Model railroads are more then just the trains, tracks and power supplies. They provide the enthusiast a way to study and recreate entire worlds and towns in miniature. Fulfilling this requires a variety of modeling skills and techniques or a large pocket book to purchase ready-made scale models and supplies, but many enthusiasts prefer to create their special worlds all by themselves and whenever possible to do so using easily available materials to mimic the larger scale world that their projects represents.
This can provide a challenge however, since finding readily available materials which can provide serviceable replicas for miniature items requires imagination and sometimes luck. A few common tricks that are often found to work well are listed along with descriptions below:
Aluminum Foil
When applied correctly aluminum foil can be useful in a variety of miniature projects – from simulating metal and creating rusted girders to just forming specific shapes and framework to glue or paint upon this all-purpose readily available material can be a modelers best friend!
Egg Cartons
Properly cut and textured egg cartons can make excellent stone-work, and even be used to simulate stone flooring.
Golf Tee
A Golf tee with it’s built-in flare provides an excellent starting point for free-standing posts or hangers and can be carved and painted to create a variety of items ranging from hat stands to traffic cones. When necessary gluing it to a penny or other larger base can help stabilize it.
Herbs
Herbs such as oregano and Thyme can make excellent shrubs and bushes for miniatures.
Nuts & Seeds
Simulating small stones and gravel in a miniature environment can be very difficult because finding small enough items that vary in shape and texture realistically is hard. One solution is to crush nuts such as pecans or peanuts and glue the resulting powdered nuts into place with a spray adhesive. Since they will break up into various sizes and are textured organically they often provide excellent results. In addition many seeds and nuts can be sealed and painted as necessary to emulate fruits and vegetables.
There are many other products around the house such as toothpicks, hangers etc. that can be pressed into service. The limits is really only that of your imagination so start scrounging and looking through those junk drawers and see what wonders you can create when you transform leftovers into miniature wonders.
We’ll look at some more ideas for common household items you can use in your railroad layout in another article.
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Iam Dave
Ive been into model railroding for 45 yrs I love trains my wife died a few yrs ago from breast cancer now I live here alone Iam disabled and cant work thank God for my model trains I have Ho scale trains and N scale trains but my favorate is my O scale Lionel trains
I spend hours working on my layout .
I wanted to share what Ive found for Ho load of stones is Kitty litter it works gread and
You can make piles of stones by using elmers spread a little and just pile the litter .
I went to the C S X train track and picked up a few big railroad stones and I piled them on my O scale layout it looks great and looks as real with big pile of the railroad rocks .
I also make my Ho scale pipe from drinking straws just paint then silver or black and You have a great load of pipe .
I just wanted to share my ideas with others !!
I love your site its great !
Happy Railroading
Dave
Thanks for those ideas, Dave. I’m always intrigued by the way people use common items to add to their railroad’s realism.
Bill
I have learned to look at every thing with “HO scale eyes” Recently I was reparing a faucet and ready to throw the old junk away when I realized it would make a great looking flatcar load! I will probably make a crate to hold it with some scrap lumber. Toothpaste caps and other assorted junk have be recyled on my refinery project. And the list goes on . . . Just make it a habit to look at everything before you trash it.
Hi,
I have looked at all of the sites on model railways, and I have my own in a shed at the bottom of the garden, but I have one thing that bugs me, and that is, keeping it clean, as you have spiders making their web,all over the layout, flies that keep coming around, and bugs of all soughts, that interfere, and of course there is the track that keeps getting dirty, and of course if you do not go out there for a couple of days, it is horendous, what with the dead bodies that are laying about, I have the track cleaners, but they seem not to work very good, so how do you Guys cope, as I have not seen one word mentioned about this item.
Dave.
I just started my railroading, but all i have is my HO scale train and tracks. I looked on every site to see how to make scenery, this site is the best so far. i have tons of hotwheels and paper i just need you guys and it goes together
i use air in a can (you can get them at computer shops, best buy or anything like that)
just blow off the dirt, just make sure everything you want on there is glued down.
i have my train set in the basement, and that place is way too dirty to clean… ever.
I make aspen trees with common weeds that have a dead flower crown. Simply spray the weed with flat white paint, use a permanent black marker to add marks on the trunks. I then use 3M spray tack adhesive and spray the crown and roll the crown in green for summer leaves or yellow for fall. They look better than most pre-made trees on the market. I figure they cost me just pennies per tree. Theses can be placed in clumps or as a single tree.
Hi this is Jack Strong again. Here is a tip on painting rocks made from plaster molds. Instead of using different transparent dyes I use a spray paint called “Stone”. This is available at Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowes. It comes in multiple colors. I start with flat black primer and then cover over with various colors to achieve the effects I want. This also looks great as a cover for plaster cloth that comes in rolls. If you don’t want to spend the money on plaster cloth just use paper towels dipped in a thin mix of plaster of paris. Form the plaster cloth or papere towels to form rock shapes then paint when dry. This really looks great!
I also make via duct bridges out of 1/8 inch ir 1/4 inch material by cutting the shape out on a band saw. I add small molding along the top edge for added detail. The track platform is 1X2 primed MDF molding. I use a heavy paper to line the inside duct of the bridge and smooth this with fine sand paper when dry. Now spray the bridge with the Stone paint. I use the black foam track bed on top of the bridge to quiet the train crossing. You can add a small fence along both sides for details, fire barrells, or ballast. These are simple to make and the cost is cheap. The largest bridge made to date is 24″ in length and about 10″ high costing about $3.00. These bridges can be straight or curved, just use your imagination.
Andrew, check out the entries I have made. I was once where you are and I know these ideas will work for you.
Do you want to have working signal targets for your rail road but can’t afford the high prices of the block detectors?
Most I have found will cost you around $35.00 per dectector to operate one signal. What I did was purchase a timer kit from Backtronic for about $7.00 and I bought a double throw relay locally for five. With the use of a magnetic operated reed switch under the track and a magnet stuck on the bottom side of a train car I can switch my signals from green to red and when the timer runs out of time it goes back to green. These work fabulous and the best part is I have around $13.00 tied up in each unit which can operate any number of signal targets. The timer kit is easy to assemble with some basic soldering skills. I purchased the 0-3 hour unit which can be altered to seconds with a jumper the directions will show the location for the jumper. The double relay is powered by the timer and the signal targets hook to the double relay. I put these in a plastic project box to keep things tidy. The switch for the timer is where you hook up the reed switch. This is a great idea give it a try.
I’m a member of the Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, Illinois. We’ve built a large O scale layout in the baggage compartment of an IIlinois Central R.P.O. and we’d like to add scenery. The trouble is that the car is not insulted or environmentally controlled. Temperatures can range from -15 in winter to 100+ in summer when the car is closed up during the week. Humidity levels also fluctuate between desert-like in winter to sub-tropical in summer. Can anyone suggest scenery materials that will withstand these extremes in temperature and humidity? Thank you.
-Ron Kempke
I have tried to find out to make or buy asystem like you have can you tell me waht to buy and how to wire it up thanks for any help JOHN
I sure would like to know where to buy the timer and how to hook it up can you help me Thanks for any thing you can help me with
I was talking to a friend about trains, and he absolutely loves them and wishes that he was creative enough or had the time to design his own railroad scene and make it…
I decided that I wanted to surprise him and make one for him for his birthday
I have a 6 foot by 12 foot HO layout night scene with 3 major track loops switchtable to connect to each other, a turntable to handel HO Big Boy with a lighted town and country landscape with detail buildings, cars and people so I know what dust and bugs can do to all this. I have a sizable investment in my layout so what I did was to design an electric rope hoist in my garage that lifts the layout up and out of the way. I sprayed a very light 7 mil tarp with bug killer and use it as a dust cover and bug repelent. I carefully roll out the dust cover over my layout and lift the whole thing up. I have had it up for weeks without using it and when I brought it down everything was in working order and I didn’t have to clean the tracks. This seems to work pretty good it even keeps the tracks fairly clean and dust off the layout. My layout is a maze of wires to service 13 track switches, 12 mag reed switches RR crossings street lites, store signs etc. and something like 300 1.3 mil 15 ma lites all over the place so the hoist enabled me to lift it in a position where I could wire all this from underneath without strectching my back out. I run big boy with lighted cars on the outer loop and 2ea lighted train sets pulled by 4-6-2’s on the inner loops with all the lites on and everything around darkened you could almost swear you were flying at 300 feet over a town and residential at night. I could sit there and watch it for hours. My layout theme is in the thirties to the fifties so I can almost smell the coal smoke again.
Hi there Mr Kempke,
I am involved in a project in Timonium, MD displaying a large train layout around a fountain in a shopping mall at Christmas.
I don’t have much knowledge of the trains, but do a great deal of the scenery and decision making about the layout, etc…
The best product I have found for various items is Sculpy. I make O scale tombstones that I sell at the York Train meet in York, PA. We left a couple of the little tombstones outside to check their fading,strength,and general wearability to see if they could withstand the great outdoors. As you probably know, it gets extremely cold,snows and is extremely hot and humid in the summer in Maryland.
The little tombstones look exactly the same as when we put them outside over 2 and a half years ago.
I’m sure you are familiar with Sculpy (to be found in Michaels, Joannes, and other craft and hobbie shops).
But, maybe did not know of its’ quality. it is a clay that you bake after your creation is made & comes in just about
any color. You can make just about anything out of it. You can bake it, paint it if you choose and your project is ready for any weather.
I do not paint my tombstones, so cannot vouch how paint will wear, probably not too good. But indoors should not matter. Hope this helps with one good product. Georgette
Hi im hazza,
Im only 13 but a couple of days ago i went to a model train show and now i am really inspired to make my own.The room im doing it in doesnt have much space so i dont know what size to use.I also want to know what are the basic things i need to start.
For girders, bridges, tressels, etc., use discarded plastic tubes that computer chips/ic,s come in. Tks, Dale.
hey guys from central queensland my god there are some great ideas on this site for scenery ive only just started making my own railroad layout in bachmann HO i buy model railroad magazines every week and decided it was time to start one of my own something to leave to my kids when i die so i made a dining table layout 8 foot long 4 foot wide bit big i know but hey impressive for an amatuer i didnt want to get caught up with all the new mod cons u know buying buildings and such so i made them everything on my layout is made from household items thanks to my fathers ideas and uncles help and i thought i would leave some ideas on here for others so one the main features that people like about my layout is how i made the tiny stone walls around the farms well easy peesy take a scotch brite scowrer and cut in 1cm lengths and dip it in a mix of pva glue water and ballast and pin it in place and leave for 24 hours and hey presto one very realistic and easy stone wall, also using the carboard rolls from bin bags or paper towels i use them as steel pipes on flat beds and another great item to use is soft drink cans u can make water towers grain silos concrete pipes or steel pipes or cut in half length wise and use to make knolls in the country side well i hope these help some people but as i read on this site u can use anything just takes a bit of imagination thanks guys ace site
I would like to make my son a HO scale little league baseball field. I am having trouble figuring out the dimensions. I there anybody out there that can help?
Im using scrubbing pads to make tree tops from, any one have any better ideas please.
What is the best material to use for your foundation when using plaster of paris?
Now I feel guilty, I’ve been making my buildings out of balsa wood. Using a air brush, I’ve painted them and dressed the area up. I have a 33 house/city built for my HO train set. One thing I’ve found that works for me is using the plastic wrappers. I’ve built a mountain with a tunnel going through.
I am jsut getting started. I got my first grandson and he is 14 months old. He loves it…I have not gotten to far..I have a ping pong table and a half for my lay out and 2 trains that run o scale…Just dont know where to get started at its seems big. All have great ides …I have my set up on face book its a start now ! Tammy Staszczuk St loius Mo
Need some advice from experience railroaders. I’m a novice but have read many books about construction ie plywood or homosote seem to be the preferred base. I saw a display in a train hobby shop. The base was multi-layers of foam insulation. My idea is to have a 2×4 frame with 1 x 2″ (actually 1 1/2″ thick) joist 12″ centers. 4 x 8′ foam (2″ thick) on top of the joists. This brings the level of base up to top of 2×4 framing. I will add another sheet of foam 1 or 1 1/2″ thick on top of the 2″ foam. I can easily cut out areas in the top foam for switch machines with a hobby knife. This base seems stable and strong, no need for cork railbed, can place balast directly on foam, no drilling – just punch a hole where needed, easy to install trees, poles, signals, wiring, etc. COMMENTS: GOOD IDEA OR BAD and why? Thanks for the advice.
i use the green scrub pads 4 headgerow brio pads look like small wire bottlecabs even pinched my gf loo brush and made a fine oak if only my trains cost me a pound then id b happy
taking off and crumpling the green stuff on the back of sponges also makes great ground cover
MAx….. Been using foam for layouts tables for years now, and still now problems. And your dimensions match mine quite closely. My longest is 2.5 ft by 12, and no problems. I would suggest using a roadbed, foam or cork as it creates a better track profile with your scenery.
hey this are geart ideas of the household goods
Hi hazza.You need to deside how much room you have to play with.First deside on the size you have,then make a table that is strong anough.1/2 inch plywood would do..I have a 6 foot wide and 14 feet long table with 1/2 inch plywood with 1 inch white styrofoam.I painted it with a roller grass green with paint that is okay for styrofoam.ask the paint dealer at the store.Then deside if you want Ho scale ,most times you can run only 1 engine. DCC is more expensive but can run more engines at the same time and run switches for the track on the same controler..Ho is sort of old school or old time but still works good.DCC is computer controled and you can do lots with.You can us old HO track with DCC.So if you dont want to buy the already made road bed on the ez track for DCC you can use the Ho.I run both dc or Ho and DCC together.Best of both worlds.Many idea’s on here to make stuff you throw away in the garbage and that saves you lots of money so you can buy lots more engines and toys to go with them woooo hoooooo.
Hi Christy.Deside on how big will the people be or players.Find lots of sizes of people maybe even ho scale players on ebay? Once you find the right size of men.then you will see how large it will have to be.After all you can build a huge set but have to have or buy or even make people to fit the scale.That’s nice.
Hi allan.I make most of my tree’s from that green moss stuff ya find laying on rocks and stuff in the wood’s or around ya yard.If you find some.Make sure it isnt really yucky or dirty under it.Clean as possible.Or you can buy the stuff on ebay in bags and make your own.To make the tree’s.Go look outside at any tree’s you have or bushes.look at the very ends of the tree’s or bushes and look at the form and amagine little bare tree’s.Snip them off and then dress them with the moss.use white glue all over the branches.you have tree’s.
Bob i do also balsa wood model homes.i will send in a legal size paper plan ya print out and trace ya balsa wood on it and glue.make as many as you like.i make 3 in 30 minutes.Then decorate.Oh i also buy find sand paper in diffrent colors to use as tiles on roofs.feels and looks so realistic
Hi Tammy.Deside on how the track will run.then look on here to get ideas on homes and what ya want to make them out of.buy from ebay people or trees.or make your own.learn the ideas on this site.save you lots of money.Ask people on here we all have super ideas and can help.take care
Max i use 1/2 inch plywood with 1 inch white styrofoam painted grass green.ya i punch holes for things as well.Dont have any problems with it.Only thing if ya smoke dont drop ya smoke on table in seconds you will have a meteor crater you will have to decorate for tourist attraction like i did.
Dave that has a shed below the garden.Spider’s like damp dark.Add lots of light.seal any holes in window’s walls.Buy that thick plastic clear ya get in rolls.White would be better for it casts light.Cover the ceiling of the shed.You can even buy incence ya burn that will drive away many kinds of bugs.Thats for dust of particals from the ceiling.Get more circulation going in the shed.
Hi all.Just curious.How many run DCC,and how many run HO,and last how many run both Ho and Dcc same time.thanks