Western Ontario Division NMRA

Western Ontario Division NMRA

Is going to be using Model Builder in their upcoming clinic, details as follows:

The details for the meet at Port Stanley on June 13.


We are going to make a Paper Model Building in the scale of your choice ... you can also take a free example home because they cost so little to print out and because the software company, Evan Designs who makes the building program encourages us to do so.

Free Building

You may not be ready to commit to scratch building a plastic or wood model with its attendant material cost and construction and research time. Paper model buildings let you try some new ideas, see how large a building is and then work the new addition into your railroad at minimum cost. In fact they look so good they can be made permanent by gluing to cardboard or card stock or foam core.

There will be a question and answer time about the software. Within the software package are examples of period architecture from different geographic regions. You can also design very detailed structures by simply cutting and pasting from the menu.

The tools which you need to bring are very basic and include: (https://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/pages/build-a-chipboard-building) a sharp hobby knife, cutting mat, white glue, toothpicks and metal straight edge.

Build it and they will come ...

Well, we advertised and they showed up. Eighteen of us met in the basement of Port Stanley’s Presbyterian Church on a pleasant Saturday morning to build the free variety store from Evan designs (https://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/).

Evan produces a line of software from which you can select wall finishes, window types and signs to design your own buildings. This is then printed out. I downloaded the free variety store file and Van Pelts Stationary in St Thomas printed it onto heavy cover stock in beautiful colour using a laser printer.

We met a 9 am, ate donuts, drank coffee, socialized and prepared to meet our project. This is an easy project and the tool requirements are minimal, just an Xacto knife, straight edge and glue. You have to give a little thought to where the tabs go and which part you should start with but the process is very forgiving of errors.

Everyone finished the little store and it was ready to go on the layout with no additional work. Of course, with some additional detailing like an LED over the front porch and a shrubbery on the side it would be almost a contest winner. Evan suggests that the paper should be sealed with a spray of dull coat and a bit of weathering with acrylic coats.

Evan also donated two free software packages called Model Builder. We raffled one off, of which John Kanakos was the lucky winner. We shall raffle off the other at another make and take clinic in the fall.

Photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.ca/rplanglois/EvansDesignsNMRAClinicJune2009#

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Thank you once again for your support.

-- Robert Langlois