CG Textures has wonderful textures for modellers. Though it seems that the textures are for the virtual modellers who use sofware like GMax, we can still use these for our real models.

I found these textures to be a goldmine for anyone using Modelbuilder for scratchbuilding. Modelbuilder has a neat feature of importing a graphic (bmp, gif, jpg) file into your plans. I used the doors, windows and storefronts to bring it into my design.

Elevation in Modelbuilder using CGTextures's doors, windows and storefront.

I could not easily use the wood, brick textures in Modelbuilder. I cannot increase the graphic size without destroying the scale perspective. In the image below, the smaller wood block is in HO scale but if i increase the size, the perspective is lost.

Default size is good but increasing the size destroys the scale

In Modelbuilder, you can duplicate/copy any graphic. Though this method is tedious, you can repeat this process till you fill up a sheet with the texture. (PDF Sample of the plank texture)

If you are a good painter, you might not need the materials in CGTextures, but if you need a little help like me, use the textures, skies and roads here to improve your railroad projects. The tall buildings could be used in your backdrops. The storefronts could liven up your building interiors.

There are so many textures in this site that we can find a use for each one of them for our modelling. Definelty bookmark-worthy!

Clever Models is releasing 3 DVD's of their entire texture collection, card stock model kits soon. These will be great resources for scratch builders who use cardstock. Thom of Clever Models says that these are high resolution images hence the need for DVD's.

The 3 disks are Textures, Industrial building kits and Classics kits. The textures disk will have all of the textures in all scales plus lots of extras like individual shingle strips and tons of windows and doors. The Industrial disk will feature all of their steel sided buildings including several steel mill related structures plus all kinds of ducts, vents and sheet metal textures. The classics disk will have the mercantile plus other buildings. Their initial disks will be in HO scale only. Prices are not available at this time. Their website shows these various models.

I have tried their mercantile building that i loved because of the high resolution textures. That kind of resolution now will depend on your home printer but with the DVD's in hand you can go to a photo center or office copy centers like Kinko's and get better results.

These DVD's should be out in a couple of weeks.

This garage structure was simple, as it was only 4 walls and a tiny window, but the roof was new to me and had to use a little geometry to figure out the angles.

As always, used Modelbuilder to draw up the plans. (If you are interested, i printed the plans onto a PDF that you can download, print and try for yourself. Note: Its in HO scale)

I had some wood strips remaining from my last Bar Mills project. I decided to use that as corners joints for the walls. I had to also brace it with another wood strip for strength. I liked this method. As you will see in later photos, the structure looks detailed with this method.

Closeup of wall joint

The roof structure was complicated but not that bad. The base length was 18' so half of it is 9' The roof height was 5' so the apex to the base came out to be 10.3' ( SQRT[9*2 + 5*2] ) I used scotch tape to hold the pieces together. This way the shape of the roof holds well.

Roof assembly

I cut strips of the roof tiles and glued them, started from the bottom up, slightly overlapping them as i moved up. The excess were cut off after it was dry.

Roof tiles being applied

Drybrushed some brown chalk powder on the roof to dirty it, painted the roof ridge tiles a darker color to finish off.

Finished Garage

I liked the look of the corner wood braces. Will incorporate this method in future scratchbuilds.

Another view

I created PDF sheets of some common textures we use for scratchbuilding structures. These were done in Model Builder. Click on the images to download them. Note: These are in HO scale.

Bricks



Also, posted previously,

Roof


Siding

I have been making cardstock structures for many years now and still learning new and time-saving techniques. I always wanted to try a wood kit to see what was good or different about it. These are my experiences about both the mediums.

Good things about CardStock

• These are cheaper to build. For $10 you can get material that will last for 20-25 structures.
• You can get by without painting. Just print the models or textures off the Internet on a good printer.

Some CardStock disadvantages

• Cutting perfect rectangles for window and doors openings are time consuming.
• Cutting small strips for framing to layer your model, are time consuming.
• Quality depends on your printout resolution. Also, you will have to prep by applying a fixative like Krylon Matte Overspray to prevent fading.

Good things about Wood Kits

• Everything fits. Windows, doors etc. Just snap off, trim the parts and glue them.
• All parts and a few extras are included.
• More sturdy when finished.
• Looks real when done.

Wood Kit disadvantages

• Simple structures are priced reasonably but anything more detailed will be realistic but costly.
• Slightly complicated to assemble. You have to read and re-read the instructions.
• Depending on your skills, (mine is bad) painting could be a hassle or easy.

I think the better way would be to have a mix of the two mediums. Closer to your viewing area, you could have some wood kits and then in the background, cardstock buildings.

For a better compromise, you could build your structure using cardstock and then glue stripwood for to get that perfect made-of-wood look. I am intrigued by this method and might give it a try sometime.

Let me know what you prefer, cardstock or wood?

The Shipping and Storage kit from Bar Mills was completed this weekend. I did decide to paint over the weathered walls but then dry-brushed black streaks downwards in random parts of the walls. I applied some india-ink wsh to the signs and doors. Not too happy with the door's look, as you can see in the photos.

I did love making this wood kit. Since i am very comfortable with cardstock, I plan to do a compare and contrast with it in a later post. Meanwhile here are the pictures...

Craftsman wood kits are known for quality and details. All kits come pre-cut with all the accessories included. I decided to try out the Shipping and Storage kit from Bar Mills. The kits from Bar Mills range from the basics to the complex. The basic kits are great if you are starting on your first wood kit and the price is reasonable. My kit cost $22.95 with a $5 for shipping. Bar Mills sent out the kit very quickly and it was packaged very safely in a bigger box cushioned with a lot of peanuts.

all the parts

The kit contained instructions and modelling tips where they explain what tools and glue to use. (bottom of their homepage has some videos on glue etc.) I found the instructions somewhat lacking. I know....I know.. Its a simple structure and doesn't require a lot but for a wood structure newbie, i would like to see detailed pictures of each step but then that might increase the costs.

I used a hobby knife no.11 to trim the parts out and wood glue only to assemble the walls. This is what i like about wood kits...no cutting required and everything fits perfectly!

Walls with bracing/posts added

To weather, I dunked all the wood parts in alcohol-india ink wash that i learned from the Easy Weathering DVD. It's basically a pint of 70% isoprophyl alcohol and 1 teaspoon india ink.

After being dunked in the wash

The wash does age the wood. I have not decided yet whether to paint it on not.

Closeup of weathered wall

Each wall was finally assembled. I plan to finish this model in the next few days. Roofing, windows and painting are left.

Walls assembled

So if you are debating whether to start on an wood kit, give Bar Mills a try. They make good and reasonable kits. Their kits are perfect for getting your toes wet.

I decided to add gutters and downspouts to one of my previous build. Adding gutters give a sense of realism and after trying out many different ways, i settled on the plastic-coated stem wire method. This is not the perfect method but it gives you more options than some of the commercial products that are available.

I used plastic-coated stem wire that i got from the fake flower section at Michael's (or any other craft store). It seems to be slightly thicker than a commercial downspout but it does the work.

Plastic-coated stem wire

I used black construction paper as the gutter. I folded the card and cut a small strip along the fold, like a V channel. I just eye-balled the width but it came to 6" real scale.

construction paper foled and...

cut into a V channel...

I applied glue on the inside of the roof edge and then stuck the gutter on one side of its V.

glued along the roof edge

I then cut the plastic stem wire and glued it onto two small rectangles of construction paper and also glued the top, where the gutter meets the downspout. The two small rectangles gives the impression that brackets are holding the downspout.

finished

another view

This is a quick and simple method to add some detail to an otherwise "flat"
structure. The only disadvantage of this wire method is that its tough to get the wire to be a perfect straight line. I could get mine to be almost straight but not quite, however a little imperfection gives it that real-life feel!

My latest project was The Mercantile building from Clever Models. Clever Models is like the craftsman kits for paper models. The building drawing/parts came printed on photo paper and the print resolution was exceptional.
You only needed a craft knife to cut/score the paper and glue them together.

Clever Model printout

I wanted to add some stiffness to the structure, so for the main building i glued the building plan to cardstock (like my previous models).

Glued onto cardstock

I also did not want the flat printed windows and so used my previous mentioned technique to make windows. Clever Models allow you to do this by including extra windows and frames in the printout. In fact, there were 3 copies of the doors and windows, so you could layer them and have some 3D effects going on instead of all being flat.

Main building standing

Since i used cardstock that increased the overall dimensions, the roof that was included fell short so i had to improvise. I used black construction paper as the roof. Then i cut small strips of drafting tape and applied them on the roof, which i then painted black to signify tarpapaer.

Roof details, tarpaper

For the covered staircase, i did not use cardstock. I cut/scored the photo paper and then assembled it.

Covered staircase

The ramp was the most difficult portion of this building because of the small posts that you had to cut, score and bend. I skipped a few posts as my big hands, bad eyes was making it cumbersome.

Ramp

Finished building

So in summary, the things i liked about Clever Models was their high resolution card models. They included extra parts if you want to layer up the structure. Pricing is also good with most models being 10$ to 25$

The things i did not like was the instructions. The procedure was not broken up in steps. After doing it, i now know how things go together, but for a absolute beginner, it could be daunting, especially building the ramp. They had a 3D blown-up drawing but it was had to figure out. (see the first picture in this post) I had to look at the pictures on their website to see what went where.

Anyway, i really liked their models. The resolution of Clever Models structures is the best and if strategically placed on your layout, no one will know the difference between your Clever Models and the expensive wood kits.


Just a note: I am not paid by manufacturers that i mention in this blog. I try out the kits on my own and pass on my experiences.

Roof shingles were created in Modelbuilder and printed on matte photo paper. I then cut strips of two rows of shingles. I used black construction paper as the roof base which i glued to the structure first. Starting with the bottom strip, i then applied the shingles going up to the roof ridge. Each new row was placed overlapping the earlier row.

Roof strips applied in layers

Detailed view of the roof shingles

I used a different color shingle to make the roof ridge. You can use the same shingle but using a different shade or color gives it character.

Detailed view of the roof ridge

Chimney:
For the chimney, i used a bamboo skewer that was cut to about 2 inches. The chimney cap was made by cutting a small circle in plain paper, and then using tweezers, folding it back onto itself to form a cone. For the tar around the base of the chimney, i used lot of white glue that i applied using a toothpick. Before, it was completely dry, i dabbed some black acrylic paint.
To weather, I dry brushed black paint to give the effect of stain.

NOTE: White glue shrinks after its dry, so i had to apply this method a couple of time to get some thickness.

Chimney details

Other Details:
Eaves were cut, painted and added. I also added some decking, like the original, to the structure using card stock and decking texture. I added trash bin from a plastic kit. Signs and vintage advertisements were cropped in a photo editor and printed on ordinary paper.


Finished Pictures:

Structure ready for a model railroad

I know! The name's corny...

Hope you enjoyed following my structure build. I made a couple of PDF's for the roof and siding textures (HO scale) that i used in this project. You could print them out and use in your projects.

I have been trying out different methods of making windows
and finally settled for this method. Its fast and the windows come looking decent.

Glazing
I use Butyrate Sheet (0.010 thick) made by K&S engineering. I had got them from Micro-Mark but they are not available there anymore. I did find some at Internet Trains or you could look for it at you local hobby or craft store. Some also call it clear acetate sheet.

Frames and Muntins
For the window framing i used 1/16" White Matt Graphic Tape and for the muntins i used 1/64" tape. These i got from GrafstickTapeLabel. It not expensive as the 1/16" was $1.50 and the 1/64 was $3. They also have a ebay listing.

Left: 1/16" Right: 1/64"

Assembly Process
I used ModelBuilder to create and print out my HO scale windows that i used as a template. I used three windows at a time to speed up the assembly process.

1: Window template taped

2: Butyrate sheet placed/taped on the template.

3: Used the 1/16" as the window framing/casing. Cutoff the excess/overlap using an xacto knife.

Using a template helps in keeping the lines straight.

3: Used the 1/64" as the window muntins. Cutoff the excess/overlap using an xacto knife.

Don't bother with trimming the excess window framing as they will be hidden.

4: Windows done and ready for cutting

5: Windows installed.

Dirty Windows
Since this will be a workshop, i wanted to weather the windows. This is a neat trick i learnt from the Easy Weathering DVD to dirty the windows. I used a file to ground a brown pastel chalk.

Ground brown pastel powder

Dab a dry paintbrush in it and apply to the back of the windows in an up-down stroke.

Dirty windows

Once you are done, spray the wall with a Krylon "Preserve-It" matt fixative spray. This will prevent the powdered chalk and the printer color from fading over time.
Note: Spraying it with Krylon, made the windows look frosty/unclear. Since this is to be a workshop structure, i was happy with the way it came out, however i would not do this if it was a residential structure.

Dirty and frosty windows after the Krylon application

You can use this method for any window opening. Check out actual windows manufacturers sites for sizing and print and re size the images to use as a template. Hope you will find the pictures and explanations easy to follow. Drop me a line if you have any questions regarding this method.

I use Chipboard as the main building component. These come in various thickness. I generally use 0.024 inch thick for the roofs and
0.04 inch as the walls. Again, there are no hard and fast rules. I choose these thickness as i found them to be sturdy enough but also can be easily scored and cut.

In relation to the real world, a 0.024 inch thick would be the thickness of a cereal box and the 0.04 would be the backing of a writing pad or the thickness of a US dime.

If you are staring out building your first structure in card, you can use the cereal box and the writing pad. Also, sometimes, the photo framing section of your craft store like Michael's sometimes sell scrap matt board cheap. These are usually thicker than 0.04 and you will need a few extra passes with your knife to cut out windows. However, you can try them and see what you are comfortable with.

If you are making a lot of structures, you will need a good supply of cardstock. I get mine through ckresale. They have a lot of different sizes and price wise they are reasonable. If you want you can try their sample set for $1 + free shipping. Payment is through Paypal, so is safe. I did try out their sample first
and then looking at the various thickess and sizes settled for .02 and .04 thick in 8.5 x 11 size for my models.

The other material i use is matt photo paper from any office store. Keep a lookout for some deals on photo paper. Since i use Model Builder software for plans, i print them to a photopaper. It has some weight to it. I then use gluestick to apply the plan onto the cardstock.

In Part 3, I will talk about some cuting cardstock and making windows.

Here are some of the work-in-progress based on my Scratchbuilding using CardStock series.

Plans and windows printed on photo paper

Photo paper stuck on cardstock using gluestick

To make window frames, you can cut out the whole frame as i have done. This gives it a one piece look. More about windows will be in a later post.

One wall and windows cut out.

Walls, windows and doors all cut

Close-up of a wall

I was looking around for a new structure to build. I prefer using plans/structures that other modellers have built. This gives me a reference point to see how mine is coming along. This time i decided to try a small structure by Paul Templar. Paul's site has a wealth of information about all the facets of model railroading. For this structure, he has used real wood but i will be doing it using card stock/computer printout.

I will be documenting my progress and will use this as a tutorial to building structures using card stock. That being said, i want to note that there are many methods and materials to use while scratch building and no one method is the best. This is the method i use. Also, i receive no monetary "kickbacks" from the vendors that i mention. I use their product and am happy with it.


So, lets start by looking at the tools required. You need to invest in a good set of tools if you plan to make structures. I am a sucker for Mirco-Mark and have got the basic items from them, however you can check your local art/craft stores.

X-acto Knife No. 1
The standard knife that will help you to make precise cuts.

No. 11 Blades
Angled straight blades no. 11. These have to be sharp so always get a bundle as they are not costly and as a rule try using a new blade for each structure.

Self Healing Cutting Mat
You need this to protect your dining table. (that's where i do my cutting). It also protects the knife blade. Please do not skimp on this and try to get the biggest size that's is affordable. If your hand slips while cutting, you will be safe from the errant scratch.

Scissors
You will need this to make general cut around the area and then do a more precise cut using the No.1 knife.

Scribber/Scoring tool
Sometimes you will need to score card stock along a perfect straight line for making folds. A good scribber helps. I tried using the knife in some projects and if you are not careful, you might cut the card stock. If you have a compass from your geometry box, you can use the pointy end too.


Model Railroader's Ruler
This ruler which is graded in HO, N, O, S and Inches is a real time saver while converting measurements from the real world.

Mini-Square
I never used to get a perfect 90 deg cut while cutting out windows. You can use the mini-square to guide your knife and get the angle perfect.

Straight Edge
Straight edge protects your fingers and your drawing/plans while you cut. There is a 12 inch version but this 6 inch edge is the perfect size for HO/N scale plans.

Mini Tweezers
A decent tweezers is needed to hold the small parts. This mini-tweezer set has 4 kinds including a self-locking one.

Filing Set
A set of assorted mini files. You need this to file flashing from plastic parts or around the window opening.

Good lighting
You need a good task lighting for your work, preferably the ones which simulate daylight.

Elmers Glue and Glue stick
You will need Elmers/white glue to glue the various parts. I also use glue stick for sticking the printed plans onto the card stock. I was using Elmer's for that job, but sometimes i left a spot and then i would end up with bubbles.

Toothpick
Plenty of toothpicks! While gluing windows or other small parts to your structures, by dipping the toothpick in elmer's glue, you will get a much better control to apply the glue.

Cloth Rag
This is essential in gluing parts. By dabbing the glued part slighting, you apply pressure. I tried bare hands before, the glue oozes out and gets on your hands and then when you handle the structure, it gets on the surface and smudges your walls.

In Part 2, i will talk about the materials/boards that i use.

So, i have been playing with the new features of the latest Modelbuilder release and like it so far. There are lots of new doors, windows and sidings. (click on them for a larger picture)

They have added shutter and broken window panes that you can add to your windows.


You can now use the keyboard arrow keys to move the materials precisely. This will be big help to some, though i prefer using the TOP and LEFT parameters to align.

I saved the best feature for last. Sloping roofs are here. This make the job much easier. Click on the picture below for Flash movie demo of this greatest feature.

If you have ModelBuilder, upgrade to get these new features. If you do a scratchbuild a lot of card structures, invest in ModelBuilder. At $45, it might be pricey but it saves a lot of time doing plan conversions and structure planing. Also by printing it on a color printer, you save the hassle of painting. Check out their tutorial and try a hand at a free building.

The company house is now completed.

Well almost! I wanted to put gutters and downspouts and i did find them at Internet Trains but their shipping costs is $7.99. So, i will have to wait till i find more products to buy.

Here are some of the final pictures:

Evan Designs posted a comment to my previous post about an update coming in the next few days to the ModelBuilder software.

Finally we will have a triangle and other shapes built into a new palette.There will also be a gambrel roof slope and some more shapes. This will give us a lot of flexibility in designing. Check their site or come back here when i post the new features.

Assembling windows is the most time-consuming task in any scratch building project. And this is when i was using commercial windows! But i finally finished all the windows and glued the walls together.

I also had to glue and hold the walls at right angles till it set. For the next project i should get a Right-angle clamp from Micro-Mark.

The edges of where the walls meet were covered by a strip of card and then painted brown.

I used Grey Roof tile sheet from ScaleScenes for the roof. I cut the strips and then staggered them from the bottom up, overlapping the newer one slightly as i went up.

A light brown roof tile strip was placed on the roof ridge and a rectangle cut was made for the chimney.

I used tissue paper to make the curtains. For some windows, i just put a rectangular strip to depict a roller blind. For other windows, i twisted the strip to represent a tie-back curtain.

I then glued it against the back of the windows. Looks messy but sort of represents a curtain.

The company house is finally standing but still more details need to be added. Eaves, chimney, front porch and steps need to be done.

Two things i learnt while doing these steps. Keep your hands clean. After handling white glue with bare hands, i accidentally left smudges on the walls. And the second step is, don't try to rush it. You will get glue, paint and make embarrassing cuts in the obvious spots. Take a break and come back to it later.

Yesterday, i talked about bypassing the restrictions of the ModelBuilder application in creating the slopes for the roofs by putting markers and then drawing a line after you print it. This method was somewhat tedious. After thinking about it, i came up with another better way.

DOWNLOAD: angle-left.gif and angle-right.gif

This method uses a rectangle gif file in which one diagonal part is transparent. As shown, the yellow is transparent.

You will import these and "subtract" the parts you dont want to see.

Lets create a new wall in model builder. We will have to create a block for the sloping roof portion. It just helps in height calculations. As shown below, the roof apex height will be 6' and the mid-point should be 13/2 = 6.5

Now, we will import the angle-left image and set the top and left to be the same as the roof block. Its height will be 6' and the width will be 6.5'

Similarly, import the angle-right image and set the top, height and width parameters. The left would be 10' + width of angle-left = 16.5'

What do you know! Our slope is completed. This is way easy than yesterdays method. Now for the bad part :-(
When you print it out the subtracted parts still show.

Now, you know why i put a black diagonal line separating the yellow transparent and the white halves. It will show no matter what and you can use that as a guide for cutting.

Hope you like this method. It just a little trigonometry and a simple subtraction...

As promised in my last post, i want to share some tips and workarounds using the Modelbuilder software.

1. Always, change the Top and Left parameters.

Make it some nice whole number so that you can quickly calculate the positions of the various objects that you will place on your drawing relative to this.

2. Window Placeholders
MB has many in-built windows that you can place on your walls. It looks great but in the final assembly, it might come up looking flat.

I prefer using commercial windows by Tichy, Grandt or Rusty Stumps. To help me create a opening, i import a small white jpeg in the drawing and resize it to the actual window opening. The white block will help you when you cutout the opening.

Download: WHITE.JPG

3. MB allows you to import a line drawing in WMF format. This helps you in cutting out the drawing precisely.

However, i haven't yet found free CAD software that can export to WMF. Some do but when you bring it in MB, the scale somehow is way off. MB doesn't let you create lines or slopes yet and so you cannot do something like this:

So for the sloping parts of the drawing, i came up with markers/placeholders that will help you to cut it. I use a sideways marker and a top marker to mark the points. Import the side-marker.gif file. Resize the height of the imported picture to the lowest that you can go. I use feet units so made it 0.1. Width can be whatever is easy to see. I used 5. Then place it at the two sides. Use the Arrange..Align Selected from the menu to flush all three object with their tops. It should now look like this:

Download: SIDE-MARKER.GIF

Now lets do the sloping part of the wall. The width of the wall is 20'. So, create another block of width 10' and the height of 5' or whatever is the height of your apex. Now, import the top marker and align it flush with its edge.

Download: TOP-MARKER.GIF

Right click the block you just added and create a duplicate. Put that on the other side.

Now you have your three points. After you print it on your cardstock, you can draw a line connecting the markers and cut it out along the line (blue)

Hope, these tips and workarounds help you out. As i keep saying, i love MB because i don't have to convert the measurements. I just plug in the actual dimensions, bring in the textures, maybe import images of posters/signs and i am done.

My Rusty Stump windows were waiting for some project so i decided to do the Ojibway Mining company house. It has a lot of windows and also an addition to the house. Would be interesting plan to do. The plan called for smaller window size but the Rusty Stump windows were 3x6 so had to modify the plan a bit to use them.

I used the measurements to come up with a mock up of the structure. This helps me get an idea of the structure size and also will help me assemble the walls in the correct order.

Mock-up

I tried to dimension the plan directly on the card stock using HO ruler and a protractor but the lines came out crooked. So launched Model Builder by Evan design and plugged in the measurements. I like model builder as you just need to plug in real measurements and no conversion is required. More about this in a later post.

Wall 1 in Model Builder

The materials included in Model Builder did not have a cream colored siding so i used a grey one as a temporary measure. I was also not using the Model Builder windows so i imported a white rectangle, re-sized to 3x6 to give me a place holder for cutting holes for window.

I printed the sides and glued (Elmer's/white glue) them to the card stock. I then cut out the pieces and the rectangles for the windows.

Printed and windows cut

I had bought a cream clapboard from ScaleScenes. They sell you PDFs of the various materials so you can print it many times. I love this feature and for your next card project give them a try.

I glued these on top of my sides and re-cut the windows again. I know, this is an extra step and i should have tried to figure out the siding editor in model builder. Maybe for the next project.

Cream Clapboard put in

Rusty Stumps windows are really great. They are laser cut and have an adhesive backing. It also comes with a clear acetate for window glazing.
I used a brown acrlyic to paint the windows/doors. The window parts were cut using a craft knife. I assembled one window at a time. I will have to purchase more windows as i will be 4 windows short.

Windows put in

I had a tough time cutting a perfect 3x6 hole in cardstock. After the windows were placed i noticed some gaps showing through between the
window frame and the wall.

Gaps showing

To fix this, i painted the gaps from the back.

Painted the back to cover the gaps

I have more windows and a door to do. I will update my progress after they are done and the four walls are glued together. I also want to put rain gutters and downpipes but haven't found a commercial product or everyday item to use for them. If you know of any do let me know.

Model Builder by Evan Design has released their latest update (version 1.5.4) This fixes the memory issues which you had when viewing projects at 50% zoom or while refreshing the screens. I did find the new update to work much better now.

The 2008 Craftsman Structure Show will he held this year on November 13-15th at the Holiday Inn, Mansfield MA. I know its too early but they are offering a three day pass for $90. Here are some of the clincis that are scheduled. Please check the site for the entire list and dates.

1. Painting Little People with Dave Revelia
2. Painting and Weathering Detail Castings with Brett Gallant
3. Painting and Weathering Wood Walls with Bob Mitchell
4. How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Business with Scott Mason
5. Building Water with Dave Frary
6. Alternative Building Methods and Materials with Bob Mitchell
7. Quick Interiors with Michael Tylick
8. Structure Building Techniques with Brian Nolan
9. Model Railroad Photography with Lou Sassi

All of these persons are experts in their fields and their names might be familiar. I sure could learn some scratchbuiilding tips from the pros.

My received my order from Rusty Stumps yesterday. Their shipping was fast and the delicate parts were nicely packaged. I had ordered their stairs and HO scale windows. They are also very good with their emails. I had a few questions and their prompt response helped me decide on the correct product.

Ready to begin

The stair stringer was a great help in assembling the stairs. Though the slots in mine were a tight fit and i had to take care in taking out the stairs after they were assembled. This is not a fault and they do recommend using a 1/64" file to increase the slot. I cant wait to assemble a longer stair for the next project.

I recommend their products as they will add an extra "oomph" to your structures!

Stairs installed

I added the posts under the deck. I bought some 3/32 x 3/32 basswood strip from the local Michaels store. The cross braces were just strips of card.

Deck Underside

I then attached the deck to the structure and painted it a grey color. Finally added some oil drums and a figure.

I decided to add a loading deck/ramp on one side of the oil house that i am building. I did not know how to do the underside of the deck. After a lot of searching, i finally found some good details, at the All Model Railroading forum, done by mjAri.

While searching for the loading ramp design, i also came across a great tip for curtains by CPRailer, at The Whistle Post.

This hobby is such that one can spend a lot of money buying commercial structure details parts. By checking the various model railroad forums, you can learn a lot of cheap and great tips.

Hope these resources help you in your projects! Do let me know if you know of any others that you use.

This weekend i finally got some time to complete a HO scale Oil House. I got the dimensions and ideas from the Hotbox. So far, i used to paint and create my own windows and they did not come looking decent. This time around i used ModelBuilder to create the plans. The windows are from Tichy Train Group that i plainted black.

Entrance side

I braced the corners with a wood strip. This provides more surface for gluing the sides/corners.

There is still some work do to. I need scale building accessories like a wall lamp, oil drums. I need to add a deck and stairs.

By the way, if you are into scratchbuilding using card stock, i recommend ModelBuilder. It saved me a lot of time converting real to HO dimensions.

I scratch-build structures using card stock. My old method was to print out brick and sidings using Photoshop. I would then paint these using water colors and use them in building models. The painting did not give a good feel to the overall structure and so i started to look for alternatives.

I found out the ScaleScenes had the exact stuff i was looking for. Each material/texture sheet costs $2.50 and you get a A4 size PDF that you could use to print as many sheets as you want. The effect for me, was way better than trying to paint it. These are available in only HO and N scales. They have a free Goods Store that you could try. Please follow the instructions carefully. I messed it up the first time.

Paper Creek Models also have texture sheets but i have not tried them. Pricewise they are a bit expensive but they have HO, N, S, O and Z scales.

If you need help in laying out a building plan and arranging textures, you should give the Model Builder from Evan Designs a try. It costs $45 but it is worth it if you do a lot of structure building. Check out the video demo to see how easy it is to make a structure. The application has some in-built plans but you can import your own plans in WMF format. So, the possibilities are endless. The other reason i liked it is that by printing only the plan with textures, you save on printer ink. Their tips are helpful even if you have your own methods for building card structures.

I used Model builder to create a small tool shed and am in the process of creating an oil shed. I got the Purina sign from a Google image search. Model Builder let me import and resize the image. You can also use the same method to import other architectural textures for your models.

Tool Shed

Oil Shed - Work in Progress

I plan to bring my experiences and passion for trains through this site.

My scale of choice is HO. I like German steamers, British and US diesels.

Currently, I am virtual railroading using Trainz. Trainz is a dream come true for all those model railroaders who having been waiting for lotsa money, space and their spouse's permission to create their dream layout.