Today I want to tell you about our railway. In fact, it is not made of iron at all :-), but made by mom from cardboard in literally five minutes.
But it’s very fun to play with, and most importantly, you can play for a very long time, which cannot but please the mother, who suddenly has time for herself :)
Just recently we were given a train. This gift was spontaneous, so we did not have any devices to ensure the normal functioning of this item.
And I really wanted to take the train along the rails, tunnels and slides... So my mother had to get creative :) As a result, I got something like this
Our children's railway consists of:
- 3 rail routes
- slides
- tunnel
- tunnel-pipe
- repair station
- car washes
To make the railway you needed:
- a piece of wallpaper (or a sheet of whatman paper)
- double sided tape
- regular wide tape
- stationery knife and scissors
- pencils
- small box
- dishwashing sponge
- 2 clothespins
- jar lid
- toilet paper rolls
- box cover
- piece of cardboard
Making a railway
Everything is very, very simple. Rails, as you understand, I drew it with a pencil.
We ended up with three routes, each in its own color (if your child is interested in learning colors, the multi-colored rails will also be educational in nature. You can draw more routes to cover all the colors necessary for learning)
Tunnels and slides
You need to make two holes opposite in the lid of the box with a stationery knife - this creates a tunnel (it’s important not to forget to make walls out of cardboard in the middle of the tunnel, otherwise the train risks getting lost and not leaving 😉)
On one side, we attach a piece of cardboard to the box with tape and get slide. Don’t forget to glue the slide to the wallpaper with double-sided tape.
The same applies to the box itself. We connect toilet paper rolls together and get a pipe. We attach it with tape to the other edge of the box and the wallpaper - tunnel-pipe ready for use.
Washing
We cut the dishwashing sponge into 2 parts (or 4) and place them in clothespins.
Using a utility knife, we make two holes in the box opposite (the entrance and exit from the sink) and another two or four holes in the walls for washcloths. Glue the box to the wallpaper with double-sided tape.
Repair station
The simplest object of our railway. A regular cover attached to the wallpaper with double-sided tape.
That's all the work took me about 15 minutes. But the child is so happy 🙂 And hours of games are guaranteed.
Of course, it didn’t turn out very representative, it could have been made more beautiful, covered everything with colored paper and made the children’s railway look marketable, but I simply didn’t have time for all this.
And it’s probably not about beauty, but about ideas, what do you think 🙂?
What railroads are you playing with?
With love,
Have you thought about how to make a model railway with your own hands? To implement such an idea, you will need to stock up on a huge amount of patience, since such work cannot be rushed. In addition, before construction you will have to study a lot of theoretical information and draw up competent drawings. Read more about all these nuances in our article. Be sure that very soon you will be able to build your own railway to decorate your apartment.
Main types and features of modeling
A miniature railway is a piece of furniture that will delight the eyes of not only children, but also adults. If you are interested in making your own railroad tracks, it means that most likely you had a similar toy as a child and you decided to bring your memories to life. Or you just want to please your household with an unusual handmade decoration. Be that as it may, in the following sections you will find detailed instructions that describe each stage of working on the layout in detail.
To make a truly beautiful layout, you will need to work quite a lot, because even the smallest detail of the composition requires close attention. If you have ever studied the structure of real railways, then it will be much easier for you to realize your idea. However, do not be discouraged if you do not have the necessary skills, since all the necessary information can be found on the Internet without much difficulty. For example, our article will present several original ideas that will allow you to make a high-quality and unusual layout for your home.
As for the main types of layouts, they are quite difficult to classify. If we talk about scale, you can find small, medium and huge layouts that fill almost the entire space of the room. Some compositions are used to have a toy train ride on them. Others serve as part of the interior. Quite often on the models you can find various elements of nature: rivers, mountains, forests and fields, and sometimes they may simply be absent, and the railway itself is located on a regular plane. In general, there are quite a few options for making a layout, especially for a person who will be doing this for the first time.
What materials will be needed for the job?
Have you decided to make a model railway at home with your own hands? First you need to decide on the materials that you will use during the construction process. This can only be done if you carefully study the options for ready-made layouts, photographs of which are presented in our article. In this list you can find the most commonly used materials in construction and their purpose:
- plywood sheet - suitable as the main plane for the layout;
- construction foam is an ideal option for creating mountains with a tunnel;
- boards and cardboard - suitable for creating decorative objects.
It is worth noting that the possibility of using various materials is limited only by the skill and imagination of the master himself. For example, if you are good with plaster, you can easily make several objects out of it for a model. Do you know how to design bridges? Why not add such a design to your composition. What about real water in the model, which will symbolize the river?
Also, we should not forget that some elements can be purchased in stores rather than made by hand. For example, it will be quite difficult for a novice designer to make a figurine of a person from scrap materials, but such an element can be ordered on the Internet at a very modest price. Or you can display your collection of sports cars on the layout so that it no longer collects dust on the shelf, but pleases the eyes of your guests and family members.
List of required tools
We have already said that the easiest way to make a base for a model railway with your own hands is from a large sheet of plywood. You can purchase such material at a furniture store or remove it from an old unnecessary bed. However, what tools might a designer need during his work? As a rule, they directly depend on the materials you decide to use. Although in the list below you will find the most commonly used tools, as well as their “scope of activity”.
- An electric jigsaw is indispensable for working with plywood sheets and wood.
- Construction adhesive is ideal for attaching small parts.
- Sandpaper - suitable for processing uneven surfaces.
In the process of work, you will need quite a lot of different tools that are related to the materials for work. For example, if you want to paint a layout with different colors, you will need brushes of different thicknesses. Decided to add a couple of metal parts? Don't forget to get a grinder with discs and a welding machine with electrodes.
As you can see, the list of tools for work can be quite extensive, so it is recommended to find everything you need in advance so that you don’t have to be distracted by anything during the work process. If you don’t have a tool at home, you can ask your friends for it, but under no circumstances resort to alternative options (screws instead of nails). Making a model is a very delicate work that requires compliance with certain rules.
Design or drawing
How to make a model of a railway at home step by step and with your own hands? In the following sections you will find detailed information on this matter. However, before you start building anything with your own hands, you need to correctly draw up drawings of the future product that would take into account all the features of the composition.
First of all, you need to decide on the dimensions of the layout. It is worth understanding that the larger the area of the product, the more small parts you will have to add to it. A beginner designer should first learn how to make small layouts, and only then move on to larger compositions. Although if you are confident in your abilities or work under the guidance of a real professional, then you can forget about this rule.
However, we should not forget that not only the quality of the future structure, but also its decorative appearance depends on a correctly drawn up drawing. As a rule, people start making mock-ups when they already have a specific idea. For example, a master wants to include in the composition several mountains with a tunnel, a river, a bridge, and also a small village in the middle. Such a layout may require quite a lot of details, but it will look quite decent.
We make a sub-model
We make a model of the railway with our own hands. The first stage will be the manufacture of a sub-model on which all the main elements will be placed. It is highly recommended to use a sheet of plywood as a building material, since it has fairly good strength and is light in weight, which will allow you to drag the layout even alone. You can purchase such a product at any furniture store, but if you want to save money, then go to a construction base, where a sheet of plywood of the required size will be cut right in front of the buyer.
Once the plywood sheet is ready, it must be carefully processed so as not to be damaged by sharp edges during operation. For this purpose, you can use an electric jigsaw with a special attachment or medium-grit sandpaper. Try to process the plywood as carefully as possible, since this may not be possible later. In addition, it is much easier to apply paint and glue small parts to a smooth surface. And if you want to cover the layout with a water-repellent coating, then sanding the sheet of plywood is a must.
Working with landscape
The next stage of making a model railway with your own hands from plywood is working on the landscape. This stage can be called the most difficult, since the quality of the future design depends on its correct implementation. If you cannot implement your idea the first time, then do not despair. At any time, you can throw away the plywood sheet and buy another one. Luckily they are quite inexpensive.
A variety of methods can be used to work on the landscape. For example, mountains can be made from ordinary construction foam by releasing it from a can in the required quantity. If you intend that a tunnel will pass through such a natural element, then you should take this into account in advance by placing a plastic or cardboard pipe on the model. Once you use the foam, you won't even need to take it out. Let it lie inside the mountains, and the seams can be disguised with almost anything.
Another indispensable material for landscape work is gypsum or construction putty. Unlike foam, such material is much easier to modify to the desired shape, but it is most often used as a decorative element rather than the main one. Firstly, gypsum weighs quite a lot, so you shouldn’t make large objects out of it. Secondly, over time, the putty may crack, especially if a water-repellent mixture is not used during construction. In general, there are a huge number of options for working on the landscape, so you should approach their choice wisely.
Sanding and painting work
The next stage of building a model railway with your own hands is sanding and painting work. If you used wood for construction, then you can eliminate all unevenness using regular sandpaper. The easiest way to trim dried construction foam is with putty, applying it to all uneven areas. After this, the mountains will become quite smooth. If you're not happy with this, don't be afraid to chip off a couple of pieces of putty to give the natural formation a more natural look.
As soon as the landscape takes the desired shape, open several cans of acrylic paints, pick up brushes and begin to create. It is best to have before your eyes an image of real mountains with vegetation in order to better understand which colors from the palette should be used first. Don't be afraid to apply several layers of paint, as this will only give the future composition a natural look. For example, you can paint the stones gray, then add a little white paint on top, thereby depicting snow on top.
Laying the railway
We are still making a model of the railway with our own hands and are gradually approaching the longest stage of construction - laying the railway track. As a rule, most craftsmen prefer to purchase ready-made material in toy stores, since making a railroad with your own hands can take an unrealistically long time. In addition, plastic parts are quite cheap and you won’t mind breaking them if used carelessly. This is especially true for those people who have children in their family.
The railway is attached to the model using ordinary construction glue. You should not use too long parts during work, as this can give the road an unnatural straightness. It is best to make it have more turns and elevations. Remember not to use too much glue to attach parts to the surface. Also on any tube you will find information that for good fixation, a huge role is played by the force of pressing the part to the surface, and not by a long time of pressing.
Creation of scenery
Once the main element of our layout is done, we can begin creating various decorative elements. You can purchase such parts in toy stores or make them yourself from building materials, if you have a talent for this. For example, on some layouts you can see ordinary medical cotton wool, which plays the role of snow, although most professional designers still prefer to use a special mixture, which is sold in small cans in Christmas stores.
The same applies to the remaining elements of the composition. You can make your own lanterns for a railroad model from ordinary plasticine or buy ready-made decorations in a store. By the way, if you are planning to make a model for Christmas, then it would be a very good idea to replace the standard street lighting with New Year's garlands, but such a solution should be foreseen in advance by cutting several dozen holes in the plywood for the light bulbs - this way the wires will be at the bottom, attached with electrical tape.
Video and conclusion
We hope you now have a better understanding of what it takes to make a mini-model railroad with your own hands. If the information from our article did not seem enough to you, or you still have some questions, then we recommend watching a short video in which a master demonstrates the entire process of making a landscape with his own hands. Such video material will be useful both for a novice designer and for a true master of his craft. If you watch it in its entirety, you will certainly learn how to make beautiful mountains and other natural objects using scrap materials.
You can make a model railway with your own hands, but this will require extensive preparation. When building a model, knowledge in the field of the structure and operation of the railway is required; this can be read in books that are used for training in higher educational institutions, technical schools, as well as in instructions, such as “Rules for the technical operation of the railway”, “Instructions for the railway alarm." There are periodicals such as “Lokotrans”, “Semaphore”, “Railway Business”. In these magazines you can find useful information about the railways of Russia and the world, and some publications have sections dedicated to railway modelling. There you can find descriptions of technologies, working methods, patterns of rolling stock models, and expert advice.
When building a model with your own hands, you need skills in working with various tools: for working with wood - work with a jigsaw, files; for measurements and markings - the ability to use a square, ruler, caliper. To work with electronic devices - correctly mold parts, connect wires, solder, measure current and voltage. If you don’t have the skills to do the job, then it’s worth studying the technique and practicing before starting to build a model railroad. For training, you can purchase cheap materials and tools, and then use high-quality raw materials and tools when building the model.
The construction of a model begins with the creation of a work plan, a route diagram, an approximate map of the terrain - with planning and designing a railway line with your own hands. After the project is ready, the first step is to build a base for the model - a sub-model. In the future, a layout will be located on it, and it will be used as an external surface on which tracks, stations, depots, forests, mountains, rivers will be located, but also an internal part for wires and various devices that ensure the operation of the layout.
Paths are laid on the sub-model. Railway rails and sleepers can be bought in a store, but using special machines you can make them yourself. Few modellers are involved in such production. After laying the tracks and connecting the electrical part of the model, relief and vegetation are created, and models of residential buildings, factories, and train stations are installed.
There are some details on the model, objects you can make with your own hands, or you can buy them in stores. If purchased models are not satisfied with their appearance or do not have sufficient detail, then they can be modified independently. Some modellers use this technique.
Models of houses, plants, lighting poles, traffic lights - all these layout elements can be made independently, at home. You can find more information about how this is done in the articles in the “Layouts and Modules” section of the site.
In addition, the construction of a model is not only the production of individual railway infrastructure objects, it is the unification of all components of the model using a single, identical scale, era, theme of the model and time of year.
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How to make a model railway with your own hands . Toy railroads are integrally associated with childhood. Many of us once owned a plastic or iron model railroad at a young age. And those who could boast of a foreign-made model were considered lucky. Nowadays, the hobby of toy railroads has grown into a large modeling industry. To the main attributes - a track and a locomotive with trailers - trees, houses, roads, cars, and relief surroundings were added. And a table with a full-fledged model of a railway, with many details and little things, is already real art. Abroad, similar products cost from 2 thousand dollars, but in this article we will tell you how to make a full-fledged model of a toy railroad with your own hands. |
Table
.
You will need space for the layout. Ideally, this should be a separate table, but you can get by with a small table, or simply a fenced-off area on any suitable surface. It all depends on your desire and scope. I recommend starting with a small place - for example, part of a table, and then, if you are inspired, make a larger layout. It’s better to start small than to immediately take on a large amount of work and quit halfway.
Starter set
.
The thing without which you won’t be able to make a model railroad is the railroad itself. Or rather, for him, or just ready-made model railways.
.
Sketch
.
To know where you are heading, you need to have a goal in front of your eyes. Make a rough sketch on paper - where everything should be, and what the general appearance of your layout will be. Browse the Internet, look at numerous railroad models and take note of what you like -,. You can make a model of a stop station in the Wild West, or you can make a model of a station in the center of a modern city. But be sure to decide before you get to work. And make markings on the table so that you don’t suddenly discover that the track goes beyond the boundaries of the table, or that it will cling to a passing train.
.
Mountains
.
Through which the train will pass will be the decoration of the layout. To create a small mountain you will need polyurethane foam, plywood, a knife, alabaster and sandpaper.
First, think over and, if possible, draw a sketch of the future mountain. Then knock down a small box of plywood or other suitable material over the rails. Make sure that the size of the box will allow your train to pass freely through the tunnel. Then start applying foam around the box, with pauses of one and a half to two hours, to allow the layers to dry and not sag under their own weight. After you apply the required volume of foam, leave it to dry for at least a day.
After a day, pick up a knife (a stationery knife is more convenient) and start picking at the mountain - cut off the excess pieces, giving it the shape you intended. Cut out hollows, crevices, try to make it as natural as possible.
Next you will need alabaster. Dilute it with water and cover the entire mountain with a thin layer of up to 3 mm. It dries quickly, so use small amounts of it. Then wait again for several hours until everything hardens - it is better not to use a hairdryer.
Now you need to paint the mountain gray. To do this, buy a can of primer at any auto store, matching the color of the gray stone, and you can paint your mountain. Just test the paint on something else first to make sure the color suits you.
Next, use sandpaper and rub the mountain in places to remove layers of primer here and there. This will make the mountain more naturalistic, so that it is not a uniform color, but a shade from light to dark gray. You can repeat painting and sanding several times until you get something you're happy with. You can also paint individual pieces of the mountain white or black to make it more realistic.
Finally, take green paint and tint the pieces of the mountain in the color of green - this way it will be even more naturalistic. Only the paint should be a believable, “moss” color.
Your mountain (or slide) is ready. Congratulations, you've already done quite a bit of work. Next in line are the remaining details of the relief.
Here it all depends on your imagination, the size of the free space and the suitable details that you have. Fill the unoccupied surface of the table - for example, with a dummy, which is sold in stores.
Toy railroads are integrally associated with childhood. Many of us once owned a plastic or iron model railroad at a young age. And those who could boast of a foreign-made model were considered lucky.
Nowadays, the hobby of toy railroads has grown into a large modeling industry. Moreover, this business is already more focused on an adult audience than on children.
To the main attributes - a track and a locomotive with trailers - trees, houses, roads, cars, and relief surroundings were added. And a table with a full-fledged model of a railway, with many details and little things, is already real art.
Abroad, similar products cost from 2 thousand dollars, but in this article I will tell you how to make a full-fledged model of a toy railroad with your own hands.
Table
You will need space for the layout. Ideally, this should be a separate table, but you can get by with a small table, or simply a fenced-off area on any suitable surface. It all depends on your desire and scope. I recommend starting with a small place - for example, part of a table, and then, if you are inspired, make a larger layout. It’s better to start small than to immediately take on a large amount of work and quit halfway.
Starter set
The thing without which it will not be possible to make a model railway is the railway itself. Or rather, a set of rails, a train and a power system for it. Here, alas, there are no alternatives - everything needs to be bought. It’s good that these days there is so much to choose from on the market.
Sketch
To know where you are heading, you need to have a goal in front of your eyes. Make a rough sketch on paper - where everything should be, and what the general appearance of your layout will be. Browse the Internet, look at numerous railroad models and take note of what you like - bridges, crossings, houses, stations. You can make a model of a stop station in the Wild West, or you can make a model of a station in the center of a modern city. But be sure to decide before you get to work. And make markings on the table so that you don’t suddenly discover that the track goes beyond the boundaries of the table, or that the barrier will cling to a passing train.
Mountains
The presence of a mountain with a tunnel through which the train will pass will decorate the layout. To create a small mountain you will need polyurethane foam, plywood, a knife, alabaster and sandpaper.
First, think over and, if possible, draw a sketch of the future mountain. Then knock down a small box of plywood or other suitable material over the rails. Make sure that the size of the box will allow your train to pass freely through the tunnel. Then start applying foam around the box, with pauses of one and a half to two hours, to allow the layers to dry and not sag under their own weight. After you apply the required volume of foam, leave it to dry for at least a day.
After a day, pick up a knife (a stationery knife is more convenient) and start picking at the mountain - cut off the excess pieces, giving it the shape you intended. Cut out hollows, crevices, try to make it as natural as possible.
Next you will need alabaster. Dilute it with water and cover the entire mountain with a thin layer of up to 3 mm. It dries quickly, so use small amounts of it. Then wait again for several hours until everything hardens - it is better not to use a hairdryer.
Now you need to paint the mountain gray. To do this, buy a can of primer at any auto store, matching the color of the gray stone, and you can paint your mountain. Just test the paint on something else first to make sure the color suits you.
Next, use sandpaper and rub the mountain in places to remove layers of primer here and there. This will make the mountain more naturalistic, so that it is not a uniform color, but a shade from light to dark gray. You can repeat painting and sanding several times until you get something you're happy with. You can also paint individual pieces of the mountain white or black to make it more realistic.
Finally, take green paint and tint the pieces of the mountain in the color of green - this will make it even more naturalistic. Only the paint should be a believable, “moss” color.
Your mountain (or slide) is ready. Congratulations, you've already done quite a bit of work. Next in line are the remaining details of the relief.
Here it all depends on your imagination, the size of the free space and the suitable details that you have. Fill an empty table surface - for example, with fake grass, which is sold in stores. Toy houses, figures of people, transport, a railway crossing, a train station with a station, a bridge, trees - these are all the details that will decorate your layout. Many of them can be found in Lego sets, or simply individually in toy stores. Companies that sell products for railway modeling also sell excellent kits, but in this case, be prepared to spend a lot of money.
You can make a model on a large table, with lots of details, relief terrain, electric running and a real miniature town. But you can also make a small model - a battery-powered train, with a small piece of landscape and a few decorative elements.
Whatever option you choose, the model you make will decorate any home and will be of interest to any company - both children and adults.