O Gauge on a budget - share your tips and tricks!

[wagonbasher]

I did dabble in o gauge for a while but the cost is restrictive.

 

My project was a blast furnace ( not the furnace itself, more the entrance to the building capturing the comings and goings).

 

My approach was resin casting... It suited the ingot wagons, the flat bed internal user wagons and scenic things like wall cladding.

 

the initial out lay is a bit steep but once the silicone (for moulds) and the resin is bought lots of repeat items can be produced time and again with very little cost. the quality of the output is directly related to the effort you put into the master from which you make the mould.

 

I was making wagons for about £12. Which may not sound cheep but the wheels were £6 -7 and with sprung buffers and break gear, that's not bad.

 

My disappointment was you can spend £35 on a wagon kit which early takes a night and you still have just one wagon. The same money can pay for three 4mm kits, takes three nights and you end up with three wagons.

 

Good luck, shout if you want to know more about casting.

 

Andy

[DanielB]

I am hoping to drag this thread kicking and screaming back to the front page - mainly because I am curious about whether it is possible to make corrugated iron cheaply, rather than buying plasticard.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Whilst we are on the subject, does anyone have any advice for other cheap methods of replicating other building materials - stone, brick, slate, metal, etc?

[alant]

I have recently used some corrugated card from Hobbycraft - can't recall the name at the moment. Photo below shows it used for the roofing on the workshop.

 

[81A Oldoak]

I have recently used some corrugated card from Hobbycraft - can't recall the name at the moment. Photo below shows it used for the roofing on the workshop.

 

IMG_0192.jpg

My occasional forays to Hobbycraft with SWMBO do not bring to mind words such as cheap, budget, inexpensive.

[alant]

My occasional forays to Hobbycraft with SWMBO do not bring to mind words such as cheap, budget, inexpensive.

I bought this sometime last year so can't remember the details and or price at the moment. I believe it worked out cheaper than Slater's corrugated plasticard but will see what I can find later this evening.

 

I agree that Hobbycraft are not generally cheap though.

 

Alan.

 

Edited to say I have just searched Hobbycraft and found the stuff I bought:

 

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/corduroy-harvest-card/563116-1000

 

It works out a good bit cheaper than plasticard - £5.99 for 5 A4 sheets as opposed to £2.59 for a sheet of Slaters plasticard.

[marc smith]

Hi folks,

Only just found this thread, and I had to read it immediately
Here is one of my own efforts in O gauge, namely "Poynton Sneer sidings"
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/56443-poynton-sneer-sidings/

I have to say, I'm a committed 4mm scale modeller, but I do love 7mm scale a lot
I appreciate what others have said about the cost of O being more, for initial outlay
or for one RTR locomotive or loco kit, or even a single wagon kit

Apologies to those who've heard me say this before,
but it's a little known fact that whatever scale you model in,
it usually ends up costing you the same...

I know that sounds crazy, but most of us have some sort of limit on the size of layout we want to build
Even those of us (me included) who build small or micro layouts are constrained to a particular size of area
Whether that be to fit in a particular room / garage etc, or whether the layout needs to be transported in the family car

The theory goes, that whatever space you have available, you tend to fill....
If you have 8 feet by 1 for a layout
In O gauge, that would give you enough space for say 3 points, 6 or 7 lengths of flexi,
But in OO, you'd probably end up with 6 points, 12 lengths of flexi
In N gauge, you would probably double these amounts again

The same is true for stock
On that fictional O gauge layout, you'd probably have one loco (+ maybe spare) and 12 or so wagons
whereas in N, you'd probably have 10 locos, 40 wagons, a few coaches

In smaller scales, you end up using more buildings in a given area too....

I know this is just a theory, but a chap wrote an article in MRJ a number of years back,
and built a layout in 4mm scale, sold it, and used the same area to build an O gauge layout
He costed both layouts..... and the O gauge worked out slightly cheaper!

Re hints & tips
I've bought a number of items which have been badly built (wagons for under a tenner etc)
I ended up taking them apart & rebuilding them 
I keep my eyes peeled for those boxes underneath the tables at shows
where you might get odds & ends, badly painted stock etc

I once bought a load of track that had been laid & weathered..... badly!
It still had bits of ballast and chunks of glue left on,
but with a bit of patience, I sorted this
I always weather my track anyhow, so I just re-sprayed the rails and repainted some sleepers
It was just over a tenner, for a Peco point and several lengths of flexi

Also, at shows, keep your eyes open for those bits & pieces that haven't sold near the end of a show
and make the seller an offer

Good luck
Marc

[marc smith]

I'd also add that there are a few examples of locos that can be hacked about,
to form some nice shunting locos
The Atlas American shunter being one,
the old Lima shunters, or triang Big Big train shunter

On that note, I have seen a great detail job on a Triang Big Big train Hymek
It was well detailed & repainted - I could swear it was a Heljan example
It cost the modeller well under £100, and looked the biz

Cheers again

[81A Oldoak]

I'd also add that there are a few examples of locos that can be hacked about,

to form some nice shunting locos

The Atlas American shunter being one,

the old Lima shunters, or triang Big Big train shunter

 

On that note, I have seen a great detail job on a Triang Big Big train Hymek

It was well detailed & repainted - I could swear it was a Heljan example

It cost the modeller well under £100, and looked the biz

 

Cheers again

How well did the Hymek run?

[Dava]

See 'Stodden hundred light railway' for ideas on corrugated iron from aluminum food trays

 

Dava

[PatB]

The old Linka system "stone" moulds produced masonry of about the right size and texture for 7 mm brick as long as you weren't too fussy about the brick bond. Their larger castle/church doorways also made excellent surrounds for arched industrial building windows.

 

Whilst Linka appears to have disappeared it does suggest that there may be mileage in making a master from expensive Plastikard, taking a silicone mould off it and turning out unlimited wall cladding for the low price of a sack of fine plaster.

[marc smith]

How well did the Hymek run?

It seemed to run just fine

Which is what added to me mistaking it for a Heljan

The builder did tell me he did something to the motor

- but I can't recall the details....

[Guest Isambarduk]

"The builder did tell me he did something to the motor"

 

Probably replaced it - along with the drive train.

 

When I was a teenager many years ago, I bought a brand new, shiny blue and white Triang Big Train Hymek to run on the extensive outdoor line of a boys model railway club that I belonged to (the club still exists actually Brambleton Model Railway Club).  At the time, I was Locomotive Superintendent and all the locos were steam outline spring-drive (or ‘clockwork’ as it was known then) so the introduction of a modern diesel outline electric loco was a true experimental novelty.  Its first outing was a dismal failure!  The four 1.5v batteries were wired in pairs in parallel, so the single motor bogie was powered by 3v and the tractive effort was abysmal.  The loco could slowly haul itself and two tinplate wagons on the level, attacking the slightest gradient resulted in, not slipping, but a stall.  (To be fair, the 'model' was marketed as a child's toy 'Big trains for small hands' or something like that and it was intended to haul a few light plastic wagons on plastic track on the level and flat playroom floor.)  The second outing saw the batteries rewired all in series which improved the speed and hauling capacity quite appreciably but nowhere near that of a Hornby clockwork loco and not ‘off the starting gates’ compared to the performance of a Bassett Lowke loco.  This miserable loco continued to haul ‘token’ trains around the system during that summer, devouring dry cell batteries as it went (no domestic rechargeables in those days), until the final drive gear stripped its teeth shortly before the final running session of the season!  It languished in the back of the 'shed' (ie my box of course scale O Gauge) until I sold it in the mid 1980s for a reasonable sum, even though the rubberised driving wheels had perished by then. 

 

However, it sounds as if your Hymek has improved bogies with something better than the original pancake motor on only one rubber-tyred axle on one bogie.

 

David

 

 

[The Nth Degree]

You can get some great detailing kits for the Triang Hymek and Lima 33 from PRMRP which include either one or two replacement motors. You'll need to be a reasonably proficient solderer but I've seen some fantastic conversions done, which are very close to RTRs or more expensive kits.

 

Talking of kits, are there any good but cost-efficient kits that are worth putting in the list?

[hayfield]

I am hoping to drag this thread kicking and screaming back to the front page - mainly because I am curious about whether it is possible to make corrugated iron cheaply, rather than buying plasticard.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Whilst we are on the subject, does anyone have any advice for other cheap methods of replicating other building materials - stone, brick, slate, metal, etc?

 

 

I can remember someone making it out of thicker tin foil (those found in pie cases nor wrapping foil). either pressing it through to dies (from some household implement) or running a comb's teeth along it. Perhaps this will jog someone's memory of the actual process

[DanielB]

I'm liking all these suggestions everyone!

 

The corrugated iron made from thick foil and a comb sounds like a winner, I'll have a go at that tonight as I have all the materials to hand, handily enough!

 

Also got some brick papers from Scalescenes printed out from work for free, it will give me something to go on until I can afford some plasticard.

[marc smith]

I'm liking all these suggestions everyone!

 

The corrugated iron made from thick foil and a comb sounds like a winner, I'll have a go at that tonight as I have all the materials to hand, handily enough!

 

Also got some brick papers from Scalescenes printed out from work for free, it will give me something to go on until I can afford some plasticard.

You can use the thick foil sometimes seen, wrapped around the cork of a bottle of wine,

or a really nice beer, like "Leffe"

That's a pretty thick, sturdy type of foil

.... fun emptying the contents of the bottle too

Should work well with a comb

A local O gauge modeller, who sadly isn't on this forum

uses some sort of mangle device he found in a skip

 

He glued some strips of scrap metal to one end of one roller

He flattens the foil on the other end

then adds the relief by placing the foil through the end with the relief strips......

 

[mikeg]

I am hoping to drag this thread kicking and screaming back to the front page - mainly because I am curious about whether it is possible to make corrugated iron cheaply, rather than buying plasticard.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Whilst we are on the subject, does anyone have any advice for other cheap methods of replicating other building materials - stone, brick, slate, metal, etc?

You can make quite good CI by using a plastic tool from Hobbycraft that is meant for paper but works well on foil food trays from pre-packed large pies etc, you only need to cut out scale 6ft long sheets by 3ft wide but allow an extra scale 6in for the corigations. You just use them as the real thing by overlapping the sheets glued to a cardboard backing. The tool from Hobbycraft complete with the paper for using with it cost £2.99 when I got mine about five years ago, I have seen them recently by did not look at the price as  have one!

 

I've made several line side huts with CI roofs and one that is all CI on a wood frame and card covered to glue the ally to using Bostic or UHU.

 

cost nearly nil, you have to by the glue, cost £1 from 'poundland' but it will do many buildings.

 

regards

 

mike g

[DanielB]

Mikeg,

 

I went into Hobbycraft on friday and found the very tool you mentioned - £3 from the kids craft section. Works a charm - thank you for that inspired source for creating corrugated iron.

 

I've been putting it into practice for my micro layout. I'll post up some pictures when I can.

[81A Oldoak]

I have found a couple of currugators in SWMBO's craft box. Apparently, they came in some chidren's craft kits. The corrugations are well defined, but too big for 7mm scale, but I want to check the same source to see if there is a smaller size.

[marc smith]

Just another thought,
but would a comb work well for making Corrugated Iron out of tinfoil?
I'm thinking specifically about the chunkier types of comb, designed for thicker hair.....

Re buildings, there's also a thread on rmweb somewhere,
in which the builder describes making buildings out of foam mounting board
(the type with thin polystyrene-type material sandwiched between 2 sheets of card

I'll try to find the link to the thread later
but the guy who uses this foamboard  describes how he removes the outermost layer of paper -
wetting the surface to aid this...
He then scribes brickwork or stone courses into the card underneath

I think this was in 4mm scale - but would work well in 7mm scale too

Marc

[DanielB]

Chris, this is the exact one I got:

 

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/hobbycraft-corrugated-paper-making-tool/568619-1000

 

It's probably over scale but without any proprietary 7mm models to compare it to I've no idea!

 

It'll do fine for me, for now anyway.

[81A Oldoak]

Chris, this is the exact one I got:

 

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/hobbycraft-corrugated-paper-making-tool/568619-1000

 

It's probably over scale but without any proprietary 7mm models to compare it to I've no idea!

 

It'll do fine for me, for now anyway.

That's the one.

[alant]

Re buildings, there's also a thread on rmweb somewhere,

in which the builder describes making buildings out of foam mounting board

(the type with thin polystyrene-type material sandwiched between 2 sheets of card

 

I'll try to find the link to the thread later

but the guy who uses this foamboard  describes how he removes the outermost layer of paper -

wetting the surface to aid this...

He then scribes brickwork or stone courses into the card underneath

 

I think this was in 4mm scale - but would work well in 7mm scale too

 

Marc

I did this for the cobblestones on my layout. It wasn't always easy to peel the outer paper layer off cleanly but got there eventually.

[Hando]

Go to antique shops, that's when I found my first O-16.5 scale wagon (narrow gauge 7mm scale, so not quite O gauge), people leave any old junk they don't need from layouts and give them to antique shops (even if they aren't antique) or sell them for a small price at car boot sales.

 

It shows that O gauge isn't always expensive, it depends on what you're looking for!

One man's rubbish is another man's treasure.  

[Poggy1165]

I think a very good way of keeping costs down is self-discipline. Here I am preaching something I am lousy at!

 

Let's say that your layout needs eight wagons. (Many small 0 Gauge layouts are getting over-populated even with eight.) Buy your eight as cheaply as you can. Upgrade them gradually, adding detail, improving the brakes, etc., etc. Then when you're ready to buy the ninth, sell the one of the eight you least value. This will hep fund the replacement, perhaps a better piece of kit, perhaps more suited to your prototype. Rinse and repeat. Eventually you will have the eight wagons you need, all detailed and very fine models.

 

That's the theory. In reality you end up with fifty wagons, mostly indifferent, and only occasionally get around to selling one.