Not to be confused with a fine scale model, but functional and convincing to visitors. I built a 15 foot by 3 foot, 5 track train shed for only $43 and some paint.
$30 for three sheets of 3’x5’ concrete backer board for the floor
$10 for a 4’ x 8’ foam insulation sheet for the walls
$3 for two 1x3 8 foot furring strips
Other materials include:
a scavenged above ground pool wall for the roof (heavy plastic/fiberglass)
leftover metal studs from a construction site
scavenged 2x4 cut into blocks
Some leftover coroplast from a sign-maker friend
leftover latex paint
Screws and liquid nails
wire mesh cut into window frames
old CD cases for the windows
hot glue
Construction began by attaching a header to the side of my tool shed, then cutting and bending the metal studs to form both the roof rafters and side wall supports every 2 feet. 2x4 wood blocks were used to attach the metal studs to the concrete backer board floor using screws and liquid nails. A furring strip across the top of the side wall secures the wall/rafter metal studs to each other.
The walls were “carved” from blue foam insulation sheets using an old soldering iron, and a wire brush, then painted. I used wire mesh for industrial looking window “frames”, and old CD cases for the “glass” both attached by hot glue. The foam walls are attached to coroplast for extra strength using silicone calk. The coroplast backed side walls were attached to the studs using liquid nails. The front and back walls are attached by Velcro and are removed for running trains, and put in place to keep out the weather and leaves when the trains are stored.
The roof is only attached along the top header and can be easily propped up to work inside.
