For those who are just starting out in the world of Lionel or any other brand of trains, and who are looking to add wood structures to them, the first instinct may be to go out and buy pre-packaged sets. After all, why go to all the trouble and time to build wooden train structures yourself when you can just go out and buy a kit designed for that very purpose?<\/p>\n
Although it takes a little more work, there are several reasons to build your own wooden train structures.<\/p>\n
First, many hobbyists enjoy the task of building wooden train structures themselves. Hobbyists have more fun with it by participating in achievement programs and competitions. For anyone participating in competitions or an achievement program (or even for a Master Builders Structures certification), there are several guidelines to follow.<\/p>\n
Second, hobbyists may not be able to get what they want from pre-packaged kits, leaving them with little choice but to build it themselves.<\/p>\n
After deciding to build custom wood structures, it’s time to get started. The first step is to collect the tools you will need. If you can put together a Craftsman’s Toolkit, this job should be simple. Most of the tools you may already have on hand are items such as a scale ruler, single edge razors, an Xacto knife (or similar), and a small square. These are the absolute basics, although in order to make life easier on yourself, it would also be a good idea to go out and invest in items like a miter box, a saw, and a steel plate (preferably with a square grid). Filled with side weights (for the purpose of having adjustable weights), aluminum side rails with extra magnets, small clamps, a chopper, a sander, and smaller things like nails, pencils, scissors, and glass plates.<\/p>\n
After getting the tools, the next step is to make (to expand) a plan for the structure. Once that is obtained, the wood raw materials must be collected. Stripwood is a good choice. Commercially available siding is acceptable as covering.<\/p>\n
Before beginning assembly, the wood is stained or, if desired, treated. Variations in the wood can give structures a more realistic look. If you want these differences, you will need to pre-color them before assembly.<\/p>\n
The last step is assembling the structure. If you want to deck and see the interior (which is a must if the building is in front) you should be sure to make the roof removable (cover trusses with boards, then shingles; rowing and cross bracing are recommended for both stability and strength). Nail holes are absolutely necessary for baseboard siding. This can be achieved by using straight staples for smaller structures or larger nails that require a reversing wheel. All sub-assemblies must be assembled before attempting to attach them to the building (if you plan to paint the building, do not place the sub-assemblies until this is done). Use clear plastic or glass for windows.<\/p>\n
Once your wooden train structures are finished, they are sure to take your train to the next level. They will last a lifetime and will work great with Lionel or any other brand of droppers you choose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For those who are just starting out in the world of Lionel or any other brand of trains, and who are looking to add wood structures to them, the first instinct may be to go out and buy pre-packaged sets. After all, why go to all the trouble and time to build wooden train structures…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christyspancakehouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}