Heljan HO operating container crane We reviewed Heljan’s HO container crane in the March 2007 issue of Model Railroader. Click the icons below to see a video clip of the crane in action. All videos may take several minutes or more to download depending on your connection speed. […]
Modeling Topic: Structures
PDF: Build a 1:20.3 scale diner-Red’s Eats
Download the PDF of this project here. Click on the icon to download this PDF project. Note: This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the […]
Walthers HO scale grain elevator and flour mill
Walthers HO grain elevator and flour mill Prairie Star Elevator and Prairie Star Milling are the latest HO scale structure kits from Walthers. The injection-molded plastic structures, sold separately, are part of the firm’s Cornerstone Series. The Prairie Star Elevator doesn’t occupy much space (its footprint is 6″ x 6¾”), but its 10″ height captures […]
PDF: Build a 1:20.3 scale dock for a lobster boat
Download the PDF of this project here. This part includes the dock for the boat. Note: This PDF is tiled to print on your home printer. Two “overview” pages will print first, followed by the full-size plans. Each page has 1 1/2″ of intentional overlap. Trim the excess paper from each page and assemble the […]
Build a two-engine firehouse from kitbash remnants
Photos by Michael Raynor Once I finished building my Grand Central Station from two MTH bank structures (see the May 2006 issue of CLASSIC TOY TRAINS), I kept thinking about those great-looking leftover wall sections. After pondering the parts, I decided to shape the three unused bank walls, plus the roof section, to form a […]
PDF: Build a retired boxcar
Download the PDF of this project here. Note: This PDF is tiled to print on your home printer. Two “overview” pages will print first, followed by the full-size plans. Each page has 1 1/2″ of intentional overlap. Trim the excess paper from each page and assemble the sections using the overview pages as a guide. […]
House of Balsa false front, barber-shop facade
Kevin Strong G scale, false front, barber-shop facadeHouse of Balsa, Inc.10101 Yucca Rd.Adelanto CA 92301Price: $29.95 plus $6.00 s&h (per order)Web site: www.houseofbalsa.com Beginner’s laser-cut kit; balsa and 1/8″ plywood pieces; clear plastic for window glazing. Dimensions: 9 1/2″ tall x 7 1/2″ wide x 1 3/4″ deep Pros: Clear pictorial instructions guide you step […]
Diagram of CN’s Stratford, Ontario, steam shop
In his article “Nine Decades in the Service of Steam” in the Summer 2004 issue of Classic Trains magazine, James A. Brown looks at the final, glorious years of Stratford Big Shop, Canadian National’s last steam-locomotive overhaul facility. Below is a PDF that includes the layout of the Canadian National Stratford Shop. Please note that […]
Ace Trains station canopy
FINALLY, ALL OF THOSE grand, O gauge passenger trains have an equally grand destination: Ace Trains station canopy. Ace Trains is a British company that makes tinplate reproductions of classic Hornby-style O gauge locomotives and rolling stock. Ace’s station canopy kit, distributed in the United States by Weaver Models, is its first structure. And what […]
Kamloops Junction Wood Products water tower
Kevin Strong 1:24-scale water towerKamloops Junction Wood Products850 Ida LaneKamloops, British Columbia V2B 6V1 CanadaPrice: $119.99 Can.Note: Manufacturer is no longer in business Craftsman-level kit; pre-cut cedar stripwood; Sonotube section for the tank substructure; corrugated plastic sub-roof material; sandpaper roofing material; resin castings for the water spout, counterweights, and nut-bolt-washers; steel wire for the tank […]
Pride Lines prewar-style mini-terrace
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, a manufacturer has a brilliant idea for a product that should have been obvious – but wasn’t – to everyone in the toy train hobby. The latest to accomplish this feat is Pride Lines. It did so by thinking small! Specifically, Pride Lines realized that a classic Lionel Standard gauge […]
Cheap tricks in timber
Scrap wood, like that pictured here, is readily available and free for the asking. Rene Schweitzer Trestles! Bridges! Cribbing! Wooden rolling stock! There are many applications of unpainted wood for an outdoor pike to challenge the beginner and veteran alike, all requiring tools, time, money, and skill. The most common choices of wood for outdoor […]