Post a Picture of your Scratch Built Car

My "New" track cleaning train. Consists of a couple of old Lionel gondolas.  One I believe was a postwar gondola (metal frame), the other is a modern one. Both were weathered into DT&I MOW paint before I got them. I turned one into a track cleaning car based on some plans posted here awhile back and sent to me by another member. Mine still needs the scotchbrite pad to do the actual cleaning, but the spring system seems to work OK. I may add a tank car in the future.

Hopefully the Docksider a fellow club member is lettering to DT&I for me will be strong enough to pull it. I used a couple of K-Line GG1 power trucks (diecast ones) for ballast in the cleaning car to hold the springs down. So far they seem to do the job.

Found another one. Before MTH made material handling boxcars, I scratchbuilt one.

The body is completely built of styrene sheet and strip (the roof ribs were individually cut and cemented on), using an N-scale version plus drawings in MODEL RAILROADER for reference. The only manufactured items were the All-nation trucks and Lionel long-shank caboose couplers.

This car was exhibited in the modeling contest at the LOTS convention in New Brunswick NJ, along with a set of Williams Amfleet cars re-done with Phase III stripes + inboard-bearing trucks, and the K-Line spine car on the previous page.


For the competition, I added a complete underbody (originally the underside was blank), including brake components, a center sill, and HEP cabling. My entries were the only scratchbuilt cars in the show. Unfortunately, instead of awarding prizes in locomotive, rolling stock, and structure categories the way LOTS did in previous conventions, that year only one overall prize was awarded--to a structure.


Currently the car is out of service--the All-Nation sideframes proved a little too soft for regular use, the screw holes where the bolsters attach having stripped. I'm hoping to find some MTH "mail box car" trucks to replace them with, and probably replace the stirrup steps with something less clunky-looking.

These are my scratchbuilt ingot mold cars.  The ingot molds are also scratchbuilt, but not quite done yet.

These resemble the ingot cars used by Weirton Steel.

George

You did a really great job on that RGS Galloping Goose, Campy!

I'm the fellow who drew the plans and wrote that article.

It appeared in OGR Runs 127-129 of February, April and June of 1993.

Thank you Ed.

It was the good, easy to follow plans, that you put together that made it possible. 

The body is made from brass and not styrene. I also added the bump-out on the rear end and installed a smoke generator from an old Lionel smoking caboose. If I can figure out how to send you snapshot photos I took while building it, I will.

Campy

Here are some scratchbuilt cars in my collection:

These are great scratch built cars.  Keep'm coming.

Charlie

I've wanted a set of log cars ever since I bought a Lionel Docksider. I think they would look great together. And since logging is such a big industry in New Hampshire, it seemed appropriate that I get some. After seeing the ones on the first page of this thread, I decided to try my hand at making a few. It was pretty easy and enjoyable to do. I think a fleet of 4 or 5 will look great behind that Docksider.