Garden Railway Forum

Beautiful looking locos.

Rik

I wanted an engine shed for the railway . Various options are available , resin ,concrete and wood kits . The concrete cast kit is not an option due to weight,and the other options are costly. So on to my preferred option scratch build it .
The model's made from 2mm thick plasticard Sheets progress so far The window frames have been fashioned from ex ratio n gauge kit sprues. Next on to laminating the carcass

So after a day of scribing and gluing . This is the result.

Good choice of material Chris, looking great!

As Peter said, it looks great. Can't wait to see the finished result.

Very nice.
Reminds me of a house kit I had in HO, way back.

Thanks for the encouraging words.
I was able to do some more work on the engine shed today ,fitted some roof trusses and bracing ,filled gaps with miliput then as the weather was ideal with no wind ,I rattle canned the building .
Lots more to do .

That's a great looking structure, it really adds to the feel of the line I think.

I added the roof section to the engine shed and offered up my tallest loco ,an Essel Chattendon to get an idea of the clearance and proportions. All seems well .
Four sheets of a3 plasticard have been used so far along with 100cm of styrene angle strip . This is the biggest model building I have made , apart from making a dolls house some years ago.

Nicely done Chris, it fits perfectly in your line. Onwards to more builds now

FWLR wrote: ↑Mon Jun 23, 2025 7:44 am Nicely done Chris, it fits perfectly in your line. Onwards to more builds now

Thank you Rod for your encouraging comment I do appreciate it

Preseli Chris wrote: ↑Sun Jun 22, 2025 12:29 pm I added the roof section to the engine shed and offered up my tallest loco ,an Essel Chattendon to get an idea of the clearance and proportions. All seems well .
Four sheets of a3 plasticard have been used so far along with 100cm of styrene angle strip . This is the biggest model building I have made , apart from making a dolls house some years ago.
20250622_115359.jpg

It looks spot on to me. Fits the location perfectly.

Rik

Great job Chris... every line should have one.

The engine shed is almost finished . I have painted the roof, facia boards and gutter . Just need to attach the drain pips and make some doors . The coffee stirrers are a little under scale for the doors only measuring 5mm wide , so I went on the net and found some kebab sticks 200mm long and 9mm wide ,they will be ideal for the job .
Rik may I ask you how your engine shed is doing outside in the elements . I came across your wooden build whilst looking for inspiration . and also discovered Jacksons Miniatures where I sourced the embossed sheets .

Preseli Chris wrote: ↑Fri Jun 27, 2025 4:41 pm Rik may I ask you how your engine shed is doing outside in the elements . I came across your wooden build whilst looking for inspiration . and also discovered Jacksons Miniatures where I sourced the embossed sheets .
20250627_163215.jpg

Hi Chris
I store it in the garage when not in use. Given my past experiences with plywood outdoors, I don't trust even so-called exterior or even marine ply to survive unscathed.

Rik

Chris, to be sure, simple answer is ... Don't use wood!
You have seen my Plastikard structures which have been on my B.U.R.P.S. railway for about 8-10 years now and all they require is cleaning up for winter storage in my shed and only light paint repairs where appropriate. I have heard too many horror stories about time and money wasted on timber preservation for outdoor use and have never gone down that road.
Jackson's Miniatures supply all of the embossed sheet material you need and other waterproof materials can be applied for surface finish. I'll be glad to pass on my experiences if ever you need advice.

Thanks Peter. I have always made my buildings from plasticard in 2 3 4 7 and 16mm scale . its a medium that I am happy with . The only material that I would consider to leave out all year is Concrete . I was recently gifted a couple of concrete cast buildings , and for the first time I made a mini concrete plinth to place the building on

Had an impromptu Monday meet up with some more guest locos running on the line . I was impressed with the 7/8ths scale locos running characteristics which was fitted with a slo mo device. Fortunately here in the wild west of Wales, today wasn't too hot and oppressive.

A few more images of the locos performing

My purchase of kebab sticks arrived today. I will be using them for the engine shed doors and some other projects that I have on the to do list .