I’ve posted a new article on how you can create a building just using plans and materials.
http://www.largescalecentral.com/articles/148/building-from-plans
It’s based on my bucket coaling station, which was documented here earlier, but I thought I’d show the process of scratch building from plans to help those who have never tried it.
Good stuff Bruce. Thanks for taking the time to post this. Onof these days I want to print out all the articles and keep in a binder.
Very Nicely done, Bruce… 
Plans??? Wouldn’t that be nice. Most of the time all I have is either a picture in a book or magazine or a picture in my mind…and it’s usually in whatever scale the Precision Products veneer stuff is…
The only things I had plans for was the coaling tower, sawmill and Chandler’s Mercantile and I took some liberties when I built those.
Hehe…yeah, plans is probably the wrong word. I should have said drawings.
Actually, I did have the Model Railroad article - from back when they used to talk about how to build - which is why I thought my article might help somebody.
Bruce Chandler said:
which is why I thought my article might help somebody.
I’m sure of that. Just looking at what some of you more skilled modeler’s have done has helped me.
Very nice article. I could follow it, and it follows a lot what I have tried to do. Not really able to work from photos, but I’ve been encouraging everyone who does “plans” to give real dimensions in them. No need to reduce or enlarge them if you’ve got a scale ruler.
Plan? We don’t need no stinkin’ plan!
vbg from up here, Bruce.
That is a great model. I thought it was a certain qualifier for Best in show at York, along with the Rooster’s crazy loco and that museum-quality combine. But as a guy with a dog in the show I kept quiet 'til now. No hard feelings to the winner, wottheheck.
It was so good to meet you and see that gorgeous coaling station at York; I want one too!
I look forward to an even better visit next year. Oh, and you’ll prolly be in Ottawa in July… (?)
This new article of yours is well done too! Thanks for all you do, and admiration too!
Anybody who takes the trouble to email me will get a set of conversion tables designed for wooden-style structures in all scales from 1/29th to 7/8th scale.
I produced them after my local hobby store stopped cutting wood to inch sizes.
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
Sage advice, Bruce. I think the large scale segment of our hobby (obsession?) would profit from scratchbuilding. It’s challenging (but not too much) and it gives you an incredible feeling of accomplishment, not to mention some atta-boys from the gang.
As for plans, they’re great and I have borrowed a few (a hotel and my small cabin) from old Model Railroader issues. I’ve even drawn up plans of my own, after measuring and photographing actual structures. In some cases, I scale up plan view photos to 1:22.5 or 1:20.3 on a copy machine and with my scale ruler in hand, use them as measuring guides when I transfer these measurements to styrene sheet, my material of choice. I know that some articles suggest pasting the scale plans onto the actual styrene, but I find that messy, 'cause ya gotta peel all that stuff off.
Lately, I’ve been drawing up a rough plan just for reference sake and almost immediately transfering the dimensions to cardboard (for a mockup) and then to styrene–because I’m impatient.
Other than that, what you said.