I notice that structures with "legs," such as water tanks, coaling towers, and so on, don't have the bottom of the leg (whether wood or metal) resting directly on the ground, but usually on a concrete pad or footing--I suppose there's a name for them. As often as not, they look like a pyramid with its top cut off: four sides sloping inward to the flat space where the leg of the structure is bolted. I've never seen them offered as detail parts in white metal, resin, or anything else.
If you have ideas about mass-producing a couple dozen or so of these things in N scale, I'd appreciate hearing from you. Thanks.
Michael
Detail Associates makes them in HO but not in N. They call them footing piers. To make them yourself, you might try starting with Evergreen square styrene stock maybe .080 x .080. ( Someone who models in N can give you better idea of scale size. The HO ones are 2 feet square on the bottom, 1.25 feet square on the top and 1 foot high) Cut one end of the stock to the right shape and then use a saw to cut it off square. Keep in mind that the bottom can be as long as you want if you can bed them into the scenery instead of simply sitting them on top like the Detail Associates ones do. Leaving a stub on the bottom will definately make them easier to handle.You would then have the choice of making more in the same manner or making a mould from which you can cast a bunch. If making them individually it will be a challenge to get them all exactly the same. The mould process might more hassle but it will give you very consistant results. You can see the HO version on Walthers site item # 229-7202 and use it as a guide for proportions. Just my ideas.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Make them yourself out of plaster ! You can make some quicky forms out of styrene and cast them up real quick. The beauty of plaster is that you can chip away at the castings and really make them look like old crumbling footings !
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Mark R. Make them yourself out of plaster ! You can make some quicky forms out of styrene and cast them up real quick. The beauty of plaster is that you can chip away at the castings and really make them look like old crumbling footings ! Mark.
The only thing I would add is a short pin or headless nail - sticking vertically out of the underside, with the head right at the top. Let it carry the weight of the structure, with the plaster just for appearance.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
tomikawaTT Mark R.: Make them yourself out of plaster ! You can make some quicky forms out of styrene and cast them up real quick. The beauty of plaster is that you can chip away at the castings and really make them look like old crumbling footings ! Mark. The only thing I would add is a short pin or headless nail - sticking vertically out of the underside, with the head right at the top. Let it carry the weight of the structure, with the plaster just for appearance. Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Mark R.: Make them yourself out of plaster ! You can make some quicky forms out of styrene and cast them up real quick. The beauty of plaster is that you can chip away at the castings and really make them look like old crumbling footings ! Mark.
Gee Chuck .... just how heavy are YOUR structures ???
I made concrete footings out of plaster for the base of my three tower ME tall steel trestle - after 15 years of service, not one has crumbled under the weight of a train yet !
I used to have this great 'toy' as a kid, it came with plastic brick molds you filled with a plaster-like material, then you glued the bricks together to make a structure. Besides ordinary rectangular bricks there were special shapes for doorways, lintels, and even a rounded edge on one wall. I can;t rememebr the name of it, but when you think about it you were basically building a brick by brick crasftsman type kit. I sort of thing there was an article in MR from about that era about using this 'toy' to make layout buildings. I don;t remember if there was a set scale to the sctructure, but it was definitely bigger than HO, dunno if it was O or somewhere in between.
Anyway, something like this would be perfect for this kind of thing - which is basically what has been suggested. Interesting though that this common model railroad practice was avaialble as a toy in the 70's - and who would have the patience these days to build such a thing? Hardly anyone builds plastic kits any more, with this you could only cast so many bricks then have to wait, and repeat over and over for weeks to get it all built.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I had that same kit - from the early 70's if I remember correctly. I also seem to recall the wall castings were all of about only 2+" square. I casted a lot of wall sections - with good intentions apparently as I don't remember ever actually building anything with them !
The entire kit is probably still in my parent's basement somewhere - I should see if it's still around.
Welcome to the forums.
There was a magazine article that used computer keyboard keys with a little putty on the top to fill the indentation to the proper shape. They might be alright for bridge pier footings in N, but may be a little big for some jobs.
Good luck,
Just cut and trim balsa wood with an Exacto knife.
Alton Junction