Hello, I am getting ready to build a diorama about a German attack on a rail yard. For this, obviously, I need to use rail products. The problem is that the rail road scale is different than the plastic model scale (i.e. 1/35th) I am using all 1/35th models, and the rail products I am looking at are scale “N.” I was curious if 1/35th and scale “N” would look realistic or if I need a different rail road scale. Also, I was wondering if you can buy hills for dioramas. Also, is polystyrene like styrofoam? Some one said that that was a good base material. Thankyou. [?]
Welcome to FSM scer16. 1/35 scale is almost the same size as O scale. N scale is 2-3 times smaller than 1/35 scale. There are products for rail roads in 1/35 scale.
www. greatmodels.com and www.squadron.com have some items. There are other members who want to build rail road yard dioramas here in this forum may be able to help you some more. Good luck in your future project.
mark956
thankyou mark956, i asked the site like a week ago, but they haven’t responded yet… thank you
Styrofoam is a great product to use for making hills. It’s light weight, readily available, easy to form and, with a bit of scrounging around, free! I collect pieces from packaging materials. Computers and related equipment, TVs, etc., are loaded with the stuff. I’ve been picky and just keeping the stuff I want and I’ve got large boxes full. I was also at the local party and display supply store today, they had HUGE pieces of foam for sale. You can also find it at model RR shops, since it is commonly used for the same reason. Simply stack sheets or blocks in the general shape desired. It can be cut with a razor saw or they even make special hot-wire cutters, also available from RR shops. Glue blocks together with white glue only, since all solvent based glues will melt it. Cover the contours with either paper-mache, celluclay or my personal favorite, plaster bandage, available at craft stores, RR shops, medical supply stores, maybe even Mall-Wort. [(-D] I like the plaster bandage for one reason, it’s quick. Paper-mache and celluclay take weeks to throughly dry, plaster bandage is hard within minutes. After the bandage is in place, cover the bandage with a thin layer of plaster of paris, celluclay or spackle paste and sculpt out terrain features like rock outcrops, gulleys or whatever. Paint with tempera paint (it’s cheap) when dry.
wow, never would have thought of that, i have a rr shop near my house… thanks
Cool, I’m thinking of doing a railroad in my next project. Thanks for the topic scer16 and thanks for the useful info Mark and Leopold.
If memory serves me ‘O’ gauge is equivalent to 1/48, while ‘N’ is 1/144.
I don’t think that there is a proprietary model railway gauge/scale combination that fits 1/35.
Best serverd id 1/76 or 1/72 as these are the same as ‘HO’ .
As for the polystyrene block aproach to scenics, this is a tried and tested approach in model railway circles and provides strong, light weight (not an issue on a dio, but when your dio is 5’ by 4’ with trains on!!!). Only watch out for the bits of polystyrene that break off, they get everywhere, and stick to everything!
You can try covering the polystyrene in layers of tissue paper and spraying a mix of 1 part white wood glue to 1 part water, with a dash of washing up liquid added. This dries to a hard shell which is easily punctured for the insertionf of telegraph poles etc, while it takes paint and scatter materials well.
Hope this helps.
Karl
well, im not actually doing a RR thing, but the poles arent a bad idea… thanks KJ
I used to help out at the local RR shop and the train scales went something like this I think:
G=1/27ish
O=1/43
OO=1/76
HO =1/87
N=1/160
thank you, so O is probably the closest scale to 1/35th, thanks all
I can’t remenber the O scale conversion but it is twice the size of HO because HO means half O and HO is 1/87.
G scale actually ranges in scale from 1/32 to 1/20…check with a model railroad store or try Model railroader magazine… sister publication to FSM
Try this link for supplies www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modelrailroader.com
www.trains.com
I would recommend checking out some g scale instead of O scale, O is 1/48 and may look too small,
Depending on how ambitious u are, u can lay your own track, its fairly easy for a static diorama…Good luck!
Here is a list of all the Railroad scales.
http://www.spikesys.com/Modelrr/scales.html
For 1/35 I would either scratchbuild or use verlined/similar products.
Some Companies like Dragon( I think) even got 1/35 railtracks & embankments kits.
Real rail track is 1435mm…So you need a 41mm track in 1/35th scale.
In Railway modelling, 1/35th scale doesn’ t exist…The nearest is called gauge 1 ( in fact, a 1/32nd scale train runnin’ on a 45mm track…See Markling, Fulgurex…etc ). In europe, PECO sell gauge 1 tracks…Try Google to find the site
In plastic, Dragon 've made an 1/35 track, and Azimuth, a french m-o shop did one too…
So, choice is yours…A not-so-true 45mm gauge One tracks, or a best 41mm 1/35th kit !
Another idea for rocks from styrofoam is what the special effects crews do for movies… They take their basic shape of rock formation then attack it by raking a board with nails in it across its surface. This pulls out random chunks of foam, making it seem slightly more organic (which is ironic, because it’ll de around for long after we’re gone)…