scratchbuilding o scale cars

Log cars.

 

I'm rebuilding old scale kits.  Most of it involves converting 2 rail to 3 rail. 

 

More photos of scratchbuilt cars

Flat car

Modeling the Seaboard Air Line, with their odd assortment of rolling stock, it's been almost mandatory that I scratch build or modify.

 

Here's a Vanderbilt tender I've been working on for over a year (waiting for PSC to get their catalog back in stock):

 

 

They also had a number of low-side gondolas.  I could never find one with low sides and proper rib spacing so I made my own:

 

 

Then there's the Whalebelly hopper I built using a Weaver 50' tankcar:

 

 

I have a load more that's either been modified or re-painted/decaled to represent what Seaboard had and have a couple of projects still on the workbench.

 

The hardest thing to me about scratch building is obtaining enough documentation to do the job.  Sometimes I just have to guess what the fuzzy photo I'm looking at is showing me.  I was proceeding with one of my current projects, had it 95% built, when I received the clearest photo I've ever seen (from Warren Calloway) that clearly showed some of the pieces I had guessed about.  It's too late to fix what I have so it looks like I'll be making another soon.

 

The next thing is obtaining the correct parts.  I've been buying brass detail parts lately and have spent a couple hundred $$$ then when I got them realized they weren't what I needed.  A number of detail parts suppliers don't have photos of their offerings in their catalogs and as a result the online dealers don't have photos either.  Those that are lucky enough to have a lot of train show events near to them have the luxury of seeing some of these parts beforehand, down where I live we're lucky to have 2 shows per year that are within driving distance.  Some folks, who have been in the hobby for decades, are fortunate to have a good supply of parts squirreled away, others have the ability to make their own parts.  I think most of us could make our own parts if given the time, training/knowledge, etc, but then it comes back to the "having the necessary documentation" to do the job right.

Another GEX flatcar This one is GEX 40011

Great jobs on those scratch-built cars! It's so nice to see activity in the actual building of rolling stock. One of the benefits of building a kit was the feeling of accomplishment once the project was finished. That feeling is doubled when you build your own design from scratch. It's one of the aspects of the model railroading hobby that makes it so great.  

 

Neil

Wow. Those look really good. I threw a german k5 railgun together but its not nearly as good as those

 

Wow!    Those are cool!

 

Now for the million-dollar question... what kind of curves are required for those to operate? 

 

Andy

MORE SCRATCHBUILT O SCALE CARS:

 

GEGX 21155 (GREEN MONSTER)

GEX 80003 (THE MODEL IS 39 INCHES OVER THE COUPLERS)

MORE SCRATCHBUILT CARS

 

PRR G26 WITH DROP ENDS

BETHLEHEM 65 FOOT MILL GONDOLA

KRL HEAVY DUTY 12-AXLE FLATCAR

Excellent work!

 

--Greg

Gunderson maxi-I well cars

 

scratchbuilt, yes, 6x O scale, though...

 

 

O scaling the purchase price... @ less than $7/car... what a deal!

cheers...gary

I have scratchbuilt and kitbashed a lot of cabooses and put their photos on here...but I am freelancing for a freelanced railroad, which is a lot easier than building, as some of the above are, really good scale models of a specific prototype.  I am currently concentrating on kitbashing and scratchbuilding structures, but will do/have done some conversions of On30 rolling stock to O three rail and On3.  Wish I had the skills and equipt. to kitbash and scratchbuild 3 rail locos, to get what I want.  That list is so long...

Where did you post these pictures?  Or can you post them here please?

Are there any kits available for O Gauge rolling stock?  (Passenger or box)

Check shops that specialize in two rail stuff, like P&D.  

Once i get the time im going to make this.

DM,  where did you find those buicks on the flat? 

 

I built this wooden gon mostly out of coffee stirrers and matchsticks, mostly to see if I could.  The trucks are just what I had lying around, maybe some day I'll finish it up and get some archbars.

 

I also scratch-built this tender for my Reading E5sa.

They came with the flat, it's a Lionel 6-17537

Dave

I built some cars out of Lego and mounted them to O-gauge trucks.  I'll post pics when I can.

rubber mold/resin reefer or boxcar,using brass detail parts and WEAVER diecast trucks and couplers.

 

 

Beautiful work, everyone!  I love to see original scratchbuilding work.  Just when you think those skills are being lost forever in a world of oriental RTR, along comes a refreshing thread like this.

 

Besides scratchbuilding from zero, I've also seen some really cool 'bashed' rolling stock.  The ones that come to mind...and have inspired me to follow someday...are the funky homespun 'work train'-type cars.  This is often what the real railroads did...take a standard freight/passenger car...and have the guys in the shop regurgitate it into something of a specific use in maintenance, wreck recovery, supplies storage, worker housing/comfort, etc. usage.  Pick a railroad's book on the subject.  Lots of ideas for odd-ball fun conversions.  And who's to say 'it ain't prototypical!' then???

 

Be sure to show us your efforts!

 

KD

 

Not quite O scale I think but they are scratch built!   Russ

 

 

 

 

All brass, except for wheels and couplers.

 

The only work of this nature I have attempted is to bash three gondolas to make my track cleaning cars.  I marvel at the skills others have shown.

.....

Dennis

Please post pictures of your scratch built and kit bashed cars.  If you feel like it, post pictures and info on how you made them too.  This is great!

Do On30 diesel engines count? I've got another one to build when this is done. This diesel is on a bachmann HO DCC GP40 chassis, the other intended engine will be built on the bachmann HO DCC sd40-2 chassis...then I need to build a shorty On30 rotary using my old HO rotary drive front end and some sort of On30 boxcar. Not much "O" going on for me yet, but I'm sure it'll happen...

 

Brass and wood.

only brass

Andre.

Hey, take a look at my work bench..nothing out of the ordinary there...cept an On30 diesel. I'm making mine like the GE export class 91 series UM6b since it fits over the donor HO chassis nicely...the next engine will be more artistic creativity with that one either being a GE UM10b with 6 wheel trucks or something SD40-2 looking but shortened{think RMT but not that short}. I just want more modern looking On30 diesels for our roster to blend in with our existing O scale stock. 

So, just what do you want to build...maybe we can inspire or help you to do so...

Ok, here's a few boxcars:

 

Wow, you guys have done some fabulous work.  Almost ashamed to post my free-lanced (but based on a prototype) ingot cars.

 

 

George