N Gauge Forum

General Category => N Gauge Discussion => Topic started by: SmokeNpoke on March 30, 2016, 09:10:31 PM

Title: Making a castle
Post by: SmokeNpoke on March 30, 2016, 09:10:31 PM
I live next to Pontefract castle in West yorkshire and would love to model it but haven't the first clue how to or where to even start, if there's any good modellers on here that could assist me that would be great. TIA
Title: Re: Making a castle
Post by: rhysapthomas on March 30, 2016, 09:15:45 PM
Hi

This months Model rail has some articles on castles in layouts including making a small castle from Scratch using modelling clay on foamboard  it is in OO but technique should work  in N

I hope to try out a small castle very soon but I think I will use a downloaded stone paper from Scalescenes

Best of luck
Title: Re: Making a castle
Post by: Bealman on March 30, 2016, 10:42:03 PM
Depends upon the material you want to use - there is plenty of choice. Mine would be embossed styrene sheets, but card could be used also. Over the years I have experimented with carved plaster with varying degrees of success.

Of course, if you intend modelling a real castle, then lots of photographs and measurements are essential before you even start.  :beers:
Title: Re: Making a castle
Post by: Oldman on March 30, 2016, 10:48:10 PM
Quote from: SmokeNpoke on March 30, 2016, 09:10:31 PM
I live next to Pontefract castle in West yorkshire and would love to model it but haven't the first clue how to or where to even start, if there's any good modellers on here that could assist me that would be great. TIA
Bucket and spade plus  sand. 
Oops sorry wrong kind of castle  :laugh3:
Title: Re: Making a castle
Post by: RichardBattersby on April 02, 2016, 08:31:07 AM
Being a Yorkshireman I'm ashamed to say I never knew there was a castle in Pontefract! :-[
Title: Re: Making a castle
Post by: NeMo on April 02, 2016, 09:20:26 AM
Quote from: rhysapthomas on March 30, 2016, 09:15:45 PM
This months Model rail has some articles on castles in layouts including making a small castle from Scratch using modelling clay on foamboard  it is in OO but technique should work  in N

Air-drying clay on foam board is a method David Wright uses a lot in his excellent "Making Rural Buildings for Model Railways" book.

I've been using this technique a lot recently for scratchbuilding buildings, and you can get quite good results putting the clay on cardboard or balsa wood too. You can pick up large packs of DAS clay at "The Works" for £4, so it's also a very cheap technique as well. Of course for castle ruins all you need are the walls. But if you combine with plasticard roofing, etched brass window frames and so you can come up with all sorts of other buildings too.

Cheers, NeMo
Title: Re: Making a castle
Post by: daveg on April 02, 2016, 05:35:22 PM
As an alternative and it is 'RTP' but this set looked OK to me:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/n-gauge-n-scale-castle-ruins-train-set-railway-layout-/121937017204 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/n-gauge-n-scale-castle-ruins-train-set-railway-layout-/121937017204)

I guess it all depends on your skill level/determination but if you do give it a go please let us know how you get on.

Dave G