09-30-2010, 02:34 PM
MasonJar Wrote:RRManiac Wrote:MasonJar: I like this one because it's made from ties purchased from NS for as little as $1-$2 for each tie, and the concrete was bag concrete from a Lowe's or Wal-Mart. The owner told me that when NS works on the track there, they pile the old ties up next to the track, and then he buys them all and builds stuff with them.
He's covere over holes with them, used them as wheel stops, built retaining walls, all kinds of stuff. All ties.
You could easily replicate this with craft wood (strip wood's inexpensive cousin found at Wal-Mart or other places than hobby shops) and plaster or anchor bolt cement. Anchor bolt cement can be found at the big box home improvment stores - it's a very fine cement powder that works well for casting model parts. Or you could simulate the concrete fill with styrene and appropriate painting/weathering.
Andrew
PS - Don't let biL put too much pressure on you - just have fun.
That's actually what I intend to do.
A member of the local train club brought in a couple boxes of stripwood, and said to everyone "have at it"
I took a bunch of it for use on the layout, and now have a wonderful use for it all.
The plan is to use a wood core, and then bring it to the right size using the stripwood from the boxes. I planned to use some .020" styrene sheet(all I have around at the time) as the concrete portion of the loading dock, and then I planned to paint it with Aged Concrete after having a container of it mixed for me at Wal-Mart. I think this build will be lots of fun.
Because I am building it at school, chances are pics may be scarce, so I am really sorry about any lack of pics.