Recommended Scratchbuilding YouTubers

Sometime after Super opened an appreciation thread for early Plarail/Thomas/other train YouTubers, it had given me an idea to start one for channels I've found that have helped me see the merits of scratchbuilding my own trains (and, eventually, unique track systems in different gauges, designs and colours). Some users I've chosen to show here only made them as a one-time thing, while the others dedicate their whole channels to their railway systems (which are mostly made of cardboard). The latter group will be featured first. Note: the mere order I've listed them in does not reflect when I've discovered them, my opinions about the variety or quality of their models, building techniques, teaching methods, choice of materials or other such factors.

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Miniature Vehicle India



Arguably one of the quintessential channels in this scratchbuilding scene. It seems a big number of his trains are made to be suitable for outdoor use, which might be why they're mostly metal (though he does make them from cardboard in a few videos). Naturally, the idea of printing out templates and tracing them onto sheets gives a much more professional appearance than the imprecise, unmeasured pieces my models are made of. I've been highly impressed by his advanced knowledge of electronics, such as knowing how to conduct power through metal rails and build controllers that work like traditional model rail ones. Fortunately, he was aware power/control methods like these would be out of reach for many viewers and offered more accessible alternatives, like a TV remote powered receiver and an off the shelf RC kit. He even went to the trouble of making pantographs that actually take current from overhead lines and deliver it to his locomotives. One of the only downsides to the tutorials apart from being in Hindi: various crucial steps are deliberately omitted, forcing viewers to figure out what isn't shown/described in the videos on their own. Regardless, it's still one of the higher-end channels I've come across and I'm not surprised how popular it's become (over 116,000 subs at the time of writing).

Quazar



Pronounced /ˈkweɪzɑːr (KWAY-zar). This one started out as a general DIY YouTuber who made homemade versions of items ranging from gloves to a working cardboard vacuum cleaner. At a later point, they began to focus entirely on building trains for different track systems. In addition to regular raised rails on individual sleepers, they later began offering a more Plarail/Wooden like system (without connectors) with simpler trains made to look like BRIO toys; with plastic couplings rather than magnets. One of my favourite rolling stock they made for it is a motorised pump trolley with two moving riders driven by an N20 and Li-Po battery. Of course, there are also the two steam locos I showed with hot wire smoke units that made me wish I could implement smoke without a fire based generator (at the time). They also made Thomas the Tank Engine for both systems - one version is based on the Lionel O gauge one and the other is like TOMY or Nylint. Three other projects they've made I really like are this one-off wooden train set with a small shunter and two trucks, this articulated bus with a specially folded piece of paper and this Trivision billboard like the one from that Underground Ernie playset. Certain trains for the realistic track have locos with only one gear on the driving axle, which could make them too fast and underpowered compared to those with the yellow gearboxes (the majority of them).

BumBin Creative



Like Miniature Vehicle India, this smaller Indonesian creator builds their rolling stock bodies by tracing the sides and ends onto large sheets (albeit cardboard instead of metal) to give them a near perfect finish; like an amalgam of the two aforementioned styles. They've put so much effort into their system they have an entire railway with elevation, slopes, bridges, sidings, points and more. I wonder if using nylon or metal zip ties for the rails might make them more durable than the thin cardboard strips. Another thing they were able to pull off was a (neat) design for knuckle couplers that stay together without having the knuckles, which should be of great help to me and a few others. Unlike Quazar's locos without gearboxes, they initially had motorised bogies with one driven axle but now have one or two dual shaft motors to provide 4WD. It apparently makes them strong enough that two locos can double head a realistic train. Not sure if it's the plastic yoghurt can(?) bottoms along with the normal cardboard flanges, but the wheels are so perfect the trains never wobble when running (not even once). Before upgrading to RC, most of the locos were controlled using on board speed control dials.

Arthur Blakey (The Cardboard Engine Shed/A.B. Railfan)



I found this builder and his series of showcase videos called The Cardboard Engine Shed when I wanted to see how to make coupling rods that link wheels together and move how they're supposed to. I adopted two techniques he showed in the only tutorial he made and used them when making 69420. He made more locos than what he showed in the 14 episode series, among them: Evening Star, Flying Scotsman, Henry, a GWR Hall and a Union Pacific Challenger. For a reason unknown to me, he sadly deleted the videos that weren't part of the series. A bit of a shame none of the other episodes were tutorials like the first one, though he does show some of the locos being taken apart or from underneath to show certain features they have (or how he put them together). The chassis tutorial is easy to follow and very well explained, so it would've been cool if he made other ones like it. Too bad he never made coaches, trucks and other stock to go with his brilliant locos. His first motorised one (an LMS 4F) made me want to try using a belt drive when he showed that was how he powered it.

World of Models



Most of these marvellous large models (ranging from 1:45 to 1:35 scale) look to be made for static display, and the few that are motorised don't have a practical track system like the other creators make for their stock. Not to say it makes them any less top notch with the levels of detail and effort that wouldn't (normally) be matched in smaller scales like the above. For example, I especially like the cab interior and lighting on their 1:35 scale WAP-7. The types of cardboard they use look different from common ones, to the point where I initially mistook them for styrofoam or PVC. Apart from the Indian (and one Indonesian) locos, they also have Thomas, Percy and Toby with sculpted faces and googly eyes. Oddly, they made Thomas 4WD despite not giving him coupling rods, which (if mounted accurately) would necessitate the front wheels being powered or synchronised. Would've loved to see their interpretations of trains from other parts of the world, but they do have a Tokyo Metro one with Crayon Shin-chan advertising.

Mr. Mini Gadget



Another good Indian channel with a selection of great rolling stock and multiple ways to make certain components like track, wheels and bogies (e.g. cardboard, paper, PVC or metal wheels and different manufacturers' bogie designs). The track initially had wooden sleepers and PVC rails until he began offering H0 scale track with sunboard sleepers and metal rails. He goes into the specifics of how types of coaches differ internally, which aren't normally as clear as the external designs of goods vehicles and could often be overlooked. Furthermore, he has separate videos showing how to render oddly specific details, ranging from various underframe parts to an on board fire extinguisher. I like his approach to interiors in general, like in this ICF sleeper coach. He's also one of the few people I've seen who show how to make knuckle couplers with moving parts that act like the real things, which only seems to work well in bigger scales; Kadee uses springs and magnetic "hoses" for anything O scale or smaller. My only gripes? No closed captions for non Hindi speakers and long intros with him showing his face before the actual content.

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The next few are general DIY creators who made one-off train sets, but I've taken nearly as much inspiration from them as I have from the dedicated channels. Rather than links to the channels, I've attached the only relevant videos and the ideas I credit them for; whether I've actually used them or not.

BigWR_永恒跳动的火焰 & Inventus



Two near identical versions of the same train set by two completely different YouTubers. When I made cardboard parts for narrow gauge plastic track, I used BigWR's version as a reference for the switch blade design to ensure the points would function properly (they did). The only other thing I took from it was the cowcatcher design from Inventus' version, which they also used on a Coca-Cola train with a 4-6-0. I don't like how the rest of it looks compared to the realistic trains or Quazar's "BRIO-like" ones.

The Q, Liberman & RC Toy & Experiments



While I know Liberman (no relation to Avigdor Lieberman) isn't a "one-off" and builds a myriad of different trains, I put these together since they are three different takes on one concept: a large layout with working points, a bridge and a wide variety of colourful props throughout it. Everything typically included in many commercial train sets, with additional time, resources, effort and skills that (IMO) can make it as rewarding as a G scale or LEGO railway. I was going to include Liberman among the "train channels" until I felt the trains were inferior to the (amazing) machinery they normally build. As much as I like all three of them, The Q's version is the clear winner for me. The train from RCT&E's version looks better than the other two (actual bogies and a direct real life basis, the Vande Bharat Express), but it runs the worst even though they all have the same gearbox. Even other trains with cardboard flanges can run as smoothly as those with the bottle cap ones. One thing I find weird is how all the non-native English speakers who make these refer to points as "track changers" when they can call them "switches", no matter where they are from. Could be a literal translation from Portuguese ("aparelho de mudança de via") that spread to different countries online. Any layout like these could be ten times as fun to build and operate as individual trains.

Dellai Sam (Делай Сам) & Self Crafts




Instead of opting for battery power like everyone else in the thread (barring MVI), these two were able to figure out how to help those who wish to upgrade to track power without using components from existing trains. Sam made sure to highlight the importance of pickups on other parts of a loco besides the wheels, along with solutions for other issues it may encounter. Even after adding traction tyres right over the wheel pickups, it still functions properly thanks to the auxiliary ones. The loco in Self Crafts' PVC train seems to be hindered by lacking them, unless the frame rate's not very good and it runs/ran more smoothly in real time. Best of all: Sam chose to go the safe route for current by using 3x AA batteries to feed the rails, while Self Crafts didn't think to add a disclaimer before showing they used an AC adapter. There's also an Instructables version of the tutorial for Sam's set.

Mr. Kryzer



I put this one here since I like the technique used for the track: the rails are long straw-like tubes bent by (temporarily) inserting metal wires, with toothpick connectors glued into the hollow rails at one end of each piece. Other track designs I've found rarely have built-in connectors and are either joined using tape or have no connectors at all. I'd recommend having the second connector at the other end of one rail to allow flipping the curves without turning them over. The only potential problem is the tube rails might be too rounded for the flanges to grip, which may or may not cause derailments. The bullet train runs like a charm throughout the video, so I could be wrong.

DIY Creative Lab



Just like skewers snd matchsticks, popsicle sticks can be equally great for making outstanding wooden art. The cool 2-4-0 in this set was one of my main inspirations for building a US-outline model, despite my clear preference for UK and other European designs and how (almost) every toy train with a steam loco uses American features. Even the 2x AA battery pack is made specifically for it including the terminals, which look to be made from paper clips soldered to each other. It's also one of the first projects where I recall seeing superglue with a tube to make it safer to apply, which seems more helpful than a regular cap. Only the wheels should've been made from a stronger material, and it would've looked better with a passenger or goods train that matches the realistic engine.

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With all the effort I've put into this thread, I (inevitably) left out many other creators like them. If you have any honourable mentions, feel free to add them in the comments. Sure hope seeing the work of these talented folk will inspire other BPT members to take notes from them and try their luck. Maybe even build full layouts or take them to those fancy "train shows" if they're good enough.

[Super]

Really impressed with the cardboard rails

Update: I found the track-powered set I initially couldn't find and added a new section for it, along with another one I found later where only the sleepers are cardboard.

Excellent thread and lead-in post. Well done.