Articles & Blogs

Adding Panel Lines to ACF Hoppers Bill Mock January 2010

Here's a cheap and easy way to add those panel lines to your ACF Hoppers. Take a PrismaColor pencil and lightly trace the panel lines on the sides of the car. The box makes a great cradle for the car. Use the plastic box edges to help align your straight edge while you draw the panel lines. Done!

Adding panel lines to ACF Hoppers how to was written by Bill Mock in January 2010. This article has been assembled in order by the following links. Simply cut and paste the following links into your web browser to follow up on any additional comments, suggestions, or to view the larger images.

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Hopper Weathering Clinic II By Bill Mock December 2009

So here's how those BN Hoppers turned out after the surface rust dried. Not bad. I'll see if they need another wash. Maybe I'll just chalk them. But I now need to add some spots of rust; some random and some at the ladder, etc.

OK, it's after working hours, time to add some surface rust. So I start off by wetting the entire surface with "blue" windshield washing fluid. Then I mix a very diluted wash of Raw Umber acrylic paint and more blue windshield washing fluid. I wash this on to the surface and let it pool in the edges and build up. Then, walk away. Check back to make sure that the wet surface is drying evenly. If the wash dries unevenly and edges start to form, dab your brush in a little plain blue washing fluid. Dry the brush on a paper towel. Then with the now damp brush, lightly brush over the unwanted paint edge. If caught early, it should dissolve this "edge" and leave a nice even wash again. This method is very similar to watercolour painting techniques. Check back tomorrow for photos of the Hoppers when they are dry.

Hopper Weathering Clinic II how to was written by Bill Mock in December 2009. This article has been assembled in order by the following links. Simply cut and paste the following links into your web browser to follow up on any additional comments, suggestions, or to view the larger images.

http://www.zcentralstation.com/index.php?view=detail&;id=2460&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=178

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Hopper Weathering Clinic By Bill Mock December 2009

Here is the first stages of weathering of my new BN Open Hoppers and UP PS2 Hopper. The trucks and wheels were removed and painted with a wash of Poly Scale Oily Black and Rust. The car bodies were airbrushed with a 10:1 wash of Poly Scale Reefer White and Earth to fade them. Then the bottoms were airbrushed with a 10:1 wash of Poly Scale Oily Black. I use plain old "blue" windshield washing fluid as an airbrush thinner for faster paint drying. The next step for these cars is a brushed on "surface rust" wash of a Raw Umber acrylic paint.

Hopper Weathering Clinic how to was written by Bill Mock in December 2009. This article has been assembled in order by the following links. Simply cut and paste the following links into your web browser to follow up on any additional comments, suggestions, or to view the larger images.

http://www.zcentralstation.com/index.php?view=detail&;id=2455&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=178

http://www.zcentralstation.com/index.php?view=detail&;id=2456&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=178

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Hopper Weathering Clinic III By Bill Mock January 2010

OK, I gave the inside of these hoppers a wash of Engine Black below the coal line. They look pretty good. At least they no longer look like raw plastic. Why am I weathering the inside of these hoppers? I don't know. You can see some of this surface above the Hay Brothers Coal Load. So that good. But who knows? Some day I may try to add some cross bracing and attempt to run these hoppers empty. May be it's just a Z-Scale - Zen thing.  

 OK, time to go inside those hoppers! They get the same treatment, an acrylic rust wash. But this time, it's a wash of Grimy Black, Rust and a hint of Flat Aluminium. I used a cotton swab and "blue windshield washing fluid" to really scrub the inside of the plastic shell; to make sure that the paint-wash covers evenly. It looks awful to have the wash "bead up" around a bit of residual casting release oil. So scrub it down and then wash on the paint - all sides at once. Then let it dry, sitting on it's wheels. The paint wash gently washes down the side walls in a very realistic pattern. Let the first coat dry and then come back later to see if any additional paint washes are necessary. I'll probably add a wash of "Engine Black" below the line where the loaded coal sits and grinds into the side walls.

Hopper Weathering Clinic III how to was written by Bill Mock in January 2010. This article has been assembled in order by the following links. Simply cut and paste the following links into your web browser to follow up on any additional comments, suggestions, or to view the larger images.

http://www.zcentralstation.com/index.php?view=detail&;id=2475&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=178

http://www.zcentralstation.com/index.php?view=detail&;id=2471&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=178

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Micro-Trains 2 Story Barracks Build by Modelersguild.com

These Micro Trains kits are nice, real nice. A few nights build time and you have a piece for that micro sized layout. No major surgery involved just plain fun.

To start this build we followed the instructions and sealed the card with dull coat. Sealing the card protects it from the acrylic pains. We painted the trims and foundation grey. When dry we cut out and glued these to the wall sections while still unassembled. Add the glazing to the backs of the walls at this time.

Put together the interior frame and foundation pieces, let set. While propping the walls in place glue the side walls to the frame and foundation.

To keep the foundation flat while gluing we clamped it to a straight edge. Let everything dry completely.

With all the porch and ladder pieces painted we started adding these to the end walls. This was done to make the task easier, adding these to the walls upright would be an unnecessary challenge.

Time to glue the end walls on, I tell ya these brass weights are real nice. Definitely worth much more then the scrap we pulled them from.

When all is ready we added the roof panels to the building. run a small bead of glue around the tops of the walls to place this on, make sure to wipe off access glues (the excess is unmistakable in the final product).

Cut our the printed roofing to fit the panels and glue on. Make sure to scrape the paper with a hard plastic card.

Ron Pare

Micro-Trains Farmers Co-op Build by Modelersguild.com

I am definitely getting better at Z-Scale. Another Micro-Trains kit, I am liking these more and more with each build. It is a nice two night-er, and I suggest, a nice sit down with the podcast, Model Rail Cast Show and enjoy the build.

Its not a matter of sight for me, but more of a knowing how to do it, makes all the difference. We know this kit would look great in any era or location you can come up with.

The kit is wood, with some sticky back sheets.

Building the main deck first, add the support posts and let the thinly laid glue set good. Then attach the cross bents gently to the posts.

To put the stairs together, the hardest part is getting the first bent on. I put a dab of ca on to grab it. Then followed up with some yellow glue on a toothpick. Add the steps by taking the backing off the step and sticking it to the knife blade and placing in the stringer, starting at the top step.

Next we attach the steps to the deck, again using a toothpick, Let dry.

Painting the different parts, as you can see is a breeze. Pick your color and stick tot he parts you want painted before you even remove them from the sheet. We painted the walls tan, and the trim pieces brown. Let all the components dry completely before moving on, as we want all the pieces rigid  when attaching the trim pieces.

Again using the knife, stick the window frame to the blade and attach to the wall carefully.

Attaching the glazing is pretty simple, I cut a pretty big square and glued it on with yellow glue. Same with the big sliding doors, yellow glue. The doors we added in the slight open position.

Raising the walls one at a time, we first dabbed a wee bit of glue at the bottom of the wall to stick it in place. Add the second wall and seal the corner. Following the same procedure for each remaining wall.

To finish off the model we added the utilities boxes to the outside wall.  We glued on the roof sections, leaving the sticky side up for the roofing paper.

Ron Pare

Micro-Trains Grain Tower Build by Modelersguild.com

Oh I can feel it, the empire is growing. Granted it is Z scale yet that diminishes nothing in the eyes of my children.

The grain tower kit is made by Micro-Trains. Each time I try out a MT kit I find myself dreaming of large landscapes and industry. Z scale the under represented king in Space Savings is here, and here to stay.

Assembly is straight forward, hence the instructions are pretty basic. The thing that strikes me as being missing is some elaboration on paint and weather.Before this thought finished passing I had the structure assembled. So whats the point, I dunno. I just state the facts folks...

In this article I am going to take the opportunity to focus on how I finished this model. I am not a self proclaimed expert, nor should I be considered to be.  These steps are just my thoughts on the subject.

First as always it starts with a coat of inkahol. It gives a base that provides a random variation on the layers above. IF done before it dries. Then dip your brush in the water, we want the acrylic paint watered down. We dont want the brush floaded with water when it touches the model though. Dabb it off.  Why you may ask. Well the dilluted paint will give you control over coverage and spread a larger area.

Remember we left the ink wet to soak through, let it. Follow coats that are deamed necesary will blend right in with the same method of watering the paint down. The difference is when the ink and first coat of paint dries, it is sealed to mixing.  Coats of paint above will cover up the ink. A good way to fix a case of TOO much ink. Do this method and with light coats of paint to doctor it into shape. Let it dry.

The final step for this build was some treatments for the loading pipe. For this we used Sophisticated Finishes found at our local Michaels. This is iron filings and a corrosive the rusts the iron. Can't get much more realistic then the real thing.

With some coats of the MIG Nuetral wash to simulate dust and grime. We were ready to settle with good enough. In my opinion a model isn't finished till it is placed on the layout. Certain conditions will warrent different techniques so stopping here is a good idea, again this is only my opinion.

Ron Pare

Micro-Trains Logging Camp Cars Build by Modelersguild.com

Working with my brother-in-law has its challenges. It doesn't always go so well, some of you know what I mean. But when he delivers with work like this. I think we might be able to do it again.

This Logging Camp Car (Dining car and Office car, also refered to as the "clerestory") was fun and fairly easy to construct.  The kit seemed to be a bit challenging at some points, mainly because of the small parts and meticulous process of assembling the tiny pieces. But with a good cutting tool, some tight bond glue and a little bit of patience, this project proved to be a great way to explore the ever-so-detailed world of the Z-scale model.

Laying out the parts I was near ready to give up. Just then Ron hands me a set of tweezers. After a few manouvers weilding the tweezers my confidence returned.

A few directions from my brother I decided to refer the printed instructions. I am glad I did, Ron was right, and I never would have followed his lead, but since the instructions I agreed, I guess I would too. 

This kit contains two cars, complete with trucks and couplers. All this was not immediately appearant to me. As the build moved on I did begin to learn a few things about these pieces of rolling stock.

As I built Ron provided me with pictures of the real thing. It was amazing with a bit of this information really expanded my understanding of the project at hand. The interest that grew in me completely wrapped my mind into the whole thing.

Model railraoding is much more then just playing with toys. I realize this now and will never ever forget that. And maybe just maybe, one day I too will pursue a railroad of my own.

Ron Pare

Micro-Trains Military Barracks Build by Modelersguild.com

Building this Z-Scale kit was a real pleasure. The parts fit nicely, the materials were right, this all added up to a very enjoyable build.

Working with Z-Scale should be a challenge for my vision issues, however that is not the case. The way the kits are made makes it easy to both prepare and assemble such a small model.

The first step to building this kit is sealing the card with flat lacquer, before cutting them from the card sheet. The card is thick enough to handle without too much worry of creasing or bending.

Using a #11 blade I cut the wall sections out. Satisfied with the color of the card walls we left them unpainted (for now). For the trim and ground I used a tan and the concrete supports grey acrylic, paint the card in thin coats, card will soak in water based paints so thick coats are not advised.

To apply the white glue we used a tooth pick this allowed for a fairamount of accuracy when applying glue to a very small area.

We applied the window and door trims with white glue. Having sealed the card earlier allows time to clean up excess glue. As you can see we areready to start assembling the walls.

Using my supply of handy dandy weights I started gluing the sections together. We first attach the end wall to the side and let the glue set a bit. Once stuck I glued the floor section on and again wait to set. This system of letting the glue set allowed me to build this delicate kit in a way as to not ruin a good connection by moving on to quickly.

Using a paint pen I covered the floor of the structure black. Just because thats what I do to models that don't have interiors.

I scored the roof panel before bending it.and installed it on the model by applying glue to the walls with a toothpick. then I weight the roof down to dry with a bag of sand.

I cut the simulated roofing materials to shape and creased the ridge. Then spread glue on the roof panel and applied the roofing again with the bag of sand securing it.

Assembling the stair cases wasn't as hard as we thought it would be. Again using the glue and set technique we took the slow route at building these.The supplied steps were very easy to handle and I had little trouble here.

Ron Pare

The sawmill has a permanent place in our hobby as an industry built in the sticks. The location of these structures usually is located far from civilization and the scenes displayed in historical records show a real rag-tag operation. The oportunity to create a busy and living scene with this model is one I cannot let pass.

Micro-Trains offers kits in Z scale. The kit is comprised of laser cut micro-plywood and card material for windows, doors and frames. This card material has two-sided tape for glazings and roofing. Even the glazing for the windows is cut with a laser.

The instructions are made like an electronics manual. I have to say they are perfect and the pictures do just enough to get you through the build. As the instructions stated, we placed the two walls and supports on the base and glued them with WeldBond glue. I use Weldbond because of its Cost, Strength, and the fact that it dries clear. Some say to use Canopy Glue, but it is twice the cost and comes in a bottle near half the size. You decide.

Next step is to prepare the equipment deck. The saws and log tables are all represented in Card. When all is said and done, this looks great. I only had an issue with "How big is a loggers log in Z scale"? That issue actually held me up longer then it really should'a.

I built this model so fast, the instructions seemed to get lost under a pile of carrier sheets. I usually build the walls complete before assembling them together. This time we just got busy with it, and this ended up with walls assembled without the windows and door installed. 

The amount of interest this kit struck in me had me a bit overwhelmed, so I sat down with the instructions and finally finished them.

Here are a few shots of the equipment deck installed. This is really a striking site in person.

Whoever started this technique in kit building is a patron saint. Two-sided tape on small structure kits is the component that makes this build available to a visually imapired person like myself. A pair of tweezers and a good light and I am set.

Peel off the back of the window and place it sticky side up on the bench. Take the tweezers and break out a single glazing and place it on the window. Done deal! Repeat that for all the windows and doors and in no time everything was completed and ready to be installed.

Here is the model with the windows, doors and trim installed. I left the window sills off. One reason is I thought they looked big and reason two, I had trouble handling them. Is it absolutely neccesary ?

I thought not...

It is amazing how small this structure is considering the size of the prototype. So far I love the instructions, as they are simple and to the point, I could have used a prototype photo though. The kit parts are great, the laser cuts are clean and come apart easily. And the addition of the interior equipment really makes this $76 model worth every penny.

Again, bdecause of the two-sided tape, these roof panels are a breeze to complete. After gluing the panels to the structure, I peeled off the tape covering. The laser cut paper shingles are varied in sizes. My suggestion is to use the wide ones on the bottom and the narrow ones on the top.

I use tweezers for this proceedure, I have learned my big fingers are actually z scale battering rams. The shingles look fantastic installed and I can see already how I am going to weather them.

The ramp, or slip, is made of plywood with card braces. For such small parts I have to say this was fairly easy. The braces have two-sided tape to stick right on, using the tweezers of course. I could not wait to see it next to the structure, so I took a picture of it.

After completing the slip I really started thinking about building this Z scale layout. Its funny how a model can inspire you. This arrived Friday in the mail, and was built by Sunday Night.

Micro-Trains hit a home run with this model and I am just tickled I had a chance to build it. To be inspired by a model isn't too rare, but that don't make it any less exciting.

Stay tuned for part two.

Ron Pare

Passengers in MTL Empire Builder dome cars

By Mike Scully

June 2009

Step 1: paint passengers on sprue. 

This is my project to add passengers to the provided seats in the MTL dome cars, Great Northern Empire Builder, in my case.  The first step is to paint the passengers (except their heads) on the sprues.  Lessons learned: a) Testor enamels go on thick with too large a brush, b) enamels are also quite shiny, c) a small sheet of shipping-box cardboard serves well as a base in which to stick Preiser sprues while painting.

Step 2: paint the seats.

Second step is to paint the seats.  As one who has broken equipment in the past, I was worried the dome would only come off after being pried open, leaving pry marks.  The domes actually come off easily.  Like when painting the people, I learned enamel needs to be applied with the smallest brush possible.  After taking this picture, I was made aware that the seats have *edges*, which have since been painted.

Step 3: All aboard!

Step 3 involves putting the passengers in the seats.  Preiser passengers are to scale, but the seats in the domes are a bit low, and thus the passengers must have thier legs raised to fit.  They can be squeezed in, but my other two cars will be done with passengers' feet removed for a better fit.  The first shot was taken with flash (which emphasizes any errors), the second without.

Step 4: restore the dome.

The last step is to restore the dome to its rightful place.  I'll likely go back in to paint the heads of my passengers on this car (and I'll do so before "sealing them in" on my other two dome cars).  But I'm happy with the result.

Passengers in MTL EB dome cars how to was written by Mike Scully in June 2009. This article has been assembled in order by the following links. Simply cut and paste the following links into your web browser to follow up on any additional comments, suggestions, or to view the larger images.

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RSLaserkits Cheltenham Station Build by Modelersguild.com

If someone had told me two months ago, that there is such a thing as a Z scale Craftsman kit, I'd tell them they were crazy. Today I am that crazy fool telling you about a Z scale Craftsman kit, interested ? Good...

Z Scale kits have an appeal to them that other kits lack. The smallest of available scales Z adds that sense that if I can do this I can model anything.

These RS Laser make a very nice kit. The kits parts are small and very delicate, however with a sharp knife, some toothpicks for glue, time and patience. Yes you will break some part, but you can fix it. Rich sends extra parts it seems in all of his small kits, so don't fret. Follow along as this build grows into a micro masterpiece (well at least to me).

We started the build by painting the parts in the sheet. Not realy paint, a stain marker was used, dark brown (my freelanced road colours).The main walls were painted using antique white acrylic, go easy on soaking the wood, you don't want to warp it.

Once the paint has properly dried we can peal off the paper on the back of the trim. This reveals the two sided tape (ingenious) making the process of adding the trim very easy.Once

When added the trims realy look great. Now set the aside we are going to work on the windows.

The windows are wood and are also very delicate. If you have not changed to a sharp blade yet, nows the time. Don't say I didn't warn ya. Paint the windows (or stain).

The windows have two-sided tape on them so carefully peal of sticky protection and place the glazings on with a pair of tweezers.

To add the windows to the walls isn't all that hard really. Get a small container to put the windows in. Using a SHARP knife cut out the windows. Now that they have the glazing added they are much more stable and you can handle them easily with tweezers.

This is not a scientific method by no means so bare with me. lick your finger, touch the white glue, dab it off. In the window opening, slide your finger to one side and some will bead up there, do the same to the other side.  Remember, use too much glue and you will have glue to clean off your model, so go lite. Wipe off excess glue. We added glue to an entire wall then added the windows. We added the windows through the backs of the walls.

Once we have the windows and doors sorted we move to assembling the main structure. Using our squaring device we glued from the inside corners.

Let dry then connect the two, again gluing from the inside corner. Let dry completely.

Ron Pare

Stonebridge Models Greenhouse Build by Modelersguild.com

It's funny - Sometimes in this gig, I come across a project that just amazes me. This Greenhouse from Stonebridge Designs is one of those projects. It is remarkably small. This kit I'm told is available in Z, N and HO. Gardener not included.

When opening the kit, I noticed something immediately. It was full, filled up to the brim with stuff. Instructions, a CD with a full compliment of build photos and last, but not least, the 7 or 8 pieces to the kit. Oh, its small.

As you can see this kit is as basic as it can get. I say basic in design but the end result is something! I walked around showing it off for more then a few days. The parts are Task board, glazing and ground turf.

Construction is not something that will take anymore then one nights work. This kit is easily put together, and I say this considering its size. Remember my disability is, in fact, vision.

Thee hardest part of this whole project here is photographing the little gem. This was as close as I could get with my $60 camera (yes this site is made with a $60 camera), opting to further crop and zoom the image with GIMP the free image editor.

I won't be surprised if I go out to build the other scale models as these Greenhouses are very suitable for a small and interesting scene in scale Z thru HO.

Ron Pare

Detailing Stony's LCL Cement Canisters Here is a photo of the cement canisters in their raw form. I cut the sprue lengthwise, so the sprue will now act as a holder and a stand for painting, decaling, and sealing. A word of caution, the eyelets on top are very fragile. After breaking an eyelet, I used the barrels and sprue to 'handle' them. You will notice the size of them compared to a MTL caboose.

 The next photo shows one set of canisters painted and decaled in the foreground, while the other set stil needs numbers and 'writing'.  On Ebay I watch for N-scale decal lots, either partial or whole, usually you can find a great deal.  Sometimes finding the right HO decals will work as well.  The same applies when I go to train shows, when a modeler is 'done' with their decals, I find I can find more uses for them in Z.  These LCL Cement Canisters were actually decaled using left-over Burlington Northern N-scale decal sheets.  I used the tiny writing for the canister messages while using 5-digit number sets to label the canister.  There are a few things that stand out from the proto are the numbers on the proto canisters are Railroad Roman style font, and that there should be more 'writing' on the sides of the canisters.  Other than the two items I have mentioned, I think they turned out great.  The shown BN partial decal sheets I paid a few bucks for a bag load of them so decorating them was very cheap.

Before painting them, and after I seperated the halves, I gave the model a 70% Rubbing Alcohol bath and scrubbed them down with an old 'soft' toothebrush.  When dry, I used my Valspar Primer #65056 Red-Oxide 'rattle can' to spray paint them.  When the paint dried I then gave them a sealing coat of Rustoleum Matte Clear.  And after the sealing was dried is when I decaled them.

Once the decals have been applied and dried, I then gave the canisters another coat of Rustoleum Matte Clear.  There again, you still can add more 'detail' decals to authenticate the protos, if you wished too.  The next photo shows a custom decorated Soo Line 50' gondola with a load of canisters, while the other set is in the open.

The canisters really did not turn out that bad, bare without any weathering agents.  I plan to add spilled cement dust to a set, and I will post more photos of that process.  Basically I have a set of artist chalks that I sand down to get to dust form to apply with a brush, but this might be different... I may try a different technique to apply the spilled cement dust.  Below you will find a few proto photos of the LCL Cement Canisters to help compare your work.

John

Tree & Shrub Tutorial

By Animek Models

First, I've started creating the forms of the trees, here I've done 2 kind of cedars trees, a "menhir form" and some "ball form", a piece of balsa wood of 3/8 x 3/8 was use to achieve those forms, all turned on a mini lathe, and then sanded briefly.

Then all the parts were cut with a razor blade, and each bottom and top of each pieces were sanded to finish the forms.

Each balsa form was inserted with a glued wire, so they could be hold for the next steps, and stick into the layout.

I applied a good coat of paint, mostly the same color than what the final tree will look.

Then with the acrylic paint still wet (very important), I apply the tainted saw dust with a plastic spoon. And shake off the excess.

For smaller shrubs or when you don't have time to turn a balsa piece, just use the tiny Styrofoam balls, they can be detach easily without breaking if you take your time.

For the brown shrubs, I've mix some green, un-dye MDF and a little quantities of orange foam, the woodland scenic stuff or any equivalent, it's just that I did not have any orange powder done in my inventory.

For the brown shrubs, I've mix some green, un-dye MDF and a little quantities of orange foam, the woodland scenic stuff or any equivalent, it's just that I did not have any orange powder done in my inventory.

There you have it, all your "Field of Dreams" Shrubs, just like in the real photo.

The trees were done with the same kind of MDF stain dust; I vary the tone of the green to have different level of color.

For the back tree, like oak or apple tree, I've experimented with what seem to me the best mixture to work with, it hides the electric wires. I mix 4 ingredients (1. Paris plaster, 2. Water, 3.wite glue, and 4. Acrylic paint, then I apply this mud with a brush on the tree trucks, it hardens in a few hours, and make a great looking bark, I just need to paint a little over to simulate a better looking tree.

Courtesy of Benoit Jean of Animek Models.    

Under $15 Turntable

By Jim O’Connell

May 2008

Most important is the 64oz Big Gulp cup. Next is the little plastic 'stay fresh' can top. I recommend purchasing the Roundhouse brand N Scale Gondola. Buy two @$2.99 each. You will need a dowel to make the turntable turn. You will need some MTL flex track. You will need a piece of styrene 1/4' wide and about 1/32' thick. Any hobby shop has these. You will also need some wood strips the same measurements. I use wood for the walkways because they weather better than the styrene. Some dull black paint, a brush, and something to weather the wood walkways is needed. CA glue if you are in a hurry, plastic model glue if you can wait over night. The cardboard simulates a piece of plywood for the floor of the turntable.

After the gondola arrives in the mail (most LHS', don't carry Roundhouse gondolas) cut the gondola in half and file the bottom of the pieces smooth. You will use the BOTTOM of the gondolas. The Big Gulp cup is 4 1/4" in diameter, this gives you a 110 Z scale foot turntable.

Cut the top of the Big Gulp cup off the cup. Trim it down so that the turntable, which rests on the 'stay fresh lid' is level with the top of the BG cup. I cut out the middle section of the 'stay fresh lid' it looks nicer. These lids are best from the tops of those Frosting cans found in the cake section of your local grocery store.

This photo shows all the bits used to make the turntable. Two pieces of wood, a piece of track, a piece of plastic to widen the gondola. Paint and glue.

This is the hardest part of this project. You can use a screw through the turntable into the dowel. You can glue them together. Or you can build a dowel receptacle beneath the turntable. Remember that the dowel must also be centred and be aligned beneath the layout so the dowel will not sway.

I build this. If you do it this way you also have come up with a way for the dowel not slide out onto the floor. I used a couple of screws into the dowel above the lower aligning hole beneath the layout.

When you are done this should be your result. Total assembly time about 20 minutes! If you can keep your wits about you. :-D

Under 15 dollar turntable how to was written by Jim O’Connell in May 2008. This article has been assembled in order by the following links. Simply cut and paste the following links into your web browser to follow up on any additional comments, suggestions, or to view the larger images.

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