How to Draw Mullions in Plan
Scratchbuilding Your Model Railroad Structures
Scratchbuilding (making model buildings from scratch) is the art of creating structures or other models out of raw materials – sheets or strips of plastic or wood, glue, paper, cardboard, etc. Some fantastic buildings, locomotives and railcars can be built very inexpensively and without requiring much more time than it takes to build and pigment a kit. There are many benefits to scratchbuilding as previously outlined on the "Buildings" page.
Planning Your Scratchbuilding Project
So, how do you lot get well-nigh doing this? How do you create a model edifice from scratch?…
Starting time, you lot accept to program…
What type of model railroad structure exercise you lot want to build and why?
• How will it fit into your layout theme, era and locale?
• Will it be based on a particular image?
• How much space do you lot have for information technology?
• Will it need to be close to the tracks?
• Will it require a track on both sides or through the centre?
• Does it need a sidewalk, road, dock, or parking lot?
• What are the dimensions?
After you respond these questions, draw the model building out on newspaper, or with your CAD program if you accept ane.
Characterization the drawing with proper dimensions in the scale you're using. If the model you are scratchbuilding is based on a image, make sure you have a picture of the original structure from several viewpoints, forth with the actual dimensions of the prototype, and then y'all can make the model as realistic as possible. The true dimensions of the structure tin be easily converted to the calibration that yous wish to model. If you're making an HO building, for instance, you lot would divide the prototype dimensions past 87; if N Calibration, divide past 160; if O Scale - divide past 48, and and so on. See the Scales folio for more data.
If you would rather use a plan that has already been created, you may desire to visit the Scale Model Plans website which is dedicated to creating and selling plans for scratch-building projects.
Once y'all have selected, or designed, a structure on paper or on the estimator, you can apply the materials and scratchbuilding techniques described below to build it; or you could use a laser cutting service, or even your local sign store to create the parts.
If you would like to get your hands dirty and acquire how to do this yourself, which of course, happens to be the most economical mode as well, then read on to learn some basic techniques upon which yous can abound and even create some of your own techniques. Don't be afraid to experiment. And don't worry if your starting time attempt isn't that great. Each time you effort, you will get meliorate. Shortly, you will exist doing your own clinics at the NMRA Convention.
Scratchbuilding Materials
Thesubstructure can be made withstyrene, which is probably the most ordinarily used material for scratchbuilding. Y'all could also utilize mat lath (the textile used in photograph framing), gel cream or balsa wood. These latter materials are easier to cutting but perhaps not as durable as styrene. The wood may be more suitable for larger scales, like S and O.Laserboard is besides becoming pop now as a more than realistic material to use in scratchbuilding structures. Textures.com is a as well good identify to look for scratchbuilding materials.
Scratchbuilding Methods
To cut styrene to brand substructure walls for your model building, use a metallic straightedge and a scribing tool. Scribe along the line to exist cut several times, and so selection up the styrene and bend it forward to snap it at the scribed line.
To make window and door openings, offset draw on the styrene where you want these to be, extending the lines to the edges of the styrene on both sides. Scribe and snap the styrene at these lines. Discard the pieces where the openings volition be and glue the other pieces back together on a flat surface.
TIP from a visitor...
"When cutting window openings in styrene, (For starters I would advise .040 not .060) yous tin can cut the lines for the outside of the window, and then cut an 10 from corner to corner.
This allows the opening to exist snapped out without having to glue the rest of the wall back together.
Utilize a modest file to make clean upward the opening.
Much less piece of work!" - from Russ Venlos
Once the substructure walls are completed, you can glue on a trimmed canvass of purchased embossed vinyl or plastic masonry or siding (produced by Plastruct, Kibri and others). This sheet should be a little larger than the substructure then that when you glue the walls together there won't be a gap at the corners. (Or, after the building is put together, y'all could just glue on trim-corner-strips to cover any irregularities in the corners.) After the sheet is glued on, use a hobby knife to advisedly cutting out the openings for the windows and doors.
Some other choice for this step is to use various types of graphics that have been designed (by Evans Designs) for use on model railroad buildings. You tin can purchase the software that contains a huge selection of wall coverings and details that can be placed over the styrene walls that you've made to bring them to life.
If your model will be entered in a contest, it would exist best to use your ain materials for the walls and roof, rather than plastic or printed sheets, every bit described below.
The windows and doors for your model building tin can be purchased separately from a visitor like Grandt Line, which is what I would recommend, especially if you are modeling in N or Z calibration. If y'all are going to be using purchased windows and doors, you will have to measure out your openings and cutting them so the windows will fit.
If you're working with larger scales, y'all tin can scratch build these items if you wish.
To make your ain windows…
• You will need styrene strips measuring a calibration 1x4, 2x2, and ½ x1 inch purchased from a company like Evergreen. (It's very helpful to also have on hand a cutter, like the Northwest Brusque Line Chopper to help brand clean cuts on these styrene strips.)
• Use 1x4's to frame the inside of the window flush with the siding. So glue on a 2x2 sill and 1x4 trim around the outside of the window.
• Then use 2x2'due south the make the inner frame trim around the sides and the top of the window.
• Use 2x2's to make the upper and lower sashes for a double-hung window. Start past making the two frames for the sashes, and then add the inner trim (mullions) using the ½ x1 strips (for the edges of the window panes).
• Mucilage the upper sash in place confronting the back of the 2x2 trim.
• Then glue the lower sash in the window from the back overlapping the tiptop of upper sash.
• And then you lot can paint the window and the frame.
• Use small trimmed pieces of acetate for "drinking glass" and glue these to the backs of the windows. (The clear plastic tabs on file folders or the clear plastic used for name badges or whatever other clear plastic sheets work well for this. If you lot tin can find the plastic sheets that have a frosted appearance on i side, that may be even better, peculiarly for lighted buildings because it diffuses the light and you lot can't come across inside.)
Scratchbuilding Doors…
• Use scale 1x4 strips for the frame for inside the doorway.
• Put a 2x4 sill forth the bottom.
• Utilize a sheet of 0.02" styrene to make the door.
• Add a 1x6 strip to the bottom of the door, then 1x4 strips forth the sides and top.
• Use 1x4 strips to make the inner door trim in the shape of an upside-down cross.
• Use strips of 2x2'south as door-stops on the door frame across the acme and down both sides.
• Yous can then paint the door and glue the caput of a pin on the door to simulate a doorknob.
Putting information technology all together
After yous've installed the windows and doors, yous're fix to mucilage the walls together.
It'southward extremely helpful for all your model building projects to employ a magnetic gluing jig such every bit the one cataloged past Micro-Marker. This will help square things up and concord them in identify while the mucilage is drying.
Scratchbuilding the Roof
The roof for your model building can be made out of cardstock or mat lath equally well equally styrene, and then covered with an appropriate vinyl or plastic roof sheeting material that you tin buy (from Plastruct, et al.); or you can make your own shingles. At that place are lots of different ways to make roofing shingles. The following method may be one of the easier ways of covering your structure. Yous tin probably even devise your own method later, just this will get you started.
To brand shingles…
• Purchase some pinking shears at your local arts and crafts store that volition requite you lot the kind of pattern that you lot desire for your shingle edges.
• You will also need gummed (contains agglutinative that has to be moistened) kraft paper, which tends to stick to cardstock or matboard improve than it does to styrene. If you lot've used styrene for the roof, you may have to use regular gum to get the paper to stick amend.
• With a pencil and straight edge, draw parallel horizontal lines on the subroof.
• Then cutting the gummed paper with the pinking shears into strips – a little wider than the space between the lines yous drew on the roof.
• To begin the shingling process, glue a manifestly strip of gummed paper with a direct cut forth the bottom of the roof. (The glue on the paper is activated by moisture, as mentioned above.)
• Then, forth the side by side parallel line glue a notched strip; gum another strip to a higher place that, and proceed this till you get to the pinnacle. Stagger each new strip by ane/2 cutting to the right or left to create a diamond-like pattern on the roof.
• Then do the other side of the roof the same mode.
• You lot may need to do some trimming later with a precipitous hobby knife (habiliment safe glasses), but wait until it'south all dry first. The paper won't cut very well and may tear if y'all try to cut information technology while it'due south wet.
• You can so paint information technology and weather condition information technology, as you like.
Details
Don't forget to add details similar chimneys, roof vents, eaves, awnings, flower boxes, window air conditioners, gutters and downspouts, trash cans, lamps, decals, people and pets, etc. The details are what make your model buildings come alive. Most or all of these items tin be found in the Walthers catalog. Or, again, you can brand your ain.
Interiors
Also y'all may want to add some detail to the interior of your model, especially for HO, S and O calibration, but even for Due north if you tin can fit them in. This is covered in the Model Railroad Buildings page.
Contests
If y'all are scratchbuilding a model that will be judged in a contest, such equally in structure-modeling to attain points for the NMRA Main Model Railroad program, the more details you can brand yourself, the more than points yous will become. For example, after you have constructed the styrene walls, you lot may desire to add strips of forest on the outside to create woods-siding. You can make a mural stone wall by cut embossed thick cards and gluing each piece on the wall to create the desired look. Make your ain decals from magazine pictures. Make your own awnings from fabric and toothpicks, etc. The less y'all purchase and the more details you add together yourself using elementary materials, the meliorate you volition do in acquiring points. I would also recommend lite weathering for your finished model.
References
Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation Cutting for ScratchBuilding Projects, by R.J. DiMaggio - Many model railroaders like to blueprint their own buildings on computer and so use a laser cut service to create the parts co-ordinate to their specifications. Here'southward how it works.
Scratchbuilding for Model Railroaders: Craftsman Techniques Fabricated Elementary
Ipswich Hobbies - Model Railroad Craftsman Kit Structures -Ipswich Hobbies is a small company that focuses on delivering laser cut craftsman building kits that are based upon prototype structures. Kits are besides bachelor pre-built.
Textures.com - a neat identify to discover materials for scratch-building structures
Proceed an middle on the railroad forums (listed on the "Comments" page) periodically to await for postings of lots of different ideas, projects and new methods of model building written by true model railroad craftsmen.
A project similar this can be a little intimidating when yous starting time, just if you break it down into pocket-size projects, each of which would but accept a short amount of fourth dimension. Then, if you merely do one of those little projects each day, you will be amazed by your progress after just a few days. Subsequently finishing your model, you will also exist amazed nigh the amount of satisfaction and pride y'all will feel from having completed the model and, fifty-fifty more so, after putting it on display - either on your layout or at the model railroad convention.
*This folio was updated on July xv, 2020.*
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