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  • Member since
    December 2017
Supplies
Posted by KyleBragger on Monday, April 9, 2018 2:47 PM

Sorry if this has been asked before; I have quite bad luck with the search feature returning anything remotely matching my search terms.

Anyhow, I'm getting in to diorama building. I am curious what everyone's go-to online shops are for supplies: grass/foliage/trees, plastic stuff like railroad tracks, lampposts, that kind of thing. (I'm in the US, if that matters.)

Also, FWIW I am building primarily in 1/48, which I think is O scale (I mention this as I've had a heck of a time trying to find plastic, unpainted railroad tracks, for instance.)

  • Member since
    August 2014
  • From: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posted by goldhammer on Monday, April 9, 2018 3:38 PM

If you have a local hobby shop that deals in model railroad stuff, craft store can supply trees, bushes, etc.  I know Hobby Lobby caries that kind of material.  Micro Mark has extensive model rail and dio materials.

As for plastic rail, nothing comes to mind, but you can get formable sections in various scales, metal with ties, but don't know about "O".

Pick up a model rail magazine and check the ads in it for other suppliers.

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Monday, April 9, 2018 3:52 PM

Micro Mark is good, and so is Walthers. Woodlands Scenics is a good brand and easy to find online.

1/48 railroad stuff is US O Scale, but O Gauge comes in a range of scales.

 European will be bigger scale. The evil genius in model railroad scales is that there are a small number of different track gauges, usually metric in origin, and modelers back into a model scale by using available track and scaling the gauge of their prototype. 

AFA available track, don't be afraid to lay your own if it's not complex or involves turn outs.

Atlas make O scale 2 rail flex track.

 

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    December 2017
Posted by KyleBragger on Monday, April 9, 2018 6:35 PM

Cool, thanks for all the info. I realized I might have been a bit confusing before; I'm not building railroads per se (mostly aircraft and armor), but do want to incorporate e.g. some trolley tracks and stuff like that.

 

I will check out the resources mentioned. Thanks!

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Saturday, April 14, 2018 4:33 PM

There's the rub.  The model railroaders out there want either nickle-steel or brass track (for electrical conductivity) in O (or 0) guage layouts.  So, that's probably what you'll find out there.

Now, I want to remember that Plastruct had a rail section (for overhead crane tracks) in their line--but, that was long ago, and may be out of stock.

Trolley tracks are largely "buried" into the streets they traverse, so you might be forgiven for using a plastic "I" section sized to be close to the top of the rail, and let the rest sort of "vanish" into the space in the pavement/cobblestones, etc.

However, the bress O guage rail is pretty reasonable, and very forgiving.  There are "rail brown" patina chemicals available for those, too.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Saturday, April 14, 2018 4:47 PM

Afraid ki can't help you with stores as i am in the UK. But for ground work i mainly use woodland scenices and greenline materials. Woodlan makes a good selection of flock and scatter materails which if used right look nice. Greenline makes a range of tufts plants and other materials. I build in 35th but these can be used for variying scales.

There is one site in the US i have used called scenic factory, might wnat to check them out.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    December 2017
Posted by KyleBragger on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 1:07 PM

Thanks for all the replies, folks. Lots to check out.

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