Dave,

My Suggestions for some of your All Scale Rails E-zine articles. Thank You for asking me for my suggestions. Mike Robinson

1) Thoroughly detailed, illustrated instructions on preparations of ALL TYPES of 3 dimensional windows and doors for ALL TYPES OF card model building of both wooden and brick buildings.

2) Thoroughly detailed, illustrated instructions in transferring the down-loadable, Clever Model textures to redecorate siding on Clever Model buildings.

3) Procedures and preparation for construction of card model, O Scale, standard gauge, wooden and steel side freight and passenger railroad cars.

Re: Mike's suggestion #3, I need some 1880s N-scale freight cars for the diorama I am working on. I've been thinking about printing out your HO-scale narrow gauge kits at 70%, which I think will approximate 25 to 30 foot standard gauge cars in N-scale. I need to get some other things done on the diorama before it goes off to another event in two weeks, but I hope to start on the freight cars soon. I guess I can buy one of the old west sets to get some passenger cars, but it would be neat if I could make a passenger car from cardstock.

Thom,
My diorama is set in Florida.

Mike/Donald

Take a look at my O scale camp wagon and shire carriage kits (coach and guard's van), with a big tip of the hat to Clever for some of the textures, etc. I've quite successfully reduced the files for HO but haven't tried N scale. Full write-ups on the models can be found in back issues of Narrow Gauge Down Under magazine.

http://www.zelmeroz.com/album_model/cardmodels/cardmodel_index.html

Best wishes, Lynn

G'Day Lynn!!!!
I very much appreciate your card model links, and I will incorporate some of them in making my small late 19th and early 20th century town. There are a plethora of opportunities to "bash" and modify the buildings in your links. Many thanks for this great set of card models.
All The Best, Mike

Lynn, I'll keep your models in mind for future work, but I need typical American open-platform end passenger coaches.

Donald,
I AGREE!! I too would hope that Dave and Thom could offer, card models for both late 19th and early 20th century open and closed vestibule passenger coaches (In O Scale-Standard Guage for me). Also I would like the Dave and Thom, to offer standard guage, truss rod, O Scale, card model freight cars (e.g., the Colorado Midland, 2 doors per side, truss rod reefer ( the bright yellow car with Native American Figure on the left side of each side).

Mike

I will purchase 19th century passenger car models, but I would just be one sale. I think you need a few more commitments.

Yes, please! Can you see my email address, or do I need to send it to you?

Donald

I've been giving some thought to longer/larger carriages and suggest that a composite wood/card model would be optimal because of the length and necessity for good operation. Standard gauge O scale modellers can go to Northeastern Scale Lumber for floor stock (no I don't have any affiliation with NSL) or make your own, but a solid floor is a must and while I'm happy with using card for 32 foot carriages, I'm not sure about card with 60-80 foot cars.

Round top carriages with straight ends (Queensland railways had a real variety of round tops over the decades) are not a problem with card (roof surface bent over formers and glued into desired profile), but if I was building a standard gauge carriage with a clerestory roof I would seriously consider finishing Northeastern clerestory stock with photorealistic PAPER, not card. The wooden stock would provide strength and shape, while the paper texture would provide finishing detail.

Narrow gauge modellers are more limited but I've seen an article somewhere on creating clerestory roofs from scratch using styrene formers and thin styrene sheet. It should be fairly easy to assemble card the same way... if all else fails, create the complex end curves with paper mache and finish with photorealistic paper. And some of the older short carriages (standard and narrow gauge) had straight ends (ie the clerestory extended right to the end of the car), making construction easier.

Finally, Clever's offerings already include everything that a kitbasher needs to create those 40 foot or so long "old timer" end platform coaches, baggage cars, etc. Start by extending one of the underframes from the Rolling Stock CD, substituting a wooden floor for the card if desired, lay out your walls on appropriate texture stock with cutouts for the doors and windows, add suitably modified windows, etc., (the On30 caboose door is probably ideal for an open end coach)... You may have to fabricate the end railings from wire and add other details but almost everything you need is already available from Clever, just not neatly packaged as a kit!

Happy Modelling, Lynn

Lynn,
I'm doing a test build of a short open platform passenger car that Thom sent me. I decided to use a wood floor instead of chipboard as suggested for the kit. I'll be offering my thoughts on how to make the floor when I send Thom pictures of the build. The roof has a clerestory that does not extend to the ends of the roof. The roof proper is arched with curved ends, but I have not assembled it yet. I haven't cut out the clerestory yet, so I cannot say for sure how it will look. The plans call for wire railings, and I just bought the wire yesterday. Any way, I hope to have the car completed in a few more days and will send my pictures in.

I'd like a tutorial on kitbashing. It's a mystery to me.

Hello Linda,

If you're interested in kitbashing passenger cars and such, maybe others can help. If you're talking kitbashing in general, no tutorial but there are examples at my "blog"http://blacktop-crossing.blogspot.com Some in-process comments and photos are included.

Check out the December 16, 2014 entry that is a "start-from-scratch" model using Clever Bros' siding texture, measurements of the original building, a picture from Ebenezer Grill's website, and some off-the-shelf windows and doors.

Another is the December 22, 2011 Cotton Gin that was modeled from an old Model Railroader Magazine I had -- used Clever Bros' textures, wood, and plastic.

A couple of minor bashings with a Doctors office from a Clever Bros photography model (May 30, 2016) and Company Houses from Clever Bros' but with some modifications to the front porches (December 19, 2011)

Paul Egri (you'll find him all over the discussion board) has encouraged me with a photoshopped building for a Cotton Dealer's office (February 25, 2016) and suggestions for a 'Baccer Barn just using textures from other Clever Bros kits (January 23, 2015).

And, JUST before the Clever Bros put out a smokestack kit, there was a bashed (or textured!?) smokestack for the Cotton Mill (January 7, 2012).

Finally, the Clever Bros' Small Brick Machine Shop became a Boiler House with more help from Paul and a photo of the actual boilers (January 15, 2015).

You'd think over the years the construction crew would have gotten better, but since the fun is in the process and the results are only "suggestions" (to provide the environment on the layout, but not to win any prizes), the crew has been very satisfied with the final results.

Good luck.

Gee! Thanks for your suggestions and encouragement.
Maybe I'll be brave and give kitbashing a try.