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Need help for G-scale RR accessories


JohnRatzenberger

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I'm building the MPC/AMT/ERTL "The General" in 1/25 which is roughly in the G-scale/gauge range.

 

It comes with a base I do not like (gravel isn't scale) and some fake firewood molded in a big piece.

 

I would like to make a 19th Century roadbed about 3 feet long so I need decent looking rail, ties, spikes, and gravel. I also would like to find scale wood (split logs) to put in the tender.

 

I've been to Walthers, got 30-40 pages from searching & have no clue what I'm doing ....

 

Can anybody narrow things down for me a bit ?

I have no RR shops anywhere nearby, and where we live, not even decent trees to go lop off branches/twigs to make my own firewood.

 

Thanks in advance ...

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I don't know if you have thought of it but EBay has a O scale RR category that is very informative as to whats out there and sometimes some unique items as well.

 

Texas :smiley20:

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I'm lucky enough to have two dedicated model RR shops within a mile of my house, but that doesn't help you any. Ebay is a good idea, but to really see what is out there, go to Barnes & Noble or some other shop with a good supply of magazines and I believe there is a mag. titled "Garden Railways" or some such that should have the usual assortment of articles/ads that can give you an idea what's what and maybe even suggest resources for you. If you can't find that, a web search for "Garden Railways" might turn up what you need.

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Railroad rail is sized depending on what kind of use it is expected to withstand, on the mainlines where there is heavy and fast-moving traffic the rail is very thick and tall, on sidings or places where traffic is infrequent or slow-moving the rail is much smaller. There is no one correct size. So you can really use what you think looks right or what you can get. Spike heads should be just over an inch wide, I don't know for sure if they used spike plates in the 1860's, they may have just spiked the rail directly to the ties. Ties were often made from local materials and may or may not be creosoted, labor and wood was cheap back then.

 

For your tender load you could get a couple of different sizes of dowell of even-grained wood like poplar. Roughen up the surface by grinding it between your shoe and the sidewalk, cut it into scale 18" lengths then split it with your knife. Stain some or all of the pieces with slightly dirty thinner, you can paint the inside edge of some of the pieces in muted pink or brown to simulate the heartwood at the middle of the tree. You can add bark to some of the pieces by gluing gray-painted tissue on the outside edge. You only need to detail a few of the pieces at the top of the pile to get the right effect.

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Blacktop public roads almost always have fine crushed rock along the edges. If you can get away with it, borrow your kitchen mesh sieve from your wife and sift some of the road gravel into a container. A coarse window screen will work for this purpose also. This is an almost limitless source of fine rock that you can add to your roadbed between ties and along the embankment with white glue to hold it in place. Once the glue has set, use your Vallejo paints to wash in any colors you desire.

 

Ed

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For additional help you may wish to try the Model Train Forum at http://www.modeltrainforum.com

 

 

 

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