Scratchbuilding: What to use for N scale downspouts and such?

[ednadolski]

Can anyone recommend a source or suggest options to use for adding downspouts, rain gutters, and other exterior details (lighing, fans, etc.) to an N-scale scratchbuilt structure (specifically, a modern-era trackside warehouse, along the same lines as something from say pikestuff, rix,  or Micro engineering)?   As usual, I'm hoping to find something that is a bit more on the refined side compared to the sometimes-crude parts that come with the older kits.

TIA,
Ed

[wazzou]

I've usually used like, .030 x .040 Styrene for the gutters.  I'd just paint the top edge black to make it look hollow.
For downspouts, depending on era, I'd use .020 round rod or .020 x .030 strip. 
Sometimes I'd use Phosphor Bronze wire too.

I'm not at my bench so these are only recollections.

[davefoxx]

Although my scratchbuilt former Seaboard Air Line station has a different form of gutter, I'd use styrene strip for regular gutters, too.  I used steel piano wire to represent the round downspouts on my prototype.



If you can't find commercial parts to suit your needs, try to cobble the parts together out of styrene, wood, or metal.  Those little bit of details do make the difference.

Hope this helps,
DFF

[Santa Fe Guy]

Yep styrene is your friend. Lots of shapes and sizes to work with.
Most modern buildings use rectangular down-pipes which can easily be replicated with styrene.
This building was scratch built and the vertical styrene covers joins and acts as down pipes.
A small section is added across the top to act as a catch box.
works in the 3 foot rule.
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Rod.

[SkipGear]

Plastruct makes styrene coated wire in a couple sizes that is great for round downspouts. Easy to bend and it holds its shape.

Lots of shape options for gutters, c channel, 1/2 round, rectangle, or if you are really brave, split a tube in half and get 2 hollowed half rounds.

[nkalanaga]

Wire doesn't even have to be plastic coated.  Once painted, nobody can tell anyway.

[Cajonpassfan]

Yep styrene is your friend. Lots of shapes and sizes to work with.
Most modern buildings use rectangular down-pipes which can easily be replicated with styrene.
This building was scratch built and the vertical styrene covers joins and acts as down pipes.
A small section is added across the top to act as a catch box.
works in the 3 foot rule.
Rod.

I miss your N scale Santa Fe, Rod...😿
Otto

[John]

Coat hangers make good scratch building supplies

[peteski]

Coat hangers make good scratch building supplies

While that is true, coat hanger wire seems to be a little too thick for N scale gutter downspout. Maybe bettersuited to H0?

[MK]

Depends.  The cheap crap for men's shirt at the cleaners are really thin!

[davefoxx]

Coat hanger wire can also be a tool.  I've got a 12" piece of coat hanger that I cut at a bevel and has served for years as a drill bit through 2" foam and hollow core doors to run feeder wires.

DFF

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've used coat hangers to solve all sorts of problems.

[davefoxx]

I've used coat hangers to solve all sorts of problems.

. . . such as, hanging a coat.