Railway Models
 

Hello:) Im taking part in a GCSE project at school about scale model buildings and I have taken a particlar interest in it. Any information which you could give me about models would be greatly appreciated! :) If you could also answer any of the questions below it would help me gain a better understanding of what to make :)

1.What scale do you use?
2.What is the price you usually spend on flat packed buildings?
3.What do you look for when buying a model building?
4.What materials are your model buildings usually made of?
5.Does the difficulty of a piece affect your decision to buy a kit?
6.What is your favourite piece in your collection and why?
7.Do you look for a specific time period in your model buildings?
8.What are any websites or places you buy your model buildings from that you could recommend?
9.How long have you been making buildings for and why does it interest you?
10.What setting is your railway? eg rural or urban.

Hello Katie,
I will try to answer you questions;
1. N gauge, in the past 00 gauge and G gauge (45mm) garden railway.
2. Depends on the model required for a particular location, for plastic/card kits up to £20
3. Realism to original building. Good instruction sheet, ease of construction.
4. Card or plastic.
5. Yes. Slowly fading eyesight and hand tremors do rule out some very intricate kits.
6. None in particular but I try to stick to Metcalf card kits.
7. Usually the 1950's.
8. I normally use my local Model Shop (very good service, can get most things in a week.
9. I have been modelling since the early 50's.
10. My current project is a GWR country terminus on a baseboard 5' x 1'.
Hope the answers help.
Regards, Tony.

Hi Katie,
Here's my contribution.
1. N Gauge (1:160)
2. Usually between £15 and £30
3. Size suitable for available space, realistic appearance.
4. Usually plastic but sometimes laser-cut card or wood.
5. No.
6. Hard to say but probably a wooden model of Blausee-Mittholz station building.
7. Not particularly but must be suitable for present day use.
8. Nearly all my buildings are bought from online suppliers in the UK, Germany or Switzerland. None of my local model shops stock the type of buildings I require but I can sometimes obtain them from traders at UK model railway exhibitions.
9. I have been making buildings on and off for about 50 years. Constructing your own buildings (from kits or occasionally from scratch) is much more satisfying than buying ready made ones.
10. Mainly rural. Mountainous landscape. (Switzerland)

Thanks for the replies, they're really helpful and will help me develop my project more:)

I only tend to build rolling and locos now.

Mostly from kits but as these are sometimes poor I have had some training in scratch building to make the parts that are virtually unusable in the kit.

Thank you:)

As the poll is not allowing us to do more than one item, I will follow the lead of others.

1) '00', but did 'N' in the past
2) Between £10 & £25.
3) A match for the area and time of the model.
4) Laser-cut card/wood or plastic.
5) Not so far, but eye sight will make a diffrance later.
6) The Farm buildings.
7) Late steam/early diesel.
8) I try to support my local model shops.
9) I started in the 70's, then stopped for about 15 years, took it up again after
my daughter left home.
10) Town & Country.

Like wise Katie I can't get your questionaire to work so here are the answers manually:

1. 00 and 0N30
2. Probably up to #20
3. Will it fit in the space available and is it the right style for the area I am modelling.
4. Card, plastic, resin.
5. The simpler the better!
6. Set of Brewery Buildings.
7. Tend to go for traditional buildings rather than modern: brick or stone.
8. Buy from wherever I can find what I want, preferably locally or at exhibitions.
9. 50 years, it is part of railway modelling and setting the scene.
10. Both.

Hope that is useful.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

thank you for taking time to fill it out i appreciate it. sorry about the poll, i think i set it up wrong but completing manually is fine

1/ OO or 4mm
2/ good one how much does 15 pieces of A4 paper and printer ink cost about 15p I know my largest building a 5 road Engine shed for 10 loco's cost 20p
3/ I design and make my own unless there is one that is of the correct railway company design or regional design
4/ paper and card
5/ don't buy kits just texture sheets
6/ my engine shed and carriage shed
7/ the 1950/60's
8/ Scale scenes and Railway Scenics
9/ 5 years best reason they cost less and can be made as detailed as needed so ones where only the roof is visible that's where the detail is
10/ rural at one end and urban/industrial at the other