Download This FREE SAMPLE Model Railroad Building With Our Compliments…
On most computers you can simply right click your mouse and select “Save Target As” or “Save Link As” to save the PDF file on your computer. Or can can just double click the link and open the PDF file, and then save it to your computer in the same way you would any other file.
You’ll be surprised how quick and easy it is to make this realistic-looking building for your model railroad.
As a special offer today, you can download the plans for this building with our compliments. Consider it a FREE SAMPLE! That way you can try before you buy any of the other 160+ scale model buildings in the series.
With this FREE SAMPLE you’ll even get 4 signs to go on the front of the building. Just add the one you like best.
You can make this model in OO SCALE, HO SCALE, or N SCALE from any material you like. The card from an old cereal box works well, or you could use some foam board to make the model even stronger.
Simply download the plans… they’re in PDF format, print them on your home printer, glue them to card or foam board, and your model is ready to assemble. It’s that easy! Save the plans to your computer and you can build another at anytime you want.
This free sample is in OO scale, but when purchasing plans from this website you will be given the option to select either OO/HO or N scale.
Take it from me, this model building is a lot of fun to make… and I’m sure it will look incredibly realistic on your model railroad layout.
Download your FREE SAMPLE now with our compliments… and please let your friends know too!
Quick Tip From A Modeler
Daniel G sent in this tip:
I have made structures like this with cardstock before and they turned out great. This time I decided to use cardboard for the roof but core flute sheet for the walls which I got from our local discount variety store for $3.95 a big sheet. The core flute worked great and made it real strong.
To hide the joins at the corners was easy. I glued two paper sides together using the flaps on the plan BEFORE I glued on the core flute which I had precut to the exact side. I used a spray glue. That way the corflute was totally hidden inside the structure and the corners were just the paper design left showing which looked very neat. I also ran a lead pencil along the edge of the roof when finished to hide the carboard edge. These are little tricks I learned so I hope they helps someone.
Making My First Cardboard Building
Article by Kevin C:
I got some cardboard building patterns that had to be downloaded and printed in any scale. The first building I did was a small shed in HO scale that could be used in many applications in a railroad yard or as a wood shed in the wilderness next to a cabin type building plus more.
The cardboard I used was from a cereal box. I printed the pattern by changing my printer’s settings to scale it to 87% of the actual size. The PDF came to me as OO scale so I reduced the pattern to 87% so it would be exactly HO scale. I then glued the pattern to the cardboard with an ordinary school glue stick coating the paper and the cardboard and then applied the pattern. After rolling with a hard rubber wall paper roller to remove all or any air bubbles making sure not to fold or rip the pattern, I left it for the glue to dry over night.
I carefully cut out the glued pattern using a scalpel and a steel ruler to keep the cuts as straight as possible. I also left a glue tag along the bottom edge of the wall sections so that I could add a floor as this will also make the building stronger. I scored the cardboard where it needed to be bent with the back edge of an old blunt blade. I also cut around three sides of the door and scored the forth side so that the door could open. I then bent all the glue tags at right angles using a square edge of the MDF cutting board and also the corners of the building. I cut the floor section making sure it was the right size and square.
I glued the sections together using a small tube of super glue making sure not to glue myself to the cardboard and clamped the joints together with some small spring loaded craft clamps and left them to dry doing just the wall joints first and making sure that they matched, then I glued in the floor and finally the roof section and the ridge molding. Having a floor makes it easier to glue in position on the layout.
By taking your time and paying attention to detail you will have a pretty good looking building to add to your layout and they are also inexpensive to download and make. I added some clump foliage, some railroad junk just scattered about the building, a couple of shovels and picks leaning against the shed and also some railroad workers to add more realism to the scene.
I also made a second shed and a cabin in some where between N and HO scale to add to a mountain scene away from the railroad as though it was in the background. The cabin and the shed were surrounded with pine trees. I scattered some under brush material around the clearing including same small tree stumps painted and weathered. I cut up some small dowel into firewood lengths and split these with a chisel to represent cut firewood and made a small pile by the door of the shed and a larger piece as the chopping block I also found a white metal axe in my junk box and painted and weathered it and glued it to the top of the chopping block.
My first cardboard buildiung was a little HO scale cabin
By adding the small details to a scene the viewer will notice them, perhaps not at first but they do add interest and I noticed that viewers love to make comments on the things that they find, like further up the ridge a hunter returning to the cabin with a small deer on his back. I heated the small plastic model deer in hot water until it was soft enough to move the legs etc to fold over the shoulders of the hunter then glued in place. A small thin piece of plastic rod to represent the rifle glued to the shoulder of the hunter makes it look real. You don’t need to model the whole gun as the rest would be hidden by the deer.
On the cabin chimney I painted the top with grime paint to represent the soot and creosote from the fire. I added a female person in the doorway of the cabin and a small boy playing with a dog in the clearing. I added a phone booth as an outhouse toilet against the trees from a different set to complete the scene.