This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Sage advice Thoughts based on experience/Bob Walker M


ost of you have probably seen Jean Shepherd’s A Christmas Story, a cute movie about a


kid who wants a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. Remember the line, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” Good grief, our family watches it every year the Friday after Thanksgiving. We are to the point where we blurt out loud most of the script while we’re watching.


There is a scene in the movie where several little urchins are pressed up against a department store window display watching, among other things, a toy train layout in the snow. That im- age of a toy train is what pops into most people’s heads when they hear the term “model railroad.” You must re- sist the compelling urge to wreak phys- ical violence when you hear those in- flammatory words. Believe me, they are far more nettlesome than “cute.” Face it folks, a 3′-0″ gauge 0-4-0T is cute. When you tell people you have a model railroad, they are thinking of an unrealistic toy on improbable three- rail


track buzzing through some


bizarre looking landscape, not the replication of a real life industry. It never ceases to amaze me at the


shocked reaction of these folks when they see a prototype-based model rail- road for the first time. They are totally flabbergasted! I love it when we have some of those civilian house guests, though I must admit that they are a rarity at the Walker household. It is fun to note that upon return visits they invariably want to go downstairs to see what progress has been made to the miniature empire. One of the things these fine folks find most unbelievable is that there are so many scratchbuilt items on the layout. They invariably comment on the endless patience it must have taken to do such work. Don- na, Mark, and I refrain from telling them how impatient I, at least, really can be. Mark has, however, been known to burst out laughing despite his fa- ther’s withering glare. A lot of people are in awe of anything built by hand, from raw materials. Af- ter the number of years I’ve been at this, I’ve come to realize that it’s not that big a deal. Given the time, most of us have the necessary hand-eye coordi- nation and talent to build most any- thing from said raw materials. The sin- gle most important resource for scratchbuilding is experience followed


72


Scratchbuilder’s Corner


closely by information. I cannot impart experience, since only time and effort on your part will do that. What I can give is some information, based on ex- periences (both good and bad) from me and my friends. Speaking of friends, I am thankful that this is such a social hobby. I regularly steal ideas from my cronies, and, so far none have taken me to task for it. I highly recommend seek- ing information and advice from your rail related buddies.


Speaking of the social nature of this


hobby, why not have a gathering of friends once in a while? Include the spouses and serve some goodies. Noth- ing brings them out faster than edi- bles. I host a group of narrow gaugers from time to time, and it is a great im- petus to get things done (and fixed) on the layout.


I rarely use the words “never” or “al- PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR


ways” in the writing of this column, with the exception of things pertaining to matters of safety. Even then, the sage advice of “always cut away from you” is simply impractical, not to men- tion cumbersome. Just take several light passes of the knife rather than one hard one. If you do slip, the dam- age to yourself or the project will be less severe. But, I digress.


There are several platitudes to keep in mind when at the workbench. Here are a few that bear repeating: Slow down—you’re not in a gun fight. Use only enough adhesive to get the job done. Measure thrice, think twice and cut once. There is no excuse for poor lighting. Blades are cheap compared to the cost of ruined models. Braces solve a lot of structural problems. The best paint job in the world will not conceal poor workmanship, and a poor paint job ruins a beautiful model. Choose adhesives carefully. When in


doubt, use cyanoacrylate. All massive projects can be broken down to a series of smaller ones. Learn when the re- search is enough, and get on with it. I could go on, but you get the idea.


For the tools used most during construction (left), a small accessible container such as this pencil holder makes having them at hand convenient. Another tip is to use a piece of wood with holes drilled in it (right) to hold solvent bottles. This will prevent messy spills.


FEBRUARY 2013


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100