If you look at this link he doesn’t really tell you what he used for the pipe. Any idea what it could be. I was thinking straws but they might be to thin. maybe someone used something simuliar for this.
Thanks
Mike
I made a pipe load for a 50’ flat with soda straws. Painted them with grimey black. Used CA to glue them together. Then made a wooden framework with stripwood to hold them to the car. It is also removable so i can add another type of cargo. Sorry no pictures.
I agree, straws. Nice and light.
Thanks, I thought the soda straws would be to flimsy. Did you check out the link. Is that basically what it looked like or how you did it? I just bought one from Ebay made by Athearn. It’s really a great looking car. Did you use long pipes or cut them like what’s on the car?
Mike
Me, Myself, And I would use Mcdonalds soda straws. They are slightly bigger.
Nik
NICK, GOOD IDEA MY SON JUST STARTED A JOB AT MCDONALDS 2 DAYS AGO, [:D]
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY GOOD CLOSE PICS OF THERE WORK?
DO HOBBY SHOPS CARRY THE WOOD YOU NEED TO PLACE IN BETWEEN THE PIPES? I WASN’T SURE THEY SOLD STUFF LIKE THAT.
THANKS
MIKE
Anything tubular can be used. Plastruct and Evergreen make tubing of different diameters with thicker walls than the straws, which can be used to simulate concrete sewage piping. Straws can be used to simulate steel piping of different diameters (McDonalds Jumbo straws or supermarket staws for smaller ones). For cribbing you want something about 1/8" square, so you could use small wooded matches (not the big kitchen-type), most ACE hardware stores have a rack with dowling, both round and square, or try an airplane model shop, they usually have a supply of balsa & bass wood for model airplanes.
There are many sizes of straws to represent different size pipes. I asked the gal at our local eatery if I could buy some of those little brown coffee stirrers from her. She gave me a handful, no charge. Already brown, but a bit shiney, will probably spray with dull coat or maybe use a flat paint when I make up the load.
Have fun,
I have extruded tubes used to hold adding machine paper and fax rolls. They have inner and outter walls connected by webbs so they are hollow and light. Been holding onto these puppies for 3 decades. Had forgotten I had them.
Plan to use them on old style Athearn F-89s in a static position as the cars don’t track worth a darn.
Getting the paint to adhear to somthing so smooth and slippery is the kicker.
For Balsa, Check A.C. Moore of Michles and ask, they (Usually) have lots.
i have used the tubes out of toilet tissue and paper towels. wrap them with masking tape and paint them black to simulate large diameter pipe with a protective coating.
grizlump
So straws actually do make good pipe loads? I’ll have to remeber that when I go back to work today.
I figure if I beadblast them, paint will stick to them.
Here is a load of straws for ya from the 17th Street Bridge in Altoona, PA August 2004.
Digging through my box of random stuff I found a straw from work. Cut and test fitted to my 60’ bulkhead and sure enough, it looks just right for the job.
By some strange irony my bulkhead is an SSW car, and the SSW fan puts up a BN car.
Smokey Mountain Miniatures sells the DUHA line of scenic details and loads; they have some very nice looking pipe loads at reasonable prices (prices on the auction site are discounted; they should do that direct orders as well).
The oversized plastic straws (Mc Ds or Dunkin) sound like a good scratch build starting point. Railroad ties for separating the layers in the stack??
H
Other sources of tube-like plastic around the house: Pinaud styptic pencils come in a clear plastic tube
My wife got some kind of beauty product, perhaps a mascara pencil, in a nice long clear plastic tube.
Inexpensive ball point pens such as you get “for free” at motels have a hollow shaft that is somewhat pipe like, although thick. It might work for HO. the ink tube on a ball point pen might be usable for N.
Certain strings for stringed instruments such as violins sometimes come in long plastic tubes to keep them straight (mostly they come in paper envelopes, curled). A local repair shop might get its strings in bulk that way.
Some makes of cigars come in plastic tubes. Perhaps too bulky for HO but possible for S or O.
Dave Nelson
I have use straws before for pipe loads…Straws will work and look ok…
However…
Next time I need a pipe load I will buy Athearn’s (Part number 140-90439) since they IMHO look better then painted straws.
The builder labels these as “tubes”; were he referring to straws I believe he would have labeled them as “straws”.
Awhile back I saw some things of this nature packaged in a bubble pack at my local Hobby Lobby; I would imagine that they can be found at almost any craft supply store or perhaps in the craft department at some of the big box stores. Check in the area where they have cake decorating supplies. Also be alert in ice cream shops and fast food outlets particularly where refills are free and the straws are out in the public area. Fast food outlets that serve ice cream frequently use thick-walled tube-type straws as opposed to the kind that you find in 100 count boxes at your local grocery store. The bigger the “straw”, of course, is less likely to clog with ice cream; I know I have gotten heavier walled “straws” at BR when I have ordered a malt. These usually have one end cut at an angle but they could be trimmed square. Trimmed these would be just about the right length of fit on cribbing on the deck of a 60’ bulkhead flat.
That looks alot like Plastruct orange-colored butyrate tubing, I still have a few of them leftover in my scrap box.