Making own rolling stock

5579 Views 21 Replies 18 Participants Last post by Trains West, Feb 25, 2009

plantfoot

Discussion Starter · Feb 17, 2009

I would like to build my own rolling stock for my Ruby 1 which is G gauge 1:20.3 scale. When looking on the net the price of the rolling stock is too high. So making my own would be a cheaper options so I thought.
Looking at the price of wheels and bogie's you can pay the same price for the wheels and bogie's as you can for a complete wagon.

can you suggest the best way to house the wheel and axle to a home made Boigie or any other method that you have come across

1 - 20 of 22 Posts

Pete Thornton

· #2 · Feb 17, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

Keep your eyes open in the 'classifieds' and at shows like the ECLSTS (York, PA, Mar 27-28) for junk bachmann or new bright wagons. You can often pick them up for $10-$15.

vsmith

· #3 · Feb 17, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

Sidestreet Bannerwoks sells the Ted Stinson plansets that used to included in the free handouts in GR, these are great for building your own stock.

wildbill001

· #4 · Feb 17, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

I'll second the Sidestreet Bannerworks plans. I've been collecting them for years and have almost finished my first set of cattle cars. I build in wood, which is what I am most comfortable with. My only complaint, and it is a really minor one, is that the lines in the plans are sometimes different thicknesses. This can lead to errors in measuring and fit. I would definitely advise using a trail-n-error approach to cutting and fitting pieces. Cut a smidge longer than the plan and trim as necessary.

BTW, smidge is a highly technical term--use with caution.

Bill

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Jerry Barnes

· #5 · Feb 18, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

Several in this forum have made their own from plastic, just look at some past posts or do a search. Mostly they involve cutting out some thicker plastic pieces, springing them is not necessary.

Dougald

· #6 · Feb 18, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

Building your own rolling stock is sometimes put forward as a way to do it on the cheap. But inevitably, the cost of trucks, couplers and cast detail parts for a fine model amounts to more than a commercial offering. Scratchbuilding is really an exercise in getting precisely what you want when no commercial model is available or is a labour of love. I have never heard serious scratch builders ever say it was cheaper.

If the modeller is willing to accept less than scale fidelity of a model that is not well detailed, then buying old used equipment to refurbish is most likely the least expensive route. But, you get what you pay for and in this approach, an inferior or out of scale model.

Regards ... Doug

chuckger

· #7 · Feb 18, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

If you check on Charles Ro's large scale catalog, in the parts section they list arch bar truck frames with cuplor [#R2030] @ $7.50 a pr. These truck are basicaly the same as bachman. No wheels included at that price but it's a start. The cheapest wheels I have found are Hartland, metal wheels, plastic axels. Paid $1 an axel around 4 yrs ago at a train show, dont know if you can still get them.

Chuck

c nelson

· #8 · Feb 18, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

this may help? or at least offer you a "base" to begin with.

http://www.largescalecentral.com/LSCForums/viewtopic.php?id=10102

The HLW Flats were about $16 each a few weeks ago, I've ordered 11 and plan to up-size and build up as well!

cale

SE18

· #9 · Feb 19, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

If you build solely to save money, you'd get more per hour delivering pizzas than building.

I think custom and satisfaction are why we build; you're right about pricey wheels and stuff, but build them too

Mik

· #10 · Feb 19, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

I decided to build the log cars shown in this thread http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/8/postid/79234/view/topic/Default.aspx "just because", but I already HAD the trucks in my junk bin. If I would have had to purchase trucks, that would have been the deal breaker. I'm going to have to put some nut/bolt/washer castings on the brass strips because they are obviously missing. The cost in 'materials' was about $13 each (again, less trucks), IF you don't count the gas wasted running to 3 hobby shops, a hardware store, Michael's, and Wally Wurld. Actual BUILDING time worked out to about 2-1/2 hours per car building three at a time, but more than double that if you add in the time spent running around, NOT finding what I was looking for, standing in line, etc.. Meanwhile B'mann log cars cost, what? Something around $25 each, and already HAVE logs (which I need to scrounge or buy yet), AND quite possibly more detail.... I've saved HOW much? Didn't think so.

All I REALLY have is the satisfaction of saying "I made those".

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SE18

· #11 · Feb 19, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

1 other; I'd rather have stuff in wood or brass; boxed store stuff mostly plastic

wildbill001

· #12 · Feb 19, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

One often overlooked benefit to doing a "build it yourself" or a scratchbuild: You can quite often save thousands over psychiatrist bills

I'm building two cattle cars based on GR plans. Been working on them for several months. It's taken severall months for a few reasons:
1) I had to clear a space in my workshop, er, garage. Not a simple task unfortunately.

2) I hadn't made any models since I was a kid so I had to assemble some tools - about $20 for glue, tweezers, forceps, etc.
3) Actually assembly time - I'd work sometimes for 5min in an evening sometimes for 5 hours depending on what was on TV, "Honey-DOs", and my own state of mind.

I'm doing it not so much to save money but to give my mind a chance to relax and do something besides think about computer problems/software which it does the rest of my waking hours.

FWIW, my cattle cars have cost me about $20 ea in materials, paint, etc. for just the bodies. BUT, I bought my balsa in bulk so I have lots left over for the next set of cars. I built the archbar trucks just to see if I could and will be using metal Bachmann wheels. So total cost about $35-40 for each car. But they are mine, they are signed and dated, and already the grandkids want them for their room. THAT makes them priceless to me.

Bill

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plantfoot

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 21, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

Just a thank you for all your advice

Just to let you I have found a great site for parts good price and with great delivery service, I order parts at 16:00 and got them at 10:40 next day

www.track-shack.com

Jack

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Spule 4

· #14 · Feb 21, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

I guess from odering from Track Shack that you are in or near the IOM/UK?

Try IP Engineering for some other cheap kits and scratchbuilding parts.

FH&PB

· #15 · Feb 24, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

It's my opinion that, no matter how it turns out, your scratchbuilt rolling stock will still have more class and project more atmosphere than the finest production model. That's because the materials and tools you will use give a really different visual result, and you can see the difference, and it says "built by a modeler, not bought". I'd say you should have a go at it.

As for putting wheels under them: start with four-wheel stock and make the axle journals from square styrene (or brass) tubing. Do you have plans? Can you find them, if not?

Steve Stockham

· #16 · Feb 24, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

I have nearly completed my first "kit" from Rio Grande Models/UK. It is the RGS #259 Combine Car which was a one of a kind special. The freight doors are in the center with only 4-5 windows. I was one of those people that wanted my rolling stock to look great but was reluctant to jump in and try bashing or scratch building because I didn't feel I could do it justice. Well, this kit is a direct replacement for the sides of an AMS coach and I bit the bullet and ordered the kit. Boy! Was I glad that I did! I'm having a blast!! This is way more fun than just taking a car out of a box!!

tom h

· #17 · Feb 24, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

I would say build it yourself, after watching everyone else and asking people who have done it before for tips, I have built 2 50 ft boxcars, and I am in the process of building 5 container cars with 10 containers for them, I am watching the price of material to what it costs brand new, a rough guess is I will be saving around $300 building them compared to buying them, I am not done yet so this is an estimate. It does take time, and I have kids in basketball and other things, i take a 1/2 an hour here and there and I just have so much fun doing it, and after a while you figure out things you need to do to make it work. Russ Miller from Tap plastics supplies all my styrene stuff and I get some from Plastruct. I have most of the cars done, and about ready for the containers. I did buy a USA train intermodal car for a model so I could take measurements, when I am done, I will have 6 cars, and one of the container cars will be my battery car. You get a lot of help from guys if you have questions, and it builds confidence to do more things.

So build it yourself!!

tomh

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Torby

· #18 · Feb 24, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

One often overlooked benefit to doing a "build it yourself" or a scratchbuild: You can quite often save thousands over psychiatrist bills

hehe I used to stop at the train shop on the way to the shrink. The shrink said, "I'm not sure which stop does you more good."

Whenever I'd start a project, I'd keep the train shop bought out of certain sizes of stock for months.

(It met the pavement last spring and is now a collection of misfitting pieces.)

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peter bunce

· #19 · Feb 24, 2009

RE: Making own rollong stock

Hi,

First welcome to MLS and I hope you will find plenty of answers when needed.

From what you say you are somewhere in the UK, as I am. Steve Warrington at Back2Bay6 sells Bachmann trucks with metal wheels at £13.50 per pair + post. Bachmann metal wheels are £10 for 4 axles and well worth it – they are much better than plastic wheels.

Could I also suggest joining the G sale Society, and look at their website to see if there is a local group near to you, The local meetings generally have some traders at them.

Watch out for the Bachmann flat car kits – two kits in a box for £30.00 Bachmann Europe are very slow and their stock is by the container load from China when it arrives! At the moment they have all been sold I think.

I make most of my own stock, and it has been shown on MLS as I build it. I use plywood for an inner carcass and cover it with Slaters Plasticard planked sheet. Or (for flat cars) PVC solid foam 5mm thick sheet is very good (Vekaplan SF/Foamalux are some brand names). The PVC foam is also used for buildings, a section house is virtually finished at the moment, and some photos are on MLS already.

A final material for planked buildings is the corrugated plastic that is used by Estate Agents for their signs; again 5mm thick.
If you want any help send me a pm, or put up a topic on MLSand I will try to help.

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xo18thfa

· #20 · Feb 24, 2009

Vic and Bill mentioned the plans from Garden Railways/Sidestreet. The neat thing about Mr Stinson's plans is that they are so easy to modify for your own needs and the work great for mass production. Here's a fleet I built a while back.

http://archive.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=46852

After this, I did 15 short boxcars for a friend and 8 more gondolas for us.

From the cost standpoint, it is not much of a savings to scratchbuild. I even build my own trucks, but after buying high quality steel wheel sets, they got pricey too. The car bodies cost only about $.50 each because I used salvage lumber from Home Depot. After wheel sets, truck materials, couplers and do-dads they came out to about $28 each.

The best thing about scratch building is you get exactly what you want. If you can apply some mass production you end up with quite a train. My son's Ruby can tow 8 gondolas and it is the "cat's meow". A 3 cylinder Shay can tow all 49 cars I made

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