Folks,
Hello. I’m looking for some advice on where I might be able to find an HO scale harbor retaining or seawall. I’m also open to building one if a suitable casting or kit is not available. Would anyone be able to point me in the right direction?
Thanks!
Plastruct has some nice random stone sheets that can be cut to fit and painted anyway you like. BILL
As I recall, it’s been awhile, the walls of the piers were much like the retaining walls that Chooch and others make, look in the Walthers catalog for the various types. If you want to have boats come up to it, get some dowels, stain them driftwood or darker and place them vertically along the edges. You might want to look into a larger scale casting as many seawalls are made with very large stones.
Good luck,
Bragdon Enterprises at www.bragdonent.com has a lot of very good rock molds, both natural faces and cut stone. These will work with either Hydrocal or Bragdon Foam.
I have several very nice molds I got from Dave Frary at www.mrscenery.com. I don’t see them on his web page anymore, but he may still have some available. Send him an e-mail and ask.
This is a casting from one of Dave’s molds:
It’s about 3x7 inches. (I model in HO.) I curved this one around a form to make a pit wall for a turntable.
Not clear whether you are thinking of the treated timber style retaining wall – available in HO from Model Railstuff as a plaster casting, in several styles, including a rotted piling alternative – or the corrugated steel sheet type. Model Railstuff also has that in cast plaster but I have seen sheet plastic that might be more suited to a scene that already exists versus making the scene match the casting.
Model Railstuff’s website has photos of their castings. http://www.modelrailstuff.com/
Dave Nelson
Most of your options have been pretty well covered here.
I will have to go along with forum member cowman; if your wall is going to be a mooring point then you will be better served to construct your retaining–I still think that it should be called a “restraining wall” because I have never figured out just what you are trying to “retain”–wall of piles driven into the stream or harbor bottom . . . . . . . . . . and don’t forget bumpers on either the dock’s side or the vessel’s side . . . . . . . . . . or both.
I hope I’m not out of line suggesting a website tutorial for your needs. I happened to bookmark this guys page ages ago and I have yet to put into effect a retaining wall from scratch using his tips but for what it is worth, it looks relatively simple.
http://homepage.mac.com/michael21/CMShome/buildastonewall.html
Thanks everyone! I appreciate the tutorial very much as well!