Written by Howard Lamey and Paul Race) for Big Indoor TrainsTM |
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Building a Tinplate-Inspired "Street Lamp"While Paul and I were still hashing out the details of his "Lewis Park" tinplate station project, I decided the project needed a little something extra. So I looked at old photos of street lights made by companies like Lionel in the pre-WWII era and decided to put together a few for my station setting. These don't actually light - sorry, but they certainly add to the look.Materials Needed:The following list contains suggestions only - you may have something onhand already that suits your purposes better.
Downloading the PlanThe plan for this task is really just to show you one way to put the pieces together. How your final project looks, or what size it is really depends on what materials you wind up using, and your personal preferences. But if you want to download the plan for your sanity's sake, simply click on the graphic to the right to see a plan in the scale used in the photographs.Assembling the Lamp PostFor the "fattest part" part of the post, I cut a stack of cardboard disks to the diameter I wanted, then I wrapped a very thin piece of cardboard around them to camouflauge the edges. I also used a wider circle of solid cardboard at the very base. This gives better support and provides the "flange" look of the original.The steps you take in final assembly of the base will depend on what materials you selected.
ConclusionOf course once you make one of these, you might feel the need to make another five or six. We are definitely interested in seeing how these projects look on your railroad or display village. Please contact us for information about how to send digital photos. For many more sign ideas, you might want to check out the Big Indoor Trains Resources page. That page includes links to many free, downloadable business, station, and street signs that you can download, rescale if necessary, and use to add interest to your railroad and downtown settings. Also, if you have a project idea that you would like us to consider, please use let us know let us know. Finally, now that I'm in "retirement," this hobby has become a sort of avocation for me. Several folks have commissioned me to build specific houses for them. So if you'd like me to "bid" on a cardboard house for you, or if you have any questions at all, please use the e-mail address on my order page to contact me directly. Return to Tribute to Tinplate(tm)
If you liked this project, you may also like:
Other Articles about cardboard houses include:
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