Does anyone know of a company that makes bleachers in N-Scale? My Little Leauge park needs some bleachers and my efforts at scratch building them have been a distinct failure. The smallest l shaped styrene that will support itself is still vastly oversized. Wire doesn't look right. Anybody got any ideas??? Jeff Augsburg & Concord R.R. (a fictional shortline in Central Illinois) http://www.geocities.com/revnjeff/index.html
Hello Jeff, Sorry to show my ignorance but what is a "bleacher" It's not a word that we use here in the U.K. but an explanation might help us to help you. John.
Jeff, there was a fellow selling both N and Z scale bleachers on eBay a while back. I have not seen any recently. Suggest you try searching on eBay under completed auctions, as I think the seller used his e-mail address and then e-mail him. They were a perfect size for a little league field, about 5 rows high.
I can't think if the Aussie word for it Alan (but I bet it's the same word in the UK) but bleachers are the stands where the baseball (or football, or basketball) fans sit in small high school games. They usually can be easily folded up and put away. Bleachers don't have individual seats but are more like a giant staircase of long benches. Hope this helps BTW: I don't think it would be that hard to scratch build bleachers. You would not need exact measurements as I bet no two are alike, but would need some good pictures, particularly under the bleachers - where I've spent a fair bit of time paying little attention to the construction or the game
For you fellows on the other side of both ponds, "the bleachers" was originally the vernacular term for the cheap seats in a sports stadium that were constantly in the sun, hence everything there was "bleached" by the sun. It then came to be used as well for the impermanent, prefabricated seating used at amateur sports venues. The framing may seem simple, but it is not an easy job without some sort of jig. By the way, I struck out on eBay. Hopefully someone reading Trainboard knows who is making them. [ 05 June 2001: Message edited by: Gregg Mahlkov ]
I've been here too long Gregg - I'm starting to lose my roots. I forgot all about the 'bleacher bums' at Wrigley Field G'day - er Adios!
Here TOO long, Rob? Can you find them in the Laundryer aisle of the Supermarketer? Forgive me... Gary.
I will I will check out ebay. The trouble with scratchbuilding them is that any material I have tried that is small enough to look good, collapses under it's own weight. Jeff Augsburg & Concord R.R. (a fictional shortline in Central Illinois) http://www.geocities.com/revnjeff/index.html
Let me know how this comes out. I am going to try and build a small high school in Kansas as part of a town on my layout. I will be interested in hearing how you do this.
Might I suggest using wood? I've had fun building a long length of fence, and found it very easy to work with, and quite resilient as far as holding up. Use yellow glue, applied with a toothpick, to assemble them. Maybe scale 4x4's for a frame and 1x6's for slats.
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by yankinoz: I can't think if the Aussie word for it Alan (but I bet it's the same word in the UK) but bleachers are the stands where the baseball (or football, or basketball) fans sit in small high school games. They usually can be easily folded up and put away. Bleachers don't have individual seats but are more like a giant staircase of long benches. BTW: I don't think it would be that hard to scratch build bleachers. You would not need exact measurements as I bet no two are alike, but would need some good pictures, particularly under the bleachers - where I've spent a fair bit of time paying little attention to the construction or the game border="0" alt="[Change Colors]" /><hr></blockquote> Bleachers are where the brawlers hang out for socker (football) games and such. Hench, the acronym for them-"Bleacher Creatures". They are generally poorly constructed, as indicated by the structural failure during which time said aforementioned brawling activity occurs. The are a 'throw back' to a more uncivilized time, as indicated by the nature of which in the US an other places, they are found to be at violent, land acquisition, war-like games. They generally are not found at passive events as symphonies, model railroad meets, or competitive shooting-the more "genteel" civilized sports. In the US, it is quite common to hear the terms used in sports associated with bleachers of: Bomb, Sudden Death, Blitz[krieg] and Shotgun, amongst others. "Oh my gosh, the quarterback is TOAST!" One should make note, these attitudes and usage came about long after the righteousness of the "John Wayne" mentality, that mentality is shown not of vengeance, but self protection, not of violence but defense of one's life against the criminal element, and quite severly strong in patriotism of one's country, as well as the following of true patriotism, vs. the political rhetoric sworn to defy any real patriotic ideals as set forth in the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights. A good example is the follow up by the young lady from Scotland Yard, escorting John Brannigan in England, whereas in the initial dialogue the Brit's father was know to have said "there's only three things wrong with Yanks, 1-overpaid, 2-oversexed, 3-over here. Once experiencing John Wayne, she had found her father made a mistake. There was NOTHING wrong with Yanks "over here". One generally did not find John Wayne to be a Bleacher Creature. He also was not so induced to initate a fight, unless in true righteousness and virtue. If he were alive another century, we would still have a true hero, vs. the drugs, violence, and immorality of the "sports heroes" associated with bleacher associated sports. More could be said on this thread, regarding the history and morale values of bleachers and the ones who use them, vs. the more civil, humane, moralistic people who NORMALLY did not. One example of a moralistic bleacher creature was the lady's song, "Take me out to the ballgame". While I have the full lyrics in archive somewhere, they are unavailable. It begins with a dialogue from her. She is basically unimpressed with fancy dinners, dinner parties, and flash and bragging, at which point she tells the man to impress her-"just take me out to the ball game, take me out the crowd-buy me some hot dogs and Cracker Jack, I don't care if I ever go back..." So, one can see-in the sense this was in the early 1900's, the bleachers once had a wholesome, realistic, enjoyable, and morale value. References of decadent goings on on and under them was unheard of, as were structural failures due to riots, mass brawls, and there were never references to "John Wayne attitude" applied to these current negative responses we commonly see with bleachers nowadays. Which opens thoughts of that fictional little town I will incorporate in my layout-Willoughby. The town of the mind of a 'modern' commuter in a popular "Twilight Zone" episode. Of those who remember it, it was the sweetness of the flanged wheels on iron rail, that took this harried commuter 'back to where he needed to be'. No Kato, no Atlas, no overpriced locomotives-no crime, no arguments over 'prototypically correct'. No bleachers! There was a town square, the local officer being oh, so cordial, and the band playing in the gazebo. hmmmmmm... Bleacher-DON'T build it!!! Maybe you DO NOT want them to come!!!! Oh, my!!!! "field of nighmare??" regards, Paul [ 21 July 2001: Message edited by: Paul Rahman ]</p>
