Who makes them in OO scale and who stocks them?

While my skills as a craftsman are decent and I've managed to do plenty of decent stuff, there are still some points where I don't think my skills and tools will cut it, or where buying the parts might be better just for the time and hassle saved. Trouble is, I don't know for sure where to buy them from. I shall hereby list what I can think of immediately that I'm after, what for, and bits of pertinent info for each where applicable

• Auto-gear, to detail my 14xx and potential auto-coach models with. It seems a bit fiddly to be scratchbuilt freehand, at least without either a scale drawing or existing detail piece to reference from
• Handrail stanchions. These I want for upgrading some existing engines (especially my Bachmann Thomas engines, which have cheesy molded ones), as well as one potential scratchbuild loco. I can do simplistic wire ones, but the proper knobbed and tapered ones are beyond me (unless there's a trick to it someone can teach me).
• Steam loco chimneys, or at least the caps for them. I want something close to an actual E2 chimney for my Hornby Thomas, for one thing. But I find the making of chimney caps from scratch beyond me at the present.
• Smokebox doors. To have my Thomas engines wear when I want to run them faceless. Probably wouldn't be too painful to make on my own, but it doesn't hurt to know where I could just order some if I so chose.
• Brake pipes. Not the biggest thing here, since I can at least do up smooth-hosed ones readily. But buying ribbed ones seems the better course to scoring the ribbing myself.

You may find some here
OO-scale (1:76) Smiths Components Page 1
Knightwing - UN011 Pipe and Pipe Fittings (Two Sprues)
http://www.ahbservices.co.uk/modelloco.htm

Hi Brendan,

Autogear Good luck. Mainly Trains did them, no longer in business. Make your own from bits of brass or styrene.

Stanchions. Precision Scale over here. eBay has lots. Get the right diameter rail from Tichy.

Chimney and smoke box front/capuchon. I might have a few in the spares. Yours for the postage if I find them. If not Peters Spares. $$$ postage though.

Brake pipes. Make your own from wire. Use soft copper wire (Michaels) wound around brass or p/b. CA or solder in place. Might even have some.

Nigel

Depending on the diameter of the chimney, a technique I used on a damaged Hornby pannier tank may be of help. I used shoe eyelets to create a new cap. one for the bit attached to the chimney, then a slice off the bottom of another for the bit above the flare. A little bit of filler to blend it in, and some paint, and it was indistinguishable from any normal viewing distance.

Try a search on Shapeways, Brendan.

Shapeways 3D Printing Marketplace



Ed

Hi Brendan,

 Looks like I have an autogear set (looks like it anyway), as well as some capuchons. Look plastic but the right copper color. Hornby I believe. No chimneys in brass or smokebox fronts, and only a few anemic looking plastic vacuum pipes that are Dapol and way underscale. Best to make your own.
Model Rail Imports in St. Catherines, ON, stocks this sort of stuff, smokebox front excepted.
PM me your address and I'll pop what I have in the mail.

Nigel

Edit: really not sure about the autogear.

For the ribbed brake hoses the wound guitar strings are a good representation - If you buy a set for an electric guitar three are wound (E,A,D) and three plain (G,B,E), the plain are also useful for thin straight wire as they spring back straight.

I have a few in stock I have kept when I have changed the strings on my guitars.