stuff. (just shows how strange and disconnected modern art has come from reality but that is another subject) Essentially they accept anything and everything that could be used in art to keep it out of the dump. Electrical parts, medical containers, scrap foam, paper goods, fabric, even old slide trays and undeveloped film- some of this is pretty strange as art supplies. That is just the tip of the iceberg- the place is pretty big.
I on the other hand found a few things there that were inexpensive that will find some use. They had model paints for a quarter, and craft paints for a dime. I found a four foot long and a foot and a half wide sheet of a plastic faced foamcore for a buck. I also found some formica samples for a dime each that will become marble floors in a building. If you live in the area it is something that is worth a look. Are there similar places elsewhere? Jim
Thanks for the great idea! I just did a search and apparently we have something like that in Chicago called the "Waste Shed". They have second hand school and art supplies. I'm definitely going to check them out soon.
As folks have mentioned cheap paint, my Meards has 8, 16, 32oz and gallon paint seconds for $.50, $1, $2.50 and $5 respectively. Just picked up some dark brown grey for a table base color.
Also, for the past couple months Dollar Tree stores in the Chicago area have random assortments of Testors Model Master paints. I've gotten paints, Gloss varnish, Spray cans and even weathering stains. I did a blog post about it last week.
Eilif Thanks for the great idea! I just did a search and apparently we have something like that in Chicago called the "Waste Shed". They have second hand school and art supplies. I'm definitely going to check them out soon. As folks have mentioned cheap paint, my Meards has 8, 16, 32oz and gallon paint seconds for $.50, $1, $2.50 and $5 respectively. Just picked up some dark brown grey for a table base color. Also, for the past couple months Dollar Tree stores in the Chicago area have random assortments of Testors Model Master paints. I've gotten paints, Gloss varnish, Spray cans and even weathering stains. I did a blog post about it last week.
There is a lot of stuff in one of those- this was my second time in the Scrap Exchange. You never know what odd stuff you will find (either stuff or people ) I'm curious where is that Waste Shed at- used to live in Chicago (well technicaly ten blocks outside of Chicago) I'll have to check out Dollar Tree here in Virginia although I probably don't need much more paint. I picked up an entire tray of them at an estate sale for a couple of bucks. Some were dried out but probably 2/3 of them were usable. Jim
drgwcs There is a lot of stuff in one of those- this was my second time in the Scrap Exchange. You never know what odd stuff you will find (either stuff or people ) I'm curious where is that Waste Shed at- used to live in Chicago (well technicaly ten blocks outside of Chicago) I'll have to check out Dollar Tree here in Virginia although I probably don't need much more paint. I picked up an entire tray of them at an estate sale for a couple of bucks. Some were dried out but probably 2/3 of them were usable. Jim
The Waste Shed is near Chicago and California, but I gather it recently moved from further west. I'm in Lawndale so it's not too far away. I'll probably stop in next week.
As for the Dollar Tree Testors Model Master stuff, good luck and let us know what you find. There has been some suggestion that it might only be stores closer to their Illinois headquarters that are getting Testors overstock, but I'd be curious to find out how far away they have been getting.