Scratch building..

[Ulrich]

I'm finally going to give scratch building a try.. I'm not one of those artistic geniuses who can turn an empty pop can into a perfectly proportioned and detailed NYC Niagara, so I'll probably start out with a more modest project, like a small uncomplicated building. If that works out I'll try building a bridge, and then perhaps some rolling stock. Anyone here want to share photos of their scratch built handiwork?

[0-6-0]

Hello here are some of mine not very good but they are my first trys. This a silo made from a t/p roll and half a plastic egg and other bits. prototype

and mine.

I tried to make some cattails also

.

and in the pond.

give it a shot you can't do any worse then me. Have a nice day Frank

 

 

[mlehman]

Starting small is a good idea. Helps to work off something real at first, with pics or plans, but later on you can often just do it in your head, with maybe a couple of critical doodlings just to help keep things straight.

Then you can think big...

[G Paine]

Ulrich, what type of buildings were you thinking of making?

On the Boothbay Railway Village layout, we have a number of scratch built houses. Another volunteer built these

The parsonage house is scratchbuilt, the church is a kit

The brown saltbox house and the white cape are scratcbuilt, the general store is a kit

The yellow house and cold frame are scatchbuilt, the garage is a kit

ON my layout, I built this grey house from MR plans from the late 1980s. It is intended to be tall and narrow. Referred to as a Maine spite house, it is bulit to spoil the view of a neighbor that you do not like.

[E-L man tom]

Pardon the blurred picture; this is my very first HO scale scratchbuild effort. A bit complicated for a beginner (and a bit crude too!). As if you couldn't tell, it's one of my first model photos as well

[E-L man tom]

Here's another later effort of a fuels dealer (Fultz' Fuels) that was part kit, part scratchbuild, but mostly scratch built. The lean-to portion on top of the coal silo and the smaller attached structure were a kit. the rest, including the loading docks (there's one on the other side, not pictured) are scratch built

[Ulrich]

Very nice efforts..thanks for posting everyone.

 

 G. Paine, I was thinking about building an HO scale version of my home, for two reasons. Number one, there aren't too many kit models of modern suburban homes available. And number two, I live in the full scale version so I can easily study it for detail...no driving around or taking pictures required.

[Pruitt]

This station, also seen in my signature photo, is scratchbuilt. Took about five years. I started it, then set it on the shelf for about three years. Finally took it to work and finished it on my lunch hours most of my co-workers were amused, but other modelers in the group were interested in my progress).

It's stripwwod and wood siding - don't remember the manufacturer. The shingles are Campbell, as I recall.

It was my second try at scratchbuilding - I did a Colorado Midland wood gondola back in early high school that is too terrible to show!

[stebbycentral]

Another depot.  It is a replica in "O" scale of the depot which is currently located at the Colorado Railroad and Mining Museum in Silver Plume, CO.  I built it off of photographs I took of the structure while on vacation one summer.

[mbinsewi]

Here is a couple of my scratch built buildings.

Milling, bakery and frozen food plant:

Plastic injection molding plant:

Mike.

[hon30critter]

Ulrich

Congratulations on taking the plunge into scratch building! Personally I find it to be very enjoyable and rewarding.

Your plan to build a model of your own house is great. It gives you easy reference to the sizes and angles etc. Many of my scratch builds have been referenced simply by measuring the size of a single man door in a picture (roughly 32" to 36" wide by 80" to 84" tall) and then calculating the size of everything else in the picture. Your scale ruler is a big help.

Here is a model of the steam plant at the East Broad Top RR:

Here is the original. I haven't done the roof vent yet:

Here is my machine shop/diesel service shop which is very loosely modeled on the East Broad Top buildings:

Here is a small rural station that came right out of my head:

Once you get your feet wet with scratch building structures, you might consider building some rolling stock. Here is the critter in my avatar. It is HOn30 built using brass sheet and a 4-4-0 Bachmann N scale drive system:

Here is a small 'goose':

Here is a drive system designed by Darth Santa Fe used to power a Mack 15 ton switcher:

Hope this inspires! Please don't hesitate to ask questions.

Dave

[CSX_road_slug]

I couldn't find either of the Walthers HO kits for Central Gas Supply or Medusa Cement, so I scratchbuilt my own crude versions.

1) My LP gas distributor:

Plastruc Tubing for the tanks, Evergreen sheet styrene for the warehouse/office, Tichy window frames and doors.

2) Summit Cement (casual imitation of Medusa):

PVC pipe from my local Home Depot, Evergreen sheet styrene, other odds-and-ends from my scrapbox.

3) I didn't feel like spending $100 a pop for these dry bulk trailer models, so I just hacked out a few of my own:

Plastruct tubing with Evergreen strip, wheels cannibalized from old Athearn piggyback trailers.

...then of course there's all my steel mill structures, but that's for another thread.

[hon30critter]

Ken:

Nothing crude about your models at all! Well done!

The trucks are really amazing.

Dave

[CSX_road_slug]

Thanks Dave!

By 'crude' I meant that they were designed to be viewed from a 3-foot distance rather than close-up. Few [if any] detail parts, I may add those later.

[farrellaa]

I shoud have tried a simpler model to start scratch building but being 72, I don't want to wait to long to build a model of the house I grew up in, in lower New York State. I used .04 styrene for walls and roof, Tichy and Grandt Line windows and doors, and GC Laser shingles. It came out pretty good but I can see a lot of improvement needed in the details. My eyes aren't that good now so I have more trouble getting seams to meet as well as I would like.

  -Bob

[hon30critter]

Bob

That is excellent! I can hardly wait to see what you come up with once you get good at it!

Dave