i want Great Northern/Northern Pacific streamlined cars but i don't really wanna spend $200 on a single passenger car that i am gonna remove the interior anyway so i wanna make some but i have never scratch built any models before
well i really don't want to pay $200 for a car that i will have to remove all the interior detail just to not be able to get one in the exact paint scheme i wantFluted sides are tough, but why not buy used? They are a lot of work with the fluting and the windows to make from scratch.
I forgot minimum curve radius/diameter you are planning on, that will help you determine length of cars, shortened like Aristo or full length like USAT.
Greg
i could probleby 3D print bits and assemble them into a Great Northern passenger car but my PLA printer is a kinda small and Can't print big bitsMaybe you could find some used and abused but I don't think that inexpensive streamline cars come up often.
I purchased 3 Aristo-Craft aluminum streamline cars 6 months ago for roughly $70 each which sounds like a cheap deal. HOWEVER, they all came with the worst paint I have ever seen on a train. Each car has taken me at least 2 days to strip, clean, polish, re-detail and re-wire. In hindsight, I would probably have been better off paying $125-$200 plus shipping to get cars that did not need that amount of labor.
Greg has a good suggestion. If you could 3d print a smoothside passenger car (I would like to know more about the files and process to do that) then that would be your most cost effective way of getting passenger cars. AJ the Teacher
But would you have had the same enjoyment?, I would probably have been better off paying $125-$200 plus shipping to get cars that did not need that amount of labor.
well that is a factor but i just want some great northern railroad passenger carsBut would you have had the same enjoyment?
did i mention i only need a few cars since i want to mix older and newer cars from a few diffirent road names (i model preservation era)No one has a printer that can print the whole thing!
Many people have printed them in sections, as well as locomotives.
Greg
Hello NorthwestGarrattGuy.well that is a factor but i just want some great northern railroad passenger cars
Coaches are perhaps the trickiest build to do, particularly Streamliners. I have built quite a few carriages in sundry scales but would seriously ask about my sanity to accept such a challenge. But first why not try the odd wagon or two, then perhaps a simple straight sided coach to hone your skills till you feel confident to do the big one. Not impossible, but there is no magic bullet to building these things, you just have to start.i want Great Northern/Northern Pacific streamlined cars but i don't really wanna spend $200 on a single passenger car that i am gonna remove the interior anyway so i wanna make some but i have never scratch built any models before
The tricky part of a coach is the windows and doors. The rest is just plain material.Can't print big bits
well i think i will built an NP vista dome and an empire builder coach since there is no fluting that i can see
ok but i can't find any kits i have been wanting to try getting something for refrence but we are on a super tight budgetPlease, PLEASE, just build something. All this faffing around telling us what you want, but seemingly lacking the way to even begin to think about what you need to scratch-build anything is driving me nuts.
And baffled.
Have you ever build a kit of anything? If not, get ahold of any kind of a railroad car, and take it completely to pieces. Then, duplicate the bits using Evergreen styrene shapes, styrene sheet, wood from your local hobby store and ingenuity.
Only then will you have an idea of what goes into making ANYTHING. let alone a large-scale railroad car.
Better yet, buy a large-scale railroad car kit and build it.
This was the beginning of a 16mm scale narrow gauge caboose -
View attachment 295179
THIS was the end, after about three months work -
View attachment 295180
actully my plan was to make a box car and customize my newqida cars (i already adjusted them to fit around tighter curves) but plans keep changing because of many factors outside my controls and the workshop is STILL not ready and its too cold to do anything in there right nowMaking a large modern car the first time will be very difficult, any misalignment or out of true will be immediately evident.
Building a caboose as suggested would be easier and can "accept" more imperfections, which, being human and new you will SURELY have.
I'd even suggest a plain boxcar to start, or customize a cheap Chinese knockoff to make it look better, roofwalks, grab irons, stirrups, etc.
I'm with Tac, and this would let you start off without the other "spinning topic" of making track, or working outside in the winter, etc.
Greg
ok but i can't find any kits i have been wanting to try getting something for refrence but we are on a super tight budget