Does anybody have a model castle on their RR? If so how’d you build it?
I had one on a layout many years ago. It was ordered from Vollmer.
There are at least 4 manufacturers (Faller, Noch, Kirbri, Vollmer - all German, of course) offering castles on Walthers website:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=Structure&scale=H&manu=&item=&keywords=castle&instock=Q&split=30&Submit=Search (Hope that works)
Which kind of makes sense since there lots of Castles in Europe, and only replicas built around the turn of the last century in the US (Now mansions, those the US did right during that era).
I had a tower which somebody scratchbuilt which I used as a park gatehouse until I got rid of it a number of years ago - but no castles…
Most of the detailed model castle kits are of very specific structures, as recognizeable as the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building, and only appropriate for a layout/diorama of that place. To top it off, most of them were nowhere near a rail line.
Generic “castles” range from the ones at Disney theme parks (not really generic but all built to the same general plan) to the old, twin-turreted White Castle chain restaurants. More than a few have been built by eccentric homebuilders who, “Just wanted a castle.” The latter kind can be found almost anywhere that the local codes weren’t drawn up to discourage anything innovative or different. Unfortunately, they don’t come in kit form.
On a model railroad, a generic castle might serve as the anchor structure for an amusement area (not necessarily a theme park.) or as the mansion of the eccentric nut who owns the (fill in the blank.)
Chuck (who has a similar problem with a non-generic Japanese pagoda)
Buckle down, bite the bullet, and build your own castle. It will be different from any other.
I have a castle on mine – it came with an OO module that I inherited. I think it’s Airfix. I also have a few ruins that represent somebody’s “folly”. The castle was originally used to conceal a power pack. I’m using it as a placeholder until I build a station.
There are lots of reasons for exotic buildings. Locally we have a Ukrainian church with onion domes sitting out in a field, not too far from the railroad tracks. Also piles of other eastern influenced religious structures.
some fun stuff here … http://www.hirstarts.com/ .
i haven’t tried it , and i don’t see anywhere on the site what scale is used
over here there is a plaster moulding system called linka that was actually very good but nobody bought it! but its available again now and is perfect for making castles.
Peter
just checked and they are actually based in the US. perfect for you.
just checked and they are actually based in the US. perfect for you.
I have a model castle (sort of) in my junk box and another two in my tool kit. The model castle (sort of) is the orange cap off a tube of Elmer’s brand Super Glue. It is 3/8th of an inch around (10mm), 1 inch tall, (25mm) is more or less hexagonal in cross section coming to 6 points that jut above the end like the crenelations of a castle tower. Looks rather like a ROOK for a 3-inch-square chessboard. It is the kind of sylized castle you might find on a children’s playground, a miniature golf course or an amusement park. I have seen “Moonwalk” fan-inflated bouncing attractions made to resemble a castle with something like these for the four corners. In N scale, would stand 12 feet tall, in HO 7 feet.
Castles…and other detail bits…are where you find them.
I forgot to mention, Elmer’s brand Super Glue comes in different packaging etc depending on whether it is the ordinary or the gap-filling variety of Superglue (cyanoacrylate cement…) One variety of Elmer’s comes with a cap that resembles a square concrete box culvert.
He is one I used as culvert, barely visible six scale feet to the right of the crossing crossbuck and in the ditch, halfway behind a pile of drilling pipe on a material yard in the foreground.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/agb.jpg
Haven’t gotten around to using the “castle” so it remains in my junkbox.