A special tool
for a specific need ...
by Jack Burgess
T
he proliferation of wood laser-cut craftsman struc-
ture kits over the past couple of decades has probably
resulted in a lot less scratchbuilding in our hobby. But if
you want structures which reflect your particular prototype or
area being modeled, you might eventually need to scratchbuild
at least some of the structures needed for your layout.
I enjoy scratchbuilding and realized that all of the structures
on my layout would need to be scratchbuilt when I picked the
Yosemite Valley Railroad to model 40 years ago. Back then
wood was the preferred material for scratchbuilding both
structures and freight cars.
The articles written by Al Armitage on scratchbuilding with sty-
rene in a 1959
Model Railroader
magazine influenced me. After
unsuccessfully trying some of Al’s suggestions on scribing sheet
styrene to produce V-groove siding, Evergreen Scale Models
came to my rescue with their line of plain and scribed styrene
sheets as well as dimensional strips.
Probably 60% of the 100+ structures and bridges on my
layout were scratchbuilt from styrene. One of the more
Nibblers
The Tool Shed - 1
MRH-May 2014
