# Care to show your 1st scratch built car?



## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Greetings,

I have been inspired (perhaps dilusional) to build a 1:32 Scotish 12 wheel Dining Carriage.  Since I'm sure it will be a few years before I get an English engine of my own, I figured building this really neat late 20's car was a close 2nd.  Then I could bring it to steam ups and find british trains requiring the services of a fine dining car.  Haggis, Blood Pudding and Mutton on the menu.

I have been building models since I was about 6, plastic, paper, wood and metal.  I have done some very large kits with thousands of pieces.  That is a little different from having to create each and every wood piece from stock and fit them together so it looks like something reconizable. 

I have looked at some of the building logs folks have posted.  Some of them are off the charts, and very intimidating.  You obviously have been doing this for years.  So, my question is if folks would be willing to post photos of their early attempts at scratch building.  Structures, rolling stock, anything.

Thanks


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

I made my first flatcar using an article here at MLS. (Not sure where this is located today, though.)   While the plans called for wood, I built mine in styrene.









I was pleased with how it turned out.









However, that was when I was still doing 1:22.5.   I later changed to build all 1:20 cars, so I converted this to a scale speed and distance car, using just a standard bicycle speedometer.  It works very well and is fun to run.


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## Robert (Jan 2, 2008)

Well you asked, so here is a link the very first "thing" I built for my railroad.  I used the obligatory Garden Railways plans for it, a couple of Ozard castings and wood, metal paint and junk I had laying around.  I built this prior to owning anything other than one length of track to check spacing.

www.geocities.com/mitorelvis/tank.html

Bottom line is I'm still no pro but every project gets me a little closer to the artisans that post here.

Robert


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

Willingly! 

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/sheila.capella/cabbage/eleshya.html 

regards 

ralph


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

I would have to go back to age 6 myself. I use to build small ships out of scrap pine. They were about 3 to 5 inches, complet with rigging and a few paper sails. My only tools at the time were a pen knife, water colors and Elmers glue. Needless to say they were rough. 
I would say to you, don't waste your time looking at other peoples first scratch builds, just go for it. Instead spend this time researching the car you want to build, decide the level of detail you want to achieve and then get the necessary tools and materials to finish the job. 
Don't worry about gauging your success by other peoples work. Accept that you are going to make mistakes and that this first project is a learning process. Posting it to this forum is a great way for you to get help from experienced hands when you reach difficult stages of construction. This is a very encouraging group of people and they are always ready to share their knowledge and opinions and especially encouragement. As they say in Hawaiian; "e kaupe aku no ika hoe, e kou mai ika hoe, e hoe!" "Stick your paddle in the water and get paddling!"


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

These are some great examples. From what I've seen so far, I think I'm going to go ahead and attempt to get documentation for this car. I did just send an email to the GSWRA historian. Got a reply he passed away in Oct. I'm gonna keep searching. 

Look forward to seeing more samples along the way 

Thanks,


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't find a photo of my first scratchbuild by itself. Here's Caleb playing with it. It's the tender.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Kent, 
I cannot show you as so far all my projects are, as of yet, unfinished. Story of my life, on hold. Started the rocky road back in the early 1990's while working at a large hobby shop near Buffalo NY. Since buying my first large scale trains I've moved no less than 10 times. Each time I'd spend weeks getting a space to work and find myself boxing up the project yet again in preparation for a move. Some of my boxed up projects are more kitbashing than scratch building and include a Northeastern Snow plow kit and some flat car kits I think? The last project to actually get started beyond collecting bits and pieces was my scratch built rendition of the Wellsville Addison & Galeton 132 ton GE cantercab switcher. That one was recently "unboxed/unearthed" and will be started again soon. Let me see if I can find my posts on it in the archives? 

Chas


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

My first real scratch built car would be this Silver Vista, scaled to match LGB D&RGW coaches:



















She's since been upgraded with more accurate seats and end details.  But all in all I was very pleased with the results.  Been building kits and such for a while before this, but never scratch built anything.


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Chas, 

Thank you!! I went through great struggle last night deciding to even post this. I too have the same problem. I'm always starting something... My ex-wife would lovingly comment on how great my passion for hobbies are. "Starting something new every few weeks." 

In the last 13 years, I have only finished one model. It was the painting of a very detailed white metal dragon holding a damsel in chains to a post. Great project. When I was finished I gave it to My best friend (I was 29 at the time) to celebrate the only computer game I had ever played through from beginning to end. Rob and I did it together, playing all night through every other weekend. Carie (ex-wife) was very supportive and would plan all these different meals and such. Together Rob and I played that game for about 120 hours before finishing it. An incredible fantasy playing adventure game, by the name of Realms of Arcania if I recall. So, after we completed that game together, I figured it was only fitting to celebrate by giving him the dragon. 

On a lighter note, I did track down all the Teak carriages I needed for the Mallard. And I found some local diaphrams avail from Walther's that are six times cheaper than some I found in the UK. The british ones were specific for the LNER carraiges, though the expensive brass etched doors drive the cost up. The door would actually only be needed on the end unit. So today on the way home I'm gonna grab a pair of the rubber and a pair of paper (represents canvas) and see if these will work.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Here are two of my very early projects. Vance Bass alludes to photos of these in his "Looking Back" column in the current GR. 

The first is a model of a little (Plymouth?) diesel that used to be on display up at the former Edaville Railroad in Mass. I saw it during an NMRA convention I went to up there in the mid 80s. It's powered by a Stomper motor. The frame is balsa wood, the cab from styrene, and the hood from sheet brass. The radiator is also balsa. 










The second--also a Stomper-powered model--is of RGS goose #6. (I wasn't always an EBT nut.) The frame is built from 1/8" plywood, bass, and balsa left over from some early wood kits dad had bought for the railroad. The car is a 1:24th Ford or some such. A proper Pearce Arrow kit wasn't available. 










"Stompers"--for those who are curious--were small motorized 4-wheel-drive toy cars popular in the mid 80s. The mechanism was just the right size for 45mm track, and the wheels were easy to remove and replace with flanged wheels. They were a bit noisy and had almost no pulling power, but boy did they spawn a bunch of creativity back then. It seems every issue of GR for about a year or more had at least one Stomper conversion somewhere in the pages. 

Later, 

K


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## Havoc (Jan 2, 2008)




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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Havoc on 03/04/2008 1:39 PM










Change the "IMG" letter to lower case "img" in both places.


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## Eric M. (Jan 3, 2008)

Here is my first scratchbuild.  It is an extreme bash of an MDC Big Hustler.  Not much is left of the original, which is why I would classify this as a scratch build as opposed to a kitbash.  Some experts on the Big Hustler might spot some details that look familiar, but the cab and hood have been enlarged in several directions, and the frame lengthened and covered.  Only the stock journals peek through the holes in the new frame.  It looks much better now for 1:20.3.  It runs on batteries.  She is about 8 years old.  I still use her all the time as a shop switcher.


















Regards,

Eric


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is my first, SM32/16mm flat a lot worse for the wear (paint damage and missing brass corner post) due to age, several moves, etc.  Built when I was 12 or so.  I've come along way since then for sure!

Made up with wood from the local craft store, the only commercial bits were the cup hook and the LGB wheels, which look almost like spools due to the exessive wear.  Even the journalboxes were made of wood.    Used some of Dad's Floquil paint for the model.


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

This is my first completly scratch-built car.  It's a model of a 4-wheel C&S bobber.  Even the ladders and railings were hand made.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By East Broad Top on 03/04/2008 1:14 PM

"Stompers"--for those who are curious--were small motorized 4-wheel-drive toy cars popular in the mid 80s. The mechanism was just the right size for 45mm track, and the wheels were easy to remove and replace with flanged wheels. They were a bit noisy and had almost no pulling power, but boy did they spawn a bunch of creativity back then. It seems every issue of GR for about a year or more had at least one Stomper conversion somewhere in the pages. 

Later, 

K


Ah, Stomper bashes, I built one with the diecast Ertl 32 Ford kit with a scratchbuilt wood box in the rear end.  The Stopmer was narrowed for 32mm gauge and a larger battery box was used, and an Atheran O gauge archbar truck was put under the front.  The model is in dad's basement, I ought to dig it out.

There was a mini stomper perfect for 32mm projects.  

Yes, Stomper bashes were big from the mid 1980s and were almost gone by 1988 or so per the OLD issues of Garden Railways here at the house.  A shame, as a lot of creativity went into these buggers, and is lost now with a lot more stuff in RTR.  I *think* I remember Marc wrote an article on a all-styrene bus back in 1985 or so.


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## fmj (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi. My first scratchbuild  car was a danish postalcar and my fist structure a danish depot both in HO scale. Now i have went  into large scale.
Regards Finn.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

These are some really great scratch builds, whether they were your first or 101st! I like how they all have different merits, like using what was avialable, others to fine detail, and yet others for resourcefulness/uniqueness.  Job well done to all and thanks for sharing!


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh! Here's a better shot. Tripped over it while looking for something else:


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)




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## fsfazekas (Feb 19, 2008)

First and second scratch built cars....second is the white one on the left...guess which one is the first LOL


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

My first scratch build was my UP streamliner set. Just repained them to match the short E-8 project build, this shot is before that though, so you could see the dome car! Jerry


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Going back awhile, 2004 - man its been that long?  

My first, a pair of bulkhead flats made of Basswood. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/blush.gif 










...and Stompers are far from dead, heres one I did last year at took to the BTS  










The drives are still made by New Blight, this was a dumptruck toy found at Big Lots! /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gif


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

More of an "engine" than a railcar really. 

This is Todd's Terrible Turbo Tortoise Toten' Tube Train. The engine is reminescent of the Nemo's Nautilus or the original Batmobile. The trucks are from an AristoCraft heavyweight. The body is a plastic mailing tube and the "cockpit" is from a bottle of lube. The motor, mounted on a brass plate, is a 4.47 amp hand-tool motor swinging a cut down (to 6") reverse thrust airplane propeller. (Could probably remove or do serious damage to a finger.) 

Engine is too dam- quick and loves to fly off the track with reckless abandon (which is why it was never painted or the driver/passenger details applied). Also, with the heavy amperage draw, it pits a set of wheels in no time flat. 

We're waiting for the train engine "drag races" to prove our mettle. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/satisfied.gif


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## hcampbell (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't recall who took this picture, but I think the string of excursion cars are about my 1st large scale scratch build. 








Harvey C.


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## tbug (Feb 16, 2008)

Parts are scratchbuilt, but it's more of a kitbash. Learned a lot!


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I built the Snoopy Doghouse car to hold batteries for the LGB Peanuts motorcycle that Charlie Brown and Lucy are on. The doghouse is part of a birdhouse and the base is part of a wood box (both from Micheals). It is on a 4-wheel freight truck (don't remember the brand). It runs well on 14 AAA batteries in the base. The doghouse has a TV, Pool table and a bar (for quaffing rootbeers), a crystal chandelier and flowered wallpaper.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

This was my first try at building with styrene. It is a model of a rail truck which ran at the Durango and Silverton Railfest several years ago. It was in an accident and was never invited back. I made it from photos taken with a tape measure in each picture for scale. The motor and RC are from a small RC car, the rear axle gear box from Shortline? and the wheels from Ozark? The rest is scratch built. The hood and cowel were heat formed around a wooden form. It does 2 laps around my 217 foot main loop on one pair of AAA batteries. 










The bottom showing the motor and RC board under the floor boards.


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## trainbuffjr (Jan 11, 2008)

Wow, I made a model of the same railtruck a couple of years ago, But not as good as that one! I have seen this truck run before. It is located at the Midwest Central Railroad in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. What kind of accident was it involved in on the Durango and Silverton?


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Another scratch-build on a stomper chassis, done a couple of years ago. The guy came from the Tamiya "Racing Pit Team".










_Not sure that was my first scratch-build though. I'm sure I must have made something for my first OO-scale railway, many moons ago. 
Kent - when do we get to see a pic of this mythical 12-wheel carriage?_


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## DSP&P fan (Apr 9, 2008)

Well, I guess this would sort of count. I've had two previous aborted models...one for which I lost my notebook of plans, and another which I abandoned once I realized that my plans were incorrect. 

Therefore, this was the first model I really started on and continued. It is an On3 model of a South Park waycar (caboose). The yellow parts were resin castings that I regret using...but hey, you make mistakes your first time! Otherwise, all of the running gear, the windows, and such are from scratch in styrene. The windows are all designed for removable glass and the moving panes move. I haven't installed couplers, but using a makeshift coupler, it rolls nicely. 

 [url]http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn218/myork2005/DSCF6209.jpg [/url]

_Image changed to link - exceeds 640 pixel max width._

I look forward to sharing my first large scale models later this year. Btw, since O scale is 1:48, and common large scale track is 45mm...an O scale model of Brunnel's GWR would operate on large scale track /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue2.gif


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Trainbuffjr, I'm not sure of the details as the accident happened after I took pictures. I understand that it and a Model "A" based truck ran into each other and one or two pop cars may have also been involved. My brother in law and I had ridden from Durango to Silverton behind the Eureaka and I took the pictures in Silverton. I think there were over 40 motor cars running that year so it was quite a circus.


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## carpenter matt (Jan 3, 2008)

Here's my first boxcar, I plan to revisit it on the bench and rebuild an item or two.


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## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Yup, a stomper makeover


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## Robert (Jan 2, 2008)

I forgot about this guy. It doesn't quite fit on the rails, but it sure holds a lot of toys. We've repainted it a couple of times as the colour scheme in my son's room changed. It was a sad day on the weekend when we finally retired it because he's a little old for a toybox now. Perhaps I will line it with foam insulation and turn it into an oversized beverage cooler! 

Robert


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Love it! 

No space for it in my room /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif


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