Who has an auto wrecking yard, AKA junkyard?

I model the WW2 era, where scrap yards and random metal debris vanished from America for the duration. It makes it easier not to have to worry about the small detail stuff that you wouldn't have found in real life, but I must admit it'd be so cool to model a small scrap yard...

Small operation - big time protection from intruders!

 

 

Jim

 Not really a junkyard but a gas station with a lot of old scraps around the side of the building. I believe it's Evergreen that makes some great auto details such as transmissions, rear end housings, radiators, leaf springs and such. Berkshire Valley has some items as well.

 

I have this auto wrecking yard in an out of the way corner on the layout - it is just foam-board and printed paper . There are only two inches behind before you get into space needed nearby the tracks, and I intended it in which to pile up a few cars to show over the fence.  I had them, too: a small plastic bucket that I had filled with about ten disassembled/damaged/weathered-rusted diecast car bodies.  One day when I was busy on the layout wife said the bucket looked like junk and I said that was exactly what it was.  I  was really into something I was doing and didn't look up.  She threw it in the trash - thinking she was doing me a favor!  I'm saving car bodies again!

 

Here's the rear and side of a filling station/body shop on my layout.

 

- Mike

 

Here is my scratchbuilt scrap yard. Fence and building siding is all out of wooden coffee stir sticks.

 

My scrapyard was loosely inspired by CSX AL's:

 

 

There is a model maker selling resin castings of junk and rusted 1930's cars...

i think he is in Tennesee, and I have one for my ghost town....I would have to

look for the maker's name....

 

Not a junk yard, but a derelict sitting out by the oil pumps on an old layout.

 

Steve

 

 

Fort Pitt Hi-Railer module

Derelict you say? No way!!

This car qualifies as mint compared to some of the way overgraded real vehicles for sale!

I have this small junk area next to a service station outside of town on the highway.

 

 

And near the sports car dealership, this old Morgan has seen better days.

Is it possible to purchased already wrecked cars or do I need to "wreck" the ones I have?  I would like to add the wrecking yard my dad owned and I worked at as a kid to my layout.

Nick, what I have done is make my own this way.  Lay a diecast vehivle roof down onto a sheet of HD aluminum foil, shiny side down.  Bring the foil up around the body, molding around the car's details as you go.  Cut out the wheels wells with a hobby knife, and trim away the excess foil.  Pop the car out.  If it bends coming out, all the better - it's a wreck!  Paint with flat craft acrylics.  The shiny foil makes the bumpers and any other details you want chrome.

 

The only ready-made ones I've seen have been whole vignettes, with trash, dirt, maybe a tree.  That would get expensive if you wanted a whole junkyard.  It would be more for a backyard garage scene like some of the above, perhaps. 

 

I did trash a couple diecast before I had the above brainstorm.  See below.

This is not my post, some wires must be crossed, hee hee.

On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 2:04 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum <
alerts@hoop.la> wrote:

TrainsRME, that truck looks amazing and what a great idea with the foil!  I was wondering how I could do this without it costing a fortune.   Thank you so much for the tip, I can't wait to get started!

Yes, it's a lot of cheap fun!  Be sure to use the heavy foil, though.  A small screwdriver is a great tool for forming the details.  Just rub carefully. 

Here's a first attempt at some junk cars for the wrecking yard.  

the Mason Salvage yard with lots of junkers and junk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick, it looks like you did a good job on the junkers.

Jerrman, I like your details - wheels, gears, pipes, fencing, and especially the dawg.

Jerrman,

   The guard dog sitting beside the junk yard gate is a classic, real nice touch!

Some of this tuff I got to remember to incorporate in this years Christmas layout.

PCRR/Dave 

thanks for the comments trainsrme and pcr/dave. much appreciated. that was one of my favorite projects. what I really liked is that you could do no wrong. the more beaten up and weathered, the better they all looked.

jerrman

       

Yes, exactly.  When one of my tinfoil wrecks somehow got on the track a train hit it.  I didn't straighten it, but left it as-is when I put it back into the junkyard.  What could be more authentic?  

much more efficient than the hammer and pliers I used ��

jerrman

Jerrman, your salvage yard is awesome!  I need to make more junkers and collect some more junk to have laying around.  I need to model a fence thats made from metal siding for the junk yard.  Any ideas?  I think more aluminum foil might be too flimsy.

here's mine, kinda in a state of chaos right now. It's a combination coal tipple junkyard like the local one I frequented in high school.

       
       


thanks, Nick. junk is pretty easy as so many suppliers offer junk castings, tires, pipes, etc. my fence is from Brennan's, one of the best kits. it does require soldering though. if you're not comfortable with that, there are some fence kits from people like model tech that can be glued. or you can just get some styrene posts and some wedding fabric called tulle and make a pretty decent version after painting and weathering. the cars/trucks were real cheapos but since I was beating them up so much, their lack of detail wasn't that important. there are vehicles you can get for $6-7 apiece. then have at 'em. with weathering powders and solutions. Hope this helps.

jerrman

Thanks for the info!  

Northeastern advertises corrugated siding.  I haven't seen it myself, but they make good stuff and it might be what you need.

Well, not exactly vehicular junk, but junky nonetheless. You never know, a lot of the stuff in this junkyard could sell and old cars and their pieces could take their places.

FrankM

great stuff, guys.

 

fun thread.

Here are some updated pics of my wrecking yard.  Still need to add gravel & weeds.

I would say that I admire your junk, Frank, but somehow that comment just sounds wrong.      

 

These are fabulous junkyards, guys.  This is one of the more fun threads.

This is the beginning of mine.  The shiny car needs to be weathered (I just tore it down), and there are three or four others that will be torn down for parts/damaged bodies also that I haven't gotten to yet.  

 

Heres a couple of more recent pics of the junkyard with some gravel and bushes.

The whole scene was a nice surprise to see. I think that's neat, Nick, how a siding comes right through the junkyard facility, complete with its own crane-car and gondola. Of course, the big hut is esp. cool, too.

FrankM