Railroad Structures

Scratch Built & Kit bashed Structures

1. PERKIN’S PRODUCE

This is a completely scratch built structure based on plans in the December 1974 Model Railroader. The base is balsa carved with an X-Acto knife to look like individual stone. The frame of the building is balsa with individual strips of paper glued on horizontally to resemble board siding. All window frames, door hinges and doors are cut from thin card stock. The roof has a sheet wood frame covered with individual shingle strips cut with pinking shears and individually applied in rows, secured with Elmer’s glue. The loading dock is made up of individual boards of strip lumber with commercial and scratch built crates. The platform is lit with a single 12 v lightbulb and the building is decorated with signs cut from the Model Railroader plans. The roof supports are individual strip wood boards. The building was painted with Floquil and other commercial paints. The door sills are scale lumber stock. This building was built in late 1974 and is the first scratch built structure I attempted.

Commercial parts: Midwest Products and Northwestern Scale Lumber

2. BLACK FALLS BRIDGE

This is a completely scratch built double tracked viaduct built around 2002. It is a freelanced design based on concrete viaducts on the Pennsylvania railroad. The construction is Balsa, 2 inch insulation foam and strip lumber. The structure is equipped with ten 12 v lamppost lights from Lifelike. The track is Atlas flex track ballasted with Woodland Scenics medium gray ballast. Square sheet wood platforms are provided in between the tracks to access the wiring for the street lamps. The fence is made from hardware cloth. The bridge arch faces are decorated with O scale brick from an unknown maker. The scenery background in back of the bridge is printed from photos taken off the internet. The waterfall was constructed using silicone caulk ribbons and cotton tuffs. Most of the rock face under the bridge is from plaster molds with some additional free form plaster rocks. The bridge is painted with flat latex paint and the rocks are stained with scenery dyes. Scenic material is from Woodland scenics.

Commercial products: Atlas Flex Track, Lifelike lamp Posts

3. WATER TANK

This is a kit - bashed Atlas water tank. The frost box has been moved from the center to the back of the tank. Detail has been added to the frost box and a tank top access hatch has been added. The tank has been automated to operate using an RC servo inside the tank which draws the spout down when operated by a fascia mounted double pole, double throw switch. When the switch is returned to the “up” position, working counterweights pull the spout back up. Molded - on tank bands have been sanded off and wire tank bands have been added to the tank along with simulated turnbuckles in the proper positions. Nut and bolt washer castings have been weathered to simulate rust and hard water stains have been simulated with AK weathering pencils. The tank top has been weathered with pan pastels and weathering powders and AK weathering pencils. An ITT sound unit can also be activated when the tank spout is activated.

4. FLUSHING SWITCH TOWER

This is a scratch built structure based on plans from Model Railroader April 2016. The only commercial parts used were the lighting fixtures, smoke stack, oil tank and the stair treads. The roof was shaped from a solid balsa block and covered with brick sheeting, evergreen scale models poly styrene corner details and U-shaped molding for the gutters. Gutter downspouts were formed from solder. The building sides were cut from Northeastern and Mount Albert scale lumber. Walls and strip lumber were stained with Minwax commercial stain. The building was finished with Vallejo and Floquill paint and AK weathering pencils for models.

Commercial products: Northwestern and Mount Albert scale lumber, Evergreen Poly styrene brick sheeting and structural shapes, Central Valley stair treads, Atlas Oil tank and light fixtures.

5. COALING TOWER

This is a completely scratch built single chute cooling tower built from Plans in Model Railroader in the 1970s. The coal bin, machine room roof, walls and door are built from Evergreen scale lumber sheets and all of the wood parts are from Northwest scale lumber or Midwest products. The roof is shingled with individual rows of scale roofing from Paper Creek Model Works. The ladder and handrails are all built up from individual strip wood. the walkway platform is built up from sheet wood.

The coal chute pulley assembly and coal chute are scratch built from sheet brass and the three pulleys are commercial products from an unknown maker. The counterweights are made up from solder filled brass tubes. The chains are from from broken necklaces from my wife’s jewelry box. The lights are from CircuitTron. The chute is automated and controlled by a stall type switch motor under the layout. The coal chute door is also operable but not automated at this time. The woodwork is finished with Minwax wood stain and AK weathering pencils.

Commercial products: Northwest Scale and Midwest lumber products, Circuiton lights, jewelry chain, pulleys

6. CURVED WOODEN BRIDGE.

This is a scratch built structure Inspired by a straining beam through timber span photograph in a publication called “Bridges and Trestles the Old Nation Line of Model Reference”. This bridge was designed specifically to fit in an unusual track span crossing three tracks of non-equal spacing. Atlas code 100 flex track was used along with portions of Atlas truss bridge track beams. The model was finished with Minwax wood stain and Floquill paint.

Commercial products: Atlas track and beams. Northwest scale and Midwest lumber products.

7. M. WALKER & SON SAND & GRAVEL FACILITY

This is a kit - bashed structure complex from Walthers and Lifelike Products. The conveyor is from an unknown manufacturer. The kit has been modified to provide an operating gravel loading facility powered by an RC servo motor hidden in the tower building. The Lifelike gravel loader is designed to be operated manually, but has been automated to be powered by an RC servo motor controlled by a tam valley circuit which is fascia mounted. The gravel loader building is connected by a conveyor of an unknown kit manufacturer to a dispensing facility which simulates loading of gravel cars to the tracks below. In between the two buildings is a small gravel mining operation with a steam shovel, a gas powered bucket loader several mechanical conveyors and figures

8. NORTHERN LIGHT AND POWER .

This is a Walthers kit which has been painted and weathered. The interior has been fitted with a tortoise mechanism which uses both ends of its lever action to open a vehicle door and push out a small vehicle at the same time, operated by a double pole double throw facia mounted switch. This is also a unique design which I have never seen duplicated elsewhere, just sayin......

9. DEPOT

This is a scratch-built Depot, closely based on plans and instructions from a Fine Scale Miniatures kit. All of the structure parts including the windows, doors and eave supports are scratch built, as are most of the external detail parts. The interior is illuminated. The main roof is detailed with Bar Mills shingles, the shed roof is built up from aluminum sheeting, and the baggage room roof is shingled with Woodland Scenics shingles. The platform is made up of 4 individual sections of random width Northwestern Scale Lumber (NWS) sheeting, laminated to plywood sheeting to bring the platform to ballasted track height. Main structure walls are NWS board-and-batten sheeting. Chimneys, fire barrels, roof walks, eave supports, windows, doors, signposts, oil drums, hand truck, gutters, downspouts, Coke machine, vegetable stand, vegetables, produce sacks are all scratch built. Roof finials, train order fixture, insulators, bench sides,milk cans, brooms, scale and coke bottles are commercial detail parts.

Commercial products: Northwestern Scale Lumber wood sheeting and strip wood, Woodland Scenics and Bar Mills shingles, Floquil, Valejo and craft paint, Fine Scale Miniatures detail parts.

10. FRYXELL FEED AND SEED

This is a JL Innovative Designs kit , super detailed with rust effects on the front roof and a gravel coating on the rear roof. The building is illuminated with 12 v lighting and is decorated with period advertising and various feed sacks and supplies and products inside and outside the building. Outside details include figures, ladders, a dumpster, a visitors bench and a Metal Works flatbed truck kit with a Jordan tractor load. The tractor and flatbed truck feature rust effects. The wooden platforms are weathered with pan pastels and A K weathering pencils and distressed with a wire wheel in a Dremel tool.

11. OLD FREIGHT HOUSE

This is a scratch-built freight house closely based on plans and instructions from a Fine Scale Miniatures kit. All of the structure parts except the windows and front and side door are scratch built, as are half of the external detail parts. The interior and exterior are super-detailed and the exterior is illuminated. The main roofs are detailed with Woodland Scenics shingles and are removable to view the interior details. The shed roof is detailed with Simulated tin from Paper Creek Models. The platform under the entire structure is constructed of individually weathered planks, with nail details. The structure walls were constructed with Northwestern Scale wood sheeting, weathered and detailed with nail details. Freight doors, oil drums, water barrels, roping, crates, steps, hand truck, chimney, ladder, produce sacks and wood pallets are scratch built. Front door, windows, Interior furniture, brooms, cans, spittoon and freight crane are commercial detail parts.

Commercial products: Northwest Scale Lumber, wood sheeting and strip wood, Woodland Scenics shingles, Paper Creek roofing paper, Floquil, Valejo and craft paint, Fine Scale miniatures doors, windows and some detail parts.

12 . BONGIOVANNI BARREL COMPANY.

This was my most challenging animation. This is a Design Preservation Models freight house kit modified to include a custom made barrel loading operation. The structure was raised 6 scale feet to align the loading door with receiving flatcars. A single RC servo opens the freight house door while at the same time moving a pin which releases a stack of barrels into a waiting specially modified flat car. This is a unique design which I have never seen duplicated elsewhere. The model also features a tortoise operated loading ramp which must be elevated to the freight door height once the flat car is in place. This extra platform is required to bridge the gap between the freight house and the normal resting position of parked rolling stock. Without this moving platform, the HO scale barrels would fall into the gap between the flat car and the building's loading platform. This platform bridges that gap so that all the barrels go into the flat car. Once the barrels are loaded into the flat car, the platform is lowered and the train can move on. When the platform is raised, there is not enough clearance for trains to pass by the building. The structure is super detailed with extra barrels and crates, an extra loading platform in front, stairs and hand rails and 12 v lighting. The structure was finished with Floquill and Vallejo paints and features the necessary removable roof (which is gravel coated), and period billboard signage.