Small Rails

Search This Blog

HO scale video layout tour

April 17, 2011

Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

Here are three short videos I've put together showing part of my layout.

Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

Comments

How to fix Proto 2000 axles -- the dreaded P2K split axle epidemic.

I have quite a few P2K (Proto 2000) four-axle engines on my layout. One of them started running erratically and acted like it was going over a stray piece of ballast every inch or so. When I looked into it, I found out that the P2K engines had axles that split, leading to operating problems. Apparently, Walthers discovered this problem right after they bought the line and sent out thousands of replacements, but are no longer doing so (at least that's my understanding.) It's a fairly easy fix to do and you don't even have to take the shell off. First, flip the engine over and locate the long plastic piece that runs between both sets of axles. It fits over four little tabs, two on each side. You'll need to get a little flat-bladed screwdriver in there to pry up on the piece where it goes over the tab. Pry up a little bit on one, then move on to the next one. Once you get one side, you can usually just "hing" up the piece off the other two tabs. Here's

How to make HO scale roads

I've used the same basic method for making my HO scale roads for some time now. I use the 2mm thick foamie sheets available from the local craft store. These are typically used by kids to cut out shapes and fill up the landfills in your area. The sheets are cheap, I think less than $1. The sheets give a nice base to the roads and have just a little texture on their own to add to the overall effect. In my brewery area, I needed a large paved area for parking plus a road that went across the tracks to the freight house. I also wanted a short section of road on the other side of the access aisle. First, you cut your foam sheets to fit the area. Then glue it down with white glue. ' I like to take plaster and blend the road edge into the base of the layout. I also use it to fill any seams between sheets. I also had to cut pieces to fit between the tracks for the crossings and then weighed them down until the glue dried. (This step was done before the plastering.)

How to scratch build an HO scale building

As part of my west side of Chicago, I needed a building for the Windy City Biscuit Co. Originally, I was going to use some leftover City Classics structures by modifying the street level "retail" space to be loading docks, but in the end, it just wasn't going to look right. The other factor was, the space was an odd shape between two existing buildings. This called for scratch building. I turned to my favorite scratch building material, black foamcore, for the walls. My original intent was to cover it either in styrene and make it concrete or print out some brick textures on the computer and glue it to the walls. First, I cut the basic wall shapes and tested them out. I use straight pins run through the foam to hold the walls together. Later, I cut triangular support pieces (gussets) and install them inside, but I leave the pins in place for added support. Just be careful not to run your finger through when you are inserting them. Here, I've got the roofs in

Powered by Blogger