Making your own trees, structures, or even trains can be fun as well as challenging; and often, the costs are less than out-of-box stuff. In the process you will learn a lot about craftsmanship and as a bonus, your custom-designed item will be unique.
Is there anything on your layout you can point to with pride and say: “I made it myself?”
dav
I can say about half of my trees I have made. The trucks were from flowers that I bought at Wal-Mart and I removed the leaves and added the glue and flowage.
tom
I have built most of the structures on my layout and am very proud to tell people that. Some are just made up completely, some are based on real buildings.
Here are a few of my scratchbuilt structures and some other scratchbuilt items.
Pipe Company (made with vinyl vertical blind material to simulate corrugated metal):
Lumber Company office and shed, based on Walthers kit:
Pop machine:
Power substation:
Garbage dumpster:
Recylcing plant (again with vinyl vertical blind material):
See my website for other structures and things…
Mark,
I recall the pipe co. I saved my old venetian blinds to copy what you did. Very lovely!
Also, really like the recycling plant; nice angles to it add interest.
My someday dream is to build an oil refinery.
dav
Nice work Mark,
You have to join us on the Sunday Photo Fun next week.
tom
@mark, I like the small pepsimachine most of all. It’s a nice idea to rebuild them in 0 size…
I built a goodsshet, metal crane to unload gondola’s, metal bridge (still have to find a place on the layout) and a signalbox based on english prototype, which won’t be on this american layout obviously…
file
:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Administrator/My%20Documents/Katie/Pic041.JPG
This is my new depot
sORRY ABOUT LAST POST STILLTRYING TO LEARN TO COPY AND PASTE ? how do you pull down your photos and add to replys
HI Scratch B rules,
send me an e-mail, and I will send you instructions on posting pictures.
tom
Mark, don’t you want to take a little vacation to NC and help me build my layout? Very excellent job.
Thanks for the nice comments all. With 3 kids money is tight, so I do what I can with what I have available.
Tom, I’ll try to join in some week!
Daan - if you would like a copy of the graphics send me an e-mail and I can send them to you. I have Pepsi, Dr Pepper and Coca-Cola graphics.
Chief Eagles - thanks for the invite, my wife has an aunt in South Caroline that she would like to visit someday.
Hey Mark, no email address listed with forum. Wanted the Pepsi graphics. Thanks
People these days either do not have the time (thanks to our workaholic culture) or inclination to build stuff or to even break a sweat.
Professionally built layouts, out-of-box accessories, structures, trains, and even trees are becoming the norm.
It’s not just this hobby. More and more, people are prone to just sit on their duffs, whether in front of the Internet or in front of the TV watching American Idol or Extreme Makeover.
Even kids are becoming averse to exerting energy, preferring motorized bikes or scooters over things you pedal; and game boys and play stations over those nasty trains and track that you have to put together by hand.
Hi Scratch B rules
If you send me an e-mail (click icon below) I will send you instruction on how to post pictures
tom
Chief Eagles,
I just added my e-mail address to my profile. How do I send you and e-mail with an attachment. When I click e-mail I just get a pop-up to send you a text message but no way to send with an attachment.
Thanks
Hi Mark,
With the forum e-mail service, you can not add attachments. If you send Chief a e-mail saying hi, he will have your regular e-mail and he can respond so you will have his and then you can add attachments via Outlook express, etc.
tom