Bits of old clocks, other plastic scrap and a glue gun
My son was looking through one of his model train mag's and saw an article about making up 'loads' and came to show me.
I had a think about it and set to work collecting bits of scrap plastic and the workings from old electronic clocks etc.
My first job was to measure the internal sizes of his trucks which are mostly 29 or 30 mm wide with the lengths from about 63 to 84 mm.
What could I use to make the first 'load' ... a stack of pipes ? The answer was left in my sons mug ... a 'magic straw' ( the ones that have strawberry crystals in them to turn milk into a fruity drink ). Cut them into 2 or 3 equal lengths and glued 6 of them into a 3 by 3 stack. Paint them blue for water pipes, yellow for gas and silver for steel then glue two lengths of 29 mm long 'stirring sticks' from a well know fast food restaurant as supports and finally wrap some black nylon sewing cotton to form the bindings.
The next load was a pile of scrap metal. Simply bits of scrap plastic ( found one of my sons old damaged cars with that 'silvered plastic' ) cut into small bits then stuck onto one of the many false credit cards we get through the post as junk mail cut to size and then all painted silver and finally added the springs from old pens. Did the same with the plastic painted brass.
Next came some 'tarpaulin' covered loads. Again various shapes of plastic stuck to some thin board, used a pair of my sons old blue jog bottoms cut into bits and stuck over the 'loads' then the nylon cotton was used as ropes.
Finally came some 'steel girders' ... had an old aluminium cold frame that had lost the battle the last high winds we had so I cut these to length ( making sure all burrs we removed ) again the 'stirring sticks' and nylon to complete the effect.
OK they are not as good as some of the efforts by those we see at exhibitions but my son was very happy with them and that's all that matters !
To be honest it was quite therapeutic !
Chris