01-06-2009, 01:40 PM
When I was searching my storage shed for my floquil a while back I ran across my first ( adult) scratch built railroad model. I built a couple things for my Marx set when I was about 7 or 8., but then moved into aiplanes & cars.
I built this to prove a point , I was in a hobby shop one day in the early 70s & some guy was complaining that model railroading was too expensive , the MOST expensive hobby & NOTHING could be done for a low cost. I told him that was not altogether true & bet I could build a railroad model of something for under 3 dollars.
There was a model contest coming up at a shopping mall & he challenged me to do that AND have it be good enough to enter the contest. I don't usually do contests but agreed.
This is what I built , I had no plans or pictures, I drove by the railroad yard & looked at a tank car for a guide. I am aware this does not prove to be accurate in all details, but at the time I WAS NOT really a model railroader . The only thing I bought for it were the trucks & couplers, the tank is PVC pipe, the dome a copper tube cap with something out of the scrap box glued to it-- an army tank hatch I think.
I formed the convex tank ends by using styrene which I sandwiched between two concave flat type "freeze plugs" for engine blocks & heated with a torch till the plastic took a set.
It did cost under 3 dollars AND won it's class in the contest .
I built this to prove a point , I was in a hobby shop one day in the early 70s & some guy was complaining that model railroading was too expensive , the MOST expensive hobby & NOTHING could be done for a low cost. I told him that was not altogether true & bet I could build a railroad model of something for under 3 dollars.
There was a model contest coming up at a shopping mall & he challenged me to do that AND have it be good enough to enter the contest. I don't usually do contests but agreed.
This is what I built , I had no plans or pictures, I drove by the railroad yard & looked at a tank car for a guide. I am aware this does not prove to be accurate in all details, but at the time I WAS NOT really a model railroader . The only thing I bought for it were the trucks & couplers, the tank is PVC pipe, the dome a copper tube cap with something out of the scrap box glued to it-- an army tank hatch I think.
I formed the convex tank ends by using styrene which I sandwiched between two concave flat type "freeze plugs" for engine blocks & heated with a torch till the plastic took a set.
It did cost under 3 dollars AND won it's class in the contest .
Instant glue ? ---- SOLDER ---- NOW THATS INSTANT!