Making Urban Buildings For Model Railways

This fascinating book is aimed at all those modellers who wish to create a model railway set in an urban landscape. It covers the selection and the construction of a wide range of urban buildings, and presents many detailed photographs of real buildings from which the modeller can gain ideas, identify specific features and draw inspiration. Special attention is paid to modelling architectural details and to the effects of weathering. Scratch-building techniques and materials, as well as ready-to-plant buildings and kits are covered. In addition to the buildings themselves, the author also considers the urban setting and infrastructure, and demonstrates how to construct roads and pavements, create authentic street scenes, and make realistic models that accurately reflect, for example, urban decay and dereliction. Finally, consideration is given to persepctive modelling, a concept that provides the modeller with an opportunity to make much better use of a limited amount of space.Essential reading for all model makers, especially those with a passion for railway modelling. Superbly illustrated with over 300 colour illustrations, including step-by-step photographs.

This invaluable, well-illustrated book is essential reading for all those who are interested in developing their modelling skills and creating realistic models of country houses, cottages and farm buildings for their railway layouts. The author encourages and inspires the reader and, moreover, emphasizes that railway modellers can achieve their objectives without purchasing expensive materials. Indeed, all the materials recommended in the book are either recycled or can be obtained quite cheaply.Topics covered include: The materials and equipment required to build models; Modelling methods and construction techniques; Painting, weathering and finishing; Creating a sympathetic setting for your models; Improving kits and 'off-the-shelf' models. The author presents in detail three different rural, scratch-built projects and , in a separate appendix, provides a colour reference guide, thus enabling the modeller to apply the correct colours and shades in order to create authentic and convincing-looking model buildings. An invaluable guide which provides all the information required to create convincing models of rural buildings. Aimed at all those interested in railway modelling whatever their level of ability, and those interested in modelling in general rather than in just railway modelling. Materials and equipment, modelling methods and construction techniques are covered. Superbly illustrated with 320 colour step-by-step photographs and diagrams. David Wright is a professional artist and model maker and provides hands-on experience at railway modelling workshops.

This invaluable book is essential reading for all railway modellers, whatever their level of expertise. The author provides an overall understanding of the purpose of making buildings for a model railway and covers their construction, their positioning and how to light them.Topics covered include railway and non-railway buildings, explaining how the latter can also enhance your trains; modelling attitudes, the use of scale, levels of detail and both regional vernacular and railway architecture; ready-made buildings and how you can adapt them to your own particular purposes; different materials available for building structures and ways of choosing, finding, measuring and recording suitable prototypes; step by step construction of a cardboard building kit to illustrate the use of basic modelling tools and to explain essential procedures and techniques; using and modifying 'out-of-the-box' model buildings. Also explores the subtleties of making model railway buildings from scratch without the use of a kit, or anything more than hand-tools and a few sheets of suitable material, giving guidance on the appropriate use of texture and colour, and shows how walls, doors, windows, roofs and chimneys can be created, painted, detailed and finished off. Discusses the many aspects of lighting, including external lighting, such as street and platform lights, and the internal lighting of buildings, the problems they pose and how they can be resolved. Lighting can create dramatic effects with reference, for example, to the installation of illuminated ground signals in N-gauge using the latest 'surface-mount' technology, and by producing brilliantly illuminated back-lit sunsets. Superbly illustrated with 622 colour photographs.

A practical guide on the construction of buildings and other structures for railway modellers and diorama makers.

Written by an acknowledged expert, this practical book is essential reading for all those railway modellers who wish to build a bridge or a viaduct for their layout. This new book contains in-depth descriptions and photographs of bridges located around Britain (and one in New Zealand), ranging from the small to the monumental, from which the modeller can gain ideas and draw inspiration. As an essential aid to modelling, the constituent parts of the bridges are described as well as the engineering principles that make them 'work' and the materials from which they are built. Step-by-step instructions and photographs depict the construction in plasticard of five models: a simple girder bridge; a truss-girder bridge; a masonry arch bridge; a plate-girder bridge; and a viaduct. The book covers prototype research, taking measurements, modelling materials and tools, and examines the finishing process, including different ways of applying paint and weathering powders in order to make your model look authentic. Fully illustrated with over 500 colour photographs and diagrams.

Model Railroader's managing editor David Popp tells the complete construction story of his N scale Naugatuck River Valley layout using techniques any model railroader can use! More than 30 short projects from building benchwork to realistic operation.

This informative book provides a step-by-step account of the construction, from scratch, of a model railway called Dovedale. The model is operated like a real modern railway and was built entirely by the author within a strict low budget, using, wherever possible, recycled materials. Moreover, Dovedale is based on a specific prototype that exists in Buxton in Derbyshire, where freight trains run into an interchange siding, the locomotive runs round the train and then departs to a different destination. Some model railways are operated somewhat chaotically and are characterized by frequent derailments and locomotives that stop arbitrarily. If you wish to move away from this kind of layout and construct a model railway that operates realistically and reflects more closely the way that railways actually work in the second decade of the 21st century, then this is the book for you. Whilst constantly emphasizing realistic operation, the book covers layout planning and construction, controllers, point motors, power supply, cables and connectors, ways of operating traffic flows, signalling, track droppers, control panels and wiring, control and interlocking, lighting, sequence and block bells, the use of closed circuit television, and much more. Superbly illustrated with 258 colour photographs and diagrams.

This comprehensive book, written by an experienced railway modeller, demonstrates how, with a little patience, you can produce accurate and realistic models of goods trains, sheds and yards. It presents detailed step-by-step projects and covers basic card-kit building, 'kit bashing' and scratch building. Written in an easily understandable style, this fascinating work is aimed at all those railway modellers who wish to authentically replicate the way goods were moved and handled on Britain's railways during the steam era. It covers the simple tools and materials that are required and is packed with information about steam-era goods workings and how to recreate them on a layout. It shows the reader how a typical goods yard operated and how it was constructed, and demonstrates how to detail, improve, modify and achieve the best results from card kits. It also examines the growing appeal of 'download' kits and shows the modeller how to improve the appearance and reliability of goods rolling stock. With many money-saving suggestions, this essential guide to transforming shiny shop-bought models and kits into convincing representations of the real thing will be invaluable to all railway modellers. Fully illustrated with 245 colour and black & white photographs.

Build a model railroad metropolis with tips and techniques on city planning, detailing structures, adding lights, signs, people and vehicles, in-street running, and much more.

If you want to recreate in realistic model form some of the excitement of watching trains by the lineside - then this is the book for you. It contains several photographs of the available relevant products and includes numerous step-by-step illustrations, with accompanying text, that demonstrate how to build the many features of the lineside, either from kits or from scratch. Moreover, all the various aspects of modelling the lineside are brought together in four layout projects covering typical lineside scenes from the steam era right up to the present. Defines what is meant by the lineside and discusses the design considerations that are necessary to maximize the available lineside modelling space; examines the lineside boundary in terms of the many different types of fencing and walls; considers the various means which people use to cross the line such as level crossings and footbridges; covers the many structures by the lineside such as huts and water towers; explores in detail the use of model figures and road vehicles; discusses signalling and covers signal boxes, types of signals, turnout rodding and concrete trunking; demonstrates how to produce realistic models of numerous miscellaneous lineside features such as signs, telegraph poles, graffiti and rubbish. This is essential reading for all railway modellers who wish to authentically recreate the railway lineside and is beautifully illustrated with 236 colour photographs including step-by-step illustrations and 6 diagrams.