Announcement

**MikeC** · 03-05-2005, 05:25 AM

There is some truly excellent work displayed in this thread already. :up:

I never took any photos of my first scratchbuilt models, and I no longer have the models to do it now. However, one of my first projects was about 30 years ago. It was a balsa knockoff of Atlas's ubiquitous "Water Tower" kit. Another early one was a balsa trestle, based on a scratchbuilding article in MR from about 10 years earlier. It was a monster at 12" tall and 14" long! I also had some small structures that I built from milled sheetwood and stripwood.

One of my few remaining early scratchbuilds to survive both the years and several layout constructions is currently a background structure on my CM&S layout. Johnson's Cider Mill (seen in the background of the first photo) was based on an E.L. Moore article, "Rube's Rhubarb Plant," in RMC. Everything except the windows was scratchbuilt. I don't remember exactly what year I built it - I think it might have been around 1978, though. Because I'm using it as a background building now, it's difficult to get to and photograph. So these are the best photos I have of it.

**Dutchman** · 03-05-2005, 09:21 AM

After those first two small projects, I scratchbuilt this ice house as part of Challenge I. It was taken from plans in the August 1992 issue of RMC.

**anbhurst** · 03-05-2005, 10:58 AM

What a challenge! Thanks for helping me see what I've been missing. All of your finescale works are great examples to follow. Thanks for sharing.

Allen

Discovering the East in the West!

**Shamus** · 03-05-2005, 10:20 PM

Anyone else see red X's on my photos?? I can see them okay.

Shamus

**bpate** · 03-06-2005, 12:20 AM

Hi Paul, I can see your photos all too clearly, I now have to build up courage to post a photo of my railway station!

Some most excellent photos of scratch building so far everyone. I am very pleased this thread has been started. It will be one to return to again and again.

**Bbags** · 03-06-2005, 01:49 AM

Great pictures all.

Paul,

I can see your pictures fine.

I have seem most of them before but every time I look at them I find another interesting detail that I have not seen in the past.

Again, thanks all for posting pictures of your work.

**MontanaRed** · 03-06-2005, 04:36 PM

I built this over 20 years ago. It is built board by boad and is constructed of balsa cut to dimension (or close enough...). The roffing is aluminum foil cut to size, then pressed into a single cut file, and rubbing with a very soft piece of balsa. Paint and weathering is done with water soluable tempra paints. I now weather with chalks, but 20 years ago I used dry brushing. The roof is beat up due to several moves, but the model now has a fulltime home. It is not up to craftsman standards, but it sure looks good in my diorama.

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**Scott_McCabe** · 03-07-2005, 03:54 AM

quote:

Originally posted by Bbags

Scott,

I meant to ask since not only is your model impressive but the collection of yellow boxes in the background caught my eye.

Are those full waiting to be modeled or are they empty meaning that you have constructed them and maybe could post some pictures.

John thanks for all your compliments, I have many yellow boxes, have built stuffys and franklin watchworks as dioramas, also have many scratch built originals, re-shooting pics and will post soon. Thanks

Scott McCabe

**postalkarl** · 03-07-2005, 04:48 AM

Bruce:

Nice Ice house.

Karl S

**wvrr** · 03-07-2005, 05:06 AM

There's some really great projects, already. I don't have anything built from scratch...yet.

Chuck

**MikeC** · 03-07-2005, 05:21 AM

David, your Monarch Mines looks pretty darned good to me. You did a nice job of scratchbuilding! :up:

Bruce, I still like your C1 ice house. It's a neat little structure! :up:

Speaking of Challenge 1, here are a couple of photos of the "abandoned" freight house I built for the project. This was done board-by-board over a 4 X 4 framework. I drew the template on ordinary graph paper and went from there.

**Chuck_Doan** · 03-07-2005, 05:23 AM

Here are a few pictures of one of my more ambitious scratch building projects, an On3 freelanced logging tank car. The flat car was pretty simple, but the tank was another story. I started with a solid acrylic rod (only after I was done did I realize the rod made the car so heavy, it was almost too much for a loco to pull!) I embossed rivets into separate segments of .005 styrene using a home made rivet tool mounted in a (non-running) drill press. I scrapped so many wrappers, I must have kept Evergreen in business buying all those replacement sheets! Each segment was applied in a prototypical overlapping manner. While I was pleased with the end result, my railroad will have to make due with one scratch built tank car! A construction article and a plan of this car was published in the Jan/Feb 1993 Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette.

Chuck Doan

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**Bbags** · 03-07-2005, 02:29 PM

Great pictures all.

I am glad we are getting to see all types of scratch building from some very simple things to some that are quite elaborate.

You never know when you might see something that you can use on your layout and rather than buying a kit will give scratch building a try.

Chuck,

That is an amazing piece of rolling stock that you have constructed.

It is definitely very worthy of a magazine article.

Great work and amazing detail. :up: :up:

**Marken** · 03-07-2005, 02:57 PM

Chuck, that is a work of art. Amazing detail. Very, very nice :up:

**postalkarl** · 03-07-2005, 05:45 PM

Chuck:

Very nice tank car.

Karl S

Announcement

Photo Gallery of things you have scratch built

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