My local train store is full of tunnel portals and retaining walls made by Woodland Scenics, Scenery Express, etc. – but they’re all in HO or N gauge size. A check of these companies’ websites also have no offerings of portals and walls in O-gauge (that I’ve been able to find). And Lionel’s O-gauge tunnel portals are a bit hokey, IMHO.
Does anyone know of commercially-made scenery components like this in O-gauge size?
(Yes, I know, Real Classic Toy Trains people make their own! I may have to…)
I always thought real train guys bought’em ready to run/install. That’s me, anyway. Why waste time making something when you can be running trains …
sceneryunlimited.com has all the walls, portals, etc. you need. You can check Walthers.com as a backup, but Scenery Unlimited is the source if your local retailer won’t order what you need.
You can download their catalog as a PDF, or order a hard copy for free (in the US).
scenicespress.com has everything you could ever want for O gauge walls, portals, rocks and such. The website may not give this impression but you would be well served to request a printed catalog while on the website. It has everything listed with color photos and descriptions.
I used many of his products on my layout.
http://home.comcast.net/~graz6/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html
Mike
Hi rha, are you looking for dbl. or single track portals ? I found these K-line portals, which are doubl track ones at a local hobby shop. They come in a package of two & are cast plaster or something, very heavy & strong. They were only 17 dollars at the time. Not sure if they come in single or not. They look like stones all cemented together. Not too good a picture of them. You may also be able to find them at train shows, if you have any in your area.
These are great leads; I’m amazed that my Googling didn’t turn them up earlier.
Following the pointers, I also found Chooch Enterprises, at http://www.choochenterprises.com/html/tunnels_.html . I add this pointer for others who may be following this forum thread.
Responding to an earlier question, I’m looking for single portals and matching retaining walls.
Bob A.
I got some retaining walls from Scenic Express. They have a good selection of “O” stuff including matching portals and walls. Here it is: http://www.scenicexpress.com
I made about 16 feet of retaining wall pretty much out of sticks - about $25.00 worth of material and some time. I was going to go the Scenic Express route, but it probably would have cost 15-20 times that amount and I like teh fact I built this myself:
I have this portal from scenic express
tom
There are a lot of great pre-made portals and retaining walls offered by manufacturers. Some might be better than others, but they’re all good.
But the only way you’ll get exactly what you want is to make it yourself. A 1"x2’x8’panel of ridgid foam insulation costs ~ $7.00, and from that one panel, you can make all sorts of walls, portals, platforms, and whatever else you can imagine. The stuff is a modeler’s dream to work with. I swear by it. It’s cheap, which gives you more to spend on trains. It’s easy to use. You can shape it, paint it, use it for hundreds of things. Give it a try. If you don’t like it, you’re only out $7.00.
See photos below. All the portals, the stone wall around the farm, even the rocks are all made from that foam.
Jim
Portal: “Carved” the bricks using a straight edge and a pencil.
Stone wall: Same pencil used to scribe the mortar lines.
Rocks: Used a hacksaw blade to shape it, then sanded it with 100 grit to smooth it.
You ought to see the two new platforms I just made for the station with this stuff. Once you try using this stuff, store-bought products aren’t nearly as attractive to you anymore.
I like Scenic Express myself. They have a great catalog of all kinds of scenic items for O gauge/scale. There’s sure nothing wrong with building them yourself, if you’re so inclined, but I’m kind of lazy in that regard and prefer to buy ready-made items, which I then customize or weather.
I’m going to buy a sheet of that and keep it in my garage until I get wind that Jim is going to take a vacation to Florida. [:D]
Korber Models has a lot of structural items including portals.
Andrew F.
Has anybody actually made use of the Scenic Express piers/abutments/shoes made for the Atlas bridges?
Jim, Nice job on the foam. There was a guy at York demonstrating a hot knife he was selling who was quite skilled at working with foam. I watched him for almost a half hour and he made a stone arch bridge, brick & stone walls, etc. Have you ever tried that technique?
By the way this is a scenic express double track portal, not a great picture, but all I have at the moment.
hmmm. I tried following the suggestion to go to Scenery Unlimited http://www.sceneryunlimited.com/ as suggested above, but it does not seem to be a real place. Anyone have a better web address for them?
Here is a link to Scenic Express
John,
I’ve never used the hot knife method. I’m afraid of toxic fumes. I just use a hobby knife to make smooth cuts, like portals, and a hacksaw blade for rough cuts, like rocks. I use an odinary pencil to scribe bricks and mortar joints.
A stone arch bridge or a via duct would be no trouble at all to make with foam. I almost wish I had room for those items, just so I could have an excuse to make them!
Another use for that ridgid foam. False front buildings. I’m going to make some kind of factory or distributing company building to place against one of our backdrops. 1" foam will be used for the structure and loading dock, with windows and doors added.
Jim