New to scratch building

Lionelalltheway

New Member
Hi,
If you read general talk you know i am starting my first very detailed layout and think i would enjoy scratch building structures for it. My layout is o scale. I have no idea where to start or what I need, can anyone help? Thanks.
 

shaygetz

Active Member
The book that got me started was "Bridges and Buildings for Model Railroads" by Linn Westcott, long out of print but still available on ebay for $3-4 regularly. The only thing I recommend is a good imagination, a scale ruler and an Xacto knife with a good supply of #11 blades to start. Follow that with some good paint brushes and a slew of different color craft paints from Wal-Mart and you're off and running. As you grow in skill you'll start prefering certain materials and such and will develop accordingly.
 

jim currie

Active Member
many of us that have been in the hobby a long time didn't have much choice on scratch building but to me it is one of the most best things about the hobby, take some time and search through the gauge threads there have been many members who chronicled there scratch building here:) other than that if you can pick up some older MR's OR RMC's for insperation.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
I think you should pick something to scratch build that doesn't require a bunch of detail parts. If you start using wood or cardstock to build with, you aren't out a lot of money if the first couple of tries are failures. Also look at a Walthers O scale/Large scale catalogue. By your signature, I'm not sure if you are familiar with O-scale trains as opposed to Lionel and MTH. Atlas offers many of the buildings in kit form in O scale that they offer as kits for ho scale. Kits and kit bashing may be a good way to get some of what you want. If you can find a kit that is close, or when combined with another kit gets you close to what you want to model, it may be prefferable to trying to scratch build, especially if there is a lot of complicated detailing on a building.
 

doctorwayne

Active Member
Railroad Model Craftsman has been running a column for a while now on scratchbuilding. Each month explores different subjects: bridges, buildings, different materials, painting, etc. It's written by Bob Walker and has lots of good information for beginners and seasoned pros alike.

Wayne
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Read the academy forum. Robin's use of cardboard was perfect. Tell yourself that, if he could do it in N, I can do it in O.
Plans should be available somewhere. You should get a scale ruler with N and HO as well as O. You can also photocopy plans up to your scale.
Older magazines and older books used to have loads of articles and plans for model buildings.
 
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