Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

building custom structures

1220 views
7 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
building custom structures
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 7:02 AM
I'd like to have some advice on how to build custom structures. Is there anywhere I can find some plans in the internet? I have some from MR magazine, but I want some more. Also, I do not have access to styrene for model railroads. I only have access to some regular plastics, wood, and materials in hardware and office/school/art supply stores. Can I manage to mimick brick walls with just printing them on paper and somehow applying them? Do you have suggestions? BTW, getting an ALPS printer and making decals is also not an option. Also, are there other techniques to mimick those styrenes?
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 7:54 AM
People have done a great job building structures from wood, cardboard, etc. available from artsy-craftsy shops or just from around the home. I've seen some pretty neat structures made using cereal boxes as the main material! Go to the "N/Z Scale MOdel Trains" section of www.the-gauge.com and look for pictures posted by Matthyro for some good examples.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 8:11 AM
It's great to hear that there are people who have great success in doing structures from simple materials. :) I think it can be economical (and even more fun) to scratchbuild these structures. Probably I'll start looking for nice, hard, flat surfaces first for the basic structure. What material would you recommend? I'm thinking of some available plastic board or some thin wood(I don't know if we have balsa here in the Philippines).
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 8:39 AM
Balsa might be too soft - I'd try to find something like bass wood, also available at the artsy-craftsy places sometimes. Depending on what kind of structure you're building, you might try cutting the basic shape out of a piece of foam and then just covering the foam surfaces with thin wood or cardboard. (Obviously if you're going to model the interior this won't work!)
  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: US
  • 1,300 posts
Posted by Sperandeo on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 9:34 AM
I suggest that you get the book, "HO Trackside Structures You Can Build" from Kalmbach Books. Even if you work in another scale or don't want to build any of the specific buildings it shows, you'll find that it shows a variety of construction techniques and materials that you can apply to your own projects. If your local hobby store doesn't have it you can order the book on the Train Shops section of this site.

Good luck,

Andy sperandeo
MODEL RAILROADER Magazine

Andy Sperandeo MODEL RAILROADER Magazine

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 10:12 PM
If any of the stores near you sell the plastic For Sale or For Rent signs, these are a cheep sourse of styrene plastic............Jamie
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 8, 2002 1:39 PM
I second that motion on the "HO Trackside Structures You Can Build" book. I have built an inexpensive turntable and a couple of other buildings because of this book! I love it!

MR and Kalmbach saved me some buku bucks against buying Walthers $50 turntable.

-Wolv33
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 9, 2002 8:05 PM
check out this website http://www.horailroad.com/b_online_clinics.shtml
It has a article on using foamcore as a building material Mike Dickinson

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!