N Scale Mailbox

[Carolina Northern]

Anybody seen an N scale mailbox? The standard one that sits on a post in front of many houses, not a postal drop box.
This sounds like a perfect Shapeways project.
I thought about stratching them, but to many too small for these old eyes.
A point in the right direction would be appreciated.

[Hornwrecker]

I found these at Shapeways:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/881259/n-scale-50-mailboxes-flag-down.html?li=productBox-search

[chuck geiger]

http://modeltechstudios.com/nscalemailboxesroadside-curbsidedetailing.aspx

[jprince46]

http://www.shapeways.com/model/686389/n-scale-rural-mailbox.html?li=moreFromDesigner&material=60

[wazzou]

Rectangular Evergreen Styrene with some Evergreen half round glued to the top. 

[GP38-2freak]

I found those:

http://www.americanarchetypemodels.com/shop/mailboxes-set-of-12/

Detail Associates also makes some

Tim

[rogergperkins]

I ordered the postal drop boxes, HOWEVER I know from reading your post that these are not the ones you want.
I like want was shown at Shapeway and would consider them after I get the other pending orders I have with Shapeway. 
Much of my layout is of areas where these were only on the rural delivery route.  People went to the Post Office to pick up their mail in my home village.

[Carolina Northern]

Thanks, guys. I guess I need to learn how to find things in Shapeways. I tried, but didn't find the ones you showed.
 
I tried to build one last night from what I had around the bench - couldn't make it small enough to look right.
Not giving up yet, but the Dallas Hostler ones look like exactly what I need.

[Philip H]

Blairline also had one - discontinued now - P/N N064.  I have a set or two at home, and plan to use most of them.

[Dave Schneider]

Rectangular Evergreen Styrene with some Evergreen half round glued to the top. 

+1. Should at least give this a try. Much more economical than purchasing a finished part.

Best wishes, Dave

[nkalanaga]

I'd also go with the Evergreen.  Not only cheaper, but one strip will do an entire subdivsion, and they can be mounted on any type of post or base you like.   

[Carolina Northern]

After lots of advice and some measuring = I found that the standard rural mailbox is 7 inches wide, 9 inches tall and 19 - 20 inches deep.

I fiddled around and ended up making them slightly oversized so they could be seen.



The most common colors are black, silver, and white, so I made a variety of colors and post types and colors.

I got a good deal on some houses recently and I suddenly have  asubdivision on the Northern. Fourteen houses - didn't want all mailboxes tolook alike.

Not perfect, but they'll do until DKS decides to make us some.

[Dave Schneider]

Those look great! Now get yourself an N scale baseball bat, some cheap beer, and a pickup truck and get to work!

Best wishes, Dave

[nkalanaga]

You can start with mine.  Mailbox Baseball was popular here in eastern Kentucky 15 to 20 years ago, and we got tired of replacing mailboxes.  Besides that, the carrier was complaining that our box was too small, and we had one of the oversized ones.  Think an HO box on an N railroad...

So, I had one built by the local machine shop.  A shop specializing in "Heavy truck driveline repair and utility trailer manufacture" of all things.  Twelve inches square by 16 deep, to be welded from quarter inch steel plate, with a piece of 6 inch steel pipe 6 inches long welded to the bottom.  Four holes in the pipe, equally spaced around the bottom, for nails.  The idea was to mount it on a round post, which we already had.

They were out of quarter inch plate, so had to use 5/16, recycled from a scrapped CSX coal car.  The post was a little large, so I trimmed it with a hatchet.  The finished box weighs about 160 pounds, and it took two of us to get it on top of the post, where I had to drive it on with a sledgehammer.  Didn't dent a bit.  I never have gotten paint to stick to it, even with wire brushing and primer coats, but if it's been bashed, we haven't notice it.  We looked for loose arms for several months...

[rogergperkins]

Nice looking scratch built mail boxes.  More realistic that any of the purchased options were likely to be because you captured the various styles and colors.