Don’t have a lot of money to build a new layout? Perhaps you have a lot of odds and ends in your scrap box and want to put them to use. These “cast-off” items, along with common hardware materials, can provide you with enjoyable, innovative projects that could create a small layout. This layout could fit into a corner space in your home (32” x 50” as shown in photos).
Corner scene
- 3 O-27 Lionel manual switches (such as 65021 or 65022)
- 2 Marx O-27 remote control switches (such as No. 1640 set)
- No. 416 Marx floodlight
- No. 346 Lionel milk car platform
- 0-27 Lionel track
- Lionel No. 1041 transformer, Lionel No. 1044 transformer
- 2 sets 1950s Burma-Shave roadside signs printed from graphics found online
Burma-Shave signs
Gondola car loads inserts and flatcar load platforms
I used pieces of PVC pipes, dowels, blocks of wood, orange caps from medicine squeeze bottles, screws, nuts, washers on tops of gondola vats, square wood blocks with metal tops for magnetic crane loading, electronic metal parts, shelving edges, metal tubes, and plastic straps. I spraypainted most of these parts before securing/gluing them for loads.
Track cleaning car
I built this track cleaning car from parts. First, you need two different trucks. Attach a wood strip to the pivot points of the trucks and add bolts and washers to provide weight to the cleaning pad.
Remove two wheels and axle from one truck. Cut a ¾” dowel to fit between the trucks. Cut a piece of Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scour Pad to fit around the dowel. Staple the pads to the dowel. Use screws to fasten the dowel/pad to trucks, using screws small enough to rotate inside the axle hole.
Fasten the dowel and pad between truck wheel supports and tighten screws. (Note: The pad does not turn while running on the track!)
When the pad is worn out, remove the dowel and staple a new piece of pad onto it. Tighten the two screws at the end of the dowel to stop dowel rotation while cleaning. Leave them loose enough to manually rotate the pad as needed.
Jacob’s Company Pipe Cutter factory
- Aluminum pipe ½”, cut into lengths
- Lionel High Voltage Sign, or create your own from online graphics
- Gilbert Erector set motor and shaft disk for saw blade simulation (such as A-47 or A-49)
- 9-volt battery
- Lionel solenoid (For a pipe storage platform raised to deposit pipes in trough through wiring from track power, triggered by pushbutton switch, similar to in No. 16 Elevated Pipe Loader Platform. Could omit to make this a static display.)
- Craft wood for base construction
- Wired lamp from track power
- Flag pole and American flag (such as Lionel No. 84307)
Jayvee Freight
- 1 1/2 volt battery with pushbutton switch
- Ribbed craft ribbon to create the belt
- Bolts for leg support/height
- Aluminum counter edging
- Craft wood
- Printed graphics from online searches to create containers
Electromagnetic crane
Construct the base from craft wood. The crane could also be placed on a Lionel flatcar instead. Use a window valance extender for the crane boom, and plastic Venetian blind draw strings for support.
Use a bent metal rod for the crank and thread or fishing line for raising and lowering the electromagnet. I added wire connectors to facilitate portability, rotating screw and bolt through platform base for left and right movement. (Eliminate the electromagnet for a static display.)
Heat-shrink tubing covers and protects the wires. Various scrap metal pieces become the load.
Caution: The electromagnet’s voltage (variable Lionel transformer terminals A, U) should be monitored and adjusted for heat factor.
Oil refinery
- Caps from spray cans (paint, hairspray, etc.)
- Rubber tubes (aquarium tubing or other scraps)
- Gas and water fittings
- Decals from the internet, or use stick-on letters
- Craft wood
- Add or fashion a base for the larger pieces (or omit)
- Miscellaneous bolts and screws
Get more ideas from our Expert Tips section!
