This is a list of materials that will find many uses in the construction of your model railway. Some will be obvious and some not so obvious. Most are easily obtainable and where they are more difficult I have tried to give a link to an online supplier. It's best to start getting together those that you think you may use sooner rather than later. A lot of them, and their usage, will also be found under the Hints & Tips heading.
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B.
Biro, Empty - Good for scribing brickwork on various materials.
Bluetac - I use minute blobs on the feet of my figures to stick on pieces of card while I paint them also to locate them around the railway.
Buttons : Great for wheels of all kinds as well as pulley's.
C.
Cardboard - Start off collecting freebies. Have a look round the kitchen for cereal boxes and other packaging, some of it is of surprisingly high quality. The best quality you have to get from art shops, photographic suppliers, or printers.
Chalk - Coloured chalks, when turned into a powder, make a good weathering medium, not harsh in use.
Clear Plastic Sheet - Don't know the proper name for this but it is the stuff that is a 'window' in many boxes so that you can see what's inside without opening the box. Great for windows.
Coffee Grounds, dried - Great for use as scatters.
Containers, empty - Glass, plastic, cardboard, all kinds as you will be needing plenty to hold all your bits and pieces.
Copper Tape : Coming in lots of sizes on Ebay.
Cork - In sheets for rail underlay, makes for quieter running, offcuts can be ground up for ballast and coloured after laying.
D.
Drinking straws - For pipes or tubing, depending on scale.
Dyes, different colours - For colouring sawdust.
G.
Gum, liquid paper - For brickpapers and other light weight sticking jobs.
H.
Humbrol Paints : Showing the range of Humbrol paints now under the Airfix banner.
K.
Kebab sticks - For the BBQ but very useful to us as timber lengths, telegraph poles, posts, again depending on scale.
L.
Labels, sticky - As well as the obvious use will also cut very thin with a sharp blade for window bars.
M.
Masking Tape - As well as it's obvious use it has a handy texture for things like covers. Try painting a strip and let your imagination work on it.
Matchsticks - For posts, wagon loads, timber yard stacks and other things, depending on the scale you are using.
Metal Foil : Excellent material for adding that metal finish to your plastic models.
Metals : Angles, tubes and shets, different sizes from Terrain Warehouse.
Micro Krystal Clear : Very handy glue type substance that makes great small windows.
Milliput - A two part epoxy very useful for modelling all kinds of things from people to chimney pots. Sets rock hard.
P.
Paints - water colour, acrylic, enamel, emulsion, all kinds for different jobs but only in smallish quantities.
Paper - Of reasonable quality, for rolling into tubes of all types.
Paper - Waterproof - For Inkjet and laser printers. A UK supplier.
Paper - Waterproof - For Inkjet and laser printers. A USA supplier.
Plaster - I use both plaster of paris, for fine work, like casting, otherwise any cheapo stuff. Good for ground cover, hill sides, casting almost anything, a hundred uses around the layout.
Plywood Sheets : Ideal for modelling in thickness from 0.4mm and 305mm x 305mm.
Polythene Bags - Freezer bags or the like as more containers for scatter etc.
PVA, white wood working glue - Obviously for woodwork and as one of the best adhesives for card modelling.
S.
Sand, fine - Another good scatter and for use on river banks or country roads.
Sawdust - Has many uses as will be seen elsewhere on the site.
Shellac - Either dry flakes, to mix yourself with methylated spirits, or ready mixed button polish or knotting. There are two links on the suppliers page from AG Woodcare and Tiranti
String - The very thin kind. Makes good hose pipes when it is coloured appropriately, depending on scale.
Suede Brush - Very handy for cleaning rolling stock wheels.
T.
Tea bag strings - Handy for ropes, cables etc, scale dependent.
Tea leaves, dried - Start drying out those used tea bags. Makes great earth scatter and as an addition to ballast.
Toothpicks - Same as for matchsticks depending on shape. Some have fancy ends.
Toilet Roll - Keep handy on the work bench to mop spills up and wipe paint brushes on. The plain kind also makes excellent curtains in all scales.
U.
UHU glue - Or similar, stringless preferably.
V.
Varnish - both gloss and matt, usually in small quantities and not at the beginning unless you are going to varnish your baseboard as added protection.
W.
Water Putty : USA supplier of this modelling material.
Water Putty : Australian supplier of this modelling material.
Wire, florists - Makes excellent tree formers, point rodding, hand rails, fencing, railings, again scale dependent. Comes in various thicknesses.
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