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 some 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 have only made them as a one time thing, while the others dedicate their whole channels to their (mainly cardboard) railway systems. The latter group will be featured first. I've also been under the impression it's a big hobby in India, since many happen to be Indian and replicate their local rolling stock and other practices. Might be the same reasons why there are so many Japanese railfans. Note: the mere order I've listed them in does not reflect when I discovered them, my opinions about the variety or quality of their models, building techniques, teaching methods, choice of materials or other similar factors.

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Miniature Vehicle India



Arguably one of the quintessential channels in the "full blown" scratchbuilding scene. It appears 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 recall being 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. On the less complicated side of things, he made two separate videos showing how he made a smoke unit and diesel sound mechanism for a WDM-2. Might be the first one I've seen who incorporates such elements in fully homemade railways. 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 (almost) 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). My unfinished transfer table used a similar straight piece for the platform and it seemed rather effective. One of my favourite rolling stock they made for it is a motorised pump trolley with two moving riders driven by a micro gearbox and Li-Po battery. Of course, there are also the two steam locos I showed with heating element smoke units that made me wish I could implement smoke without a fire based generator (at the time). Among the trains are two versions of Thomas the Tank Engine for both systems - one based on the Lionel O gauge one and the other like TOMY or Nylint. However, they're both missing his colours and have intentionally bad faces, so the regular trains look more aesthetically pleasing. 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. Personally, I would've preferred plastic or metal zip ties for the rails to 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 even 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). I love how most of their locos have an on board speed control dial and run on Li-ion batteries. They have yet to build any steam engines, which I'm sure would turn out equally awesome.

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 actually 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 unfortunately 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 could do other ones like it. He recently made a kit of the narrow gauge shunter above and sold it for a limited time including a bag for small parts that were required for it. I would've loved if he 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 grade 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 lights 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 knuckles that act like the real things, which only seems to work well in bigger scales (part of why 3D printing was invented; 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 users who only made one-off railway systems, 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 a narrow gauge plastic track system, 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 the Inventus version, which they also used on one of their own trains with a Coca-Cola 4-6-0. I don't like how the rest of it looks compared to the realistic trains or Quazar's "BRIO like" ones. I recall a third set like it with conductive (foil) rails, though I'm not sure who made it or if the video is still around.

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 some "non model" 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 (good livery, actual bogies and a vague resemblance to a Pendolino), 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. Another thing I find weird is how literally 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 mistranslation of a Hindi (?) term that spread to other countries online. Either way, any layout like these could be ten times as fun to build and operate as individual trains.

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 like off the shelf ones have, and they're either joined using tape or have no connectors at all (like Quazar's "Cardboard BRIO" track). 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. This cool 2-4-0 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 depicts American elements [with the obvious exceptions of Thomas, Hogwarts Express and most official LEGO trains]). Even the 2x AA battery pack was 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. Or... you could be like Gomez Addams and "check how tough" your trains are by setting up fatal head-on collisions (without pyrotechnics, though).

[Super]

Really impressed with the cardboard rails