Garden Railway Forum

After reading about some of the 'found' items Christopher has been using in his scratchbuilds - see http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/about9181.html - I wondered what else some of us have used in builds and bashes??

I've certainly used bottle lids for domes, pen barrels and ends for chimneys and the caps on sandboxes, etc. - eg see http://riksrailway.blogspot.co.uk/2015/ ... uilds.html

Anyone used anything else?

Rik

Batteries as drums?

The wheels on the counter weight are male press studs. I was over zealous when cleaning up the wheels supplied in the kit. I've not had anyone question me yet though Malcolm of Wrightscale might not approve.

I use staples driven into the bufferbeams to hang up the safety chains on my coaches.

andymctractor:107590 wrote:The wheels on the counter weight are male press studs.  I was over zealous when cleaning up the wheels supplied in the kit.

I wish I'd thought of that. I used the bases of an Airfix station canopy for mine (found in the bits box), though I have used press studs as valve wheels in the cab of one loco.





Rik

One of the standard gauge 'Thomas The Tank Engine' lookalikes has a large Calor Gas bottle as a false dome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orgmjfump8M

A friend of mine crashed his polystyrene ducted fan aircraft model. I used this with a cycle drink bottle and spinner to make the Jet loco. It has a top speed of around 40mph but we can't open it up on the D.L.R.. Reverse is a model car speed controller, to duct the air out and back. One has to anticipate the reverse/brake long before it is needed. Good fun from scrapes and bits.

The little bits of 1.6mm brass wire that are attached to tyre repair plugs to pull them through the tyre make ideal coupling pins, or anything else that needs about an inch of 1.6mm brass wire!

Till roll inners as chimneys.

steamie1:107594 wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orgmjfump8M

A friend of mine crashed his polystyrene ducted fan aircraft model. I used this with a cycle drink bottle and spinner to make the Jet loco. It has a top speed of around 40mph but we can't open it up on the D.L.R.. Reverse is a model car speed controller, to duct the air out and back. One has to anticipate the reverse/brake long before it is needed. Good fun from scrapes and bits.

Looks lethal

Rik

Forgot to mention, Spent a few minutes today removing the LEDs from a knackered heater control consul that had been in a VW golf.
(poor customer had a £600 bill for the new part!)

I just love making things from found objects and my Emetts have been created using all sorts of things....
This is a hanging tea-light holder for a small candle turned into a birdcage for my 'Battery Hen'.



My model of 'Neptune' which really ran on the Festival of Britain railway (1951) has a divers helmet made from the top of a Polo deodorant bottle.



Cobbles on my model building are made from split peas...





These are not intended for outdoor use but possibly could be coated with something to make them weatherproof?

Split peas!!! Genius

St.Michael:107624 wrote:Split peas!!! Genius  :blob5:

Absolutely!

Rik

I've used Ferrerro Rocher boxes for window glazing and an expensive perfume bottle top (not mine!) as a fancy chimny pot.

These are not intended for outdoor use but possibly could be coated with something to make them weatherproof

Yacht varnish? or PVA possibly?

'The Works' are usually a good source of craft items suitable for alternative use... one such is a pack of bobbins which I plan to use as chimney pots.

A quick respray to get 1980s smaller traffic cones.




but please ask your doctor for clean unused ones. They are disposable tips for an auriscope. [/img]

The wife has just broken our shoe rack. I could repair it or salvage 40 pieces of yard long 1/4' X 3/8' hard wood.
What would you do?

Big Jim:107884 wrote:The wife has just broken our shoe rack. I could repair it or salvage 40 pieces of yard long 1/4' X 3/8' hard wood.
What would you do?

Be very aware that the incident could be her way of making room for a much more expensive shoe rack that she already has her eyes on.

Very aware of the fact as it happens. I need to be very careful. I intend to replace the item with something slightly smaller. This is in the vain hope that the vast number of shoes will be reduced. I own only three and a half items of footwear. Clean boots, work boots, knackered but still really comfy boots and a pair of flip flops. Why someone with only two feet needs so many items of footwear is beyond all rational comprehension.