This is how a 72 yr. old moves my 1/8th scale rolling stock around with ease…
Start with a 9 foot long simple lifting bridge rack equipped with two hand crank winches (built-in stops/locks). The solid rail is eight feet and the last foot is hinged to allow for the rack to compensate for the height difference when loading/unloading into a vehicle for hauling.
The wooden bridge is snapped into place on the track on a double track 12 foot rack (holds 4 pieces of rolling stock very easily.
The caboose is on the left and the wood gondola on the right.
The wheels are chocked with a c-clamp to prevent rolling as the car is lifted. With one person using the rack, you have to alternate back and forth between the two winches. By doing this, the car is tipped on an angle. Therefore a rolling situation.
The car is raised to the proper height (in this case note the marking for the “rack”). This is for the solid storage rack on the left.
The wood lock is installed to make sure neither rack moves during the transfer from one rack to the other.
The car is coupled and locked to the storage rack.
The gondola is then lifted. I needed to get this car out to work on adding stakes for the flat car.
These are the stakes I’m adding. When the car is used as a riding car/gondola, then I have the sides and stakes assembled together for a stronger and more robust assembly when hauling people.
Now here is my gondola question…when I remove the sides to make it a flat car, then the brake wheel and stem also come off. Now that I will have individual stakes in the stake pockets, I need to add a brake wheel, ratchet and pawl to this car. The brake wheels and ratchet/pawl assemblies are still available as parts. My question is do I use the brake wheel on top of the wood deck and then what do I use to support the brake steam, OR do I fasten the stem to the end beam as the D&RGW used to do on their NG flat cars?
I’m open to any suggestions…no matter the scale! 