Large Scale Central

1/8th Scale Wood Gondola Question and Lift Rack

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! :slight_smile:

Since you have the hole already there for he brake stem, I’d mount the whole shebang in the same place using a shorter rod for the brake.

Ken,

Thanks for the suggestion. But that hole in the ratchet/pawl is inky about 1/8 inch deep. Right now it just locates the bottom tip of the stem when the sides are in place. Stem is held mainly by the bracket on one of the end planks. Even if I use a shorter stem on the new brake wheel, it wouldn’t be enough to support the entire stem and wheel. Thanks again though.

Ken,

I finished fitting the oak stakes to the flat car this afternoon. Decided to try your idea using the existing hole and ratchet/pawl assembly…and it actually will work! :slight_smile: I’m happy.

Now I just have to “rough up” the stakes a little and get them stained. They will “weather” automatically with use :). That’s one thing nice about this size rolling stock…just natural “wear & tear” weather’s this stuff fast.

Gary,

Many flats have brake wheels that lower down to almost flush with the flat car deck especially when loaded to prevent the load from breaking off the brake wheel.

Craig Townsend said:

Gary,

Many flats have brake wheels that lower down to almost flush with the flat car deck especially when loaded to prevent the load from breaking off the brake wheel.

Craig,

Would that have been on a flat dating back to 1903 (the build era of my car)?

Even more so in your era I would think. Pretty simple the way it works; the pawl holds the brake shaft on the ratchet. To drop the brake shaft, you simply release the pawl and the shaft drops down. Just did a google search and a patent for 1945 shows the drop staff brake handle shaft.

https://www.google.com/patents/US2371326

Found another one in 1933

http://www.google.com.na/patents/US1906687

I have also heard of brake shafts being removable so maybe that is what would be more common in 1903?

Craig,

Thanks for posting this reference of the drop shaft mechanism. I’m definitely filing this away for future use.

What I would like to know is what holds the stakes in the pockets to keep them from sliding all the way through? Are they notched on the sides or tapered to fit snug? Can’t really tell from the photographs. Just curious…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Ken Brunt said:

What I would like to know is what holds the stakes in the pockets to keep them from sliding all the way through? Are they notched on the sides or tapered to fit snug? Can’t really tell from the photographs. Just curious…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Ken,

They are tapered just like the prototype. The cast pockets are tapered very slightly and I just sand a small taper on the oak wood stakes until they drop to a certain height. They are snug now, but very easy to remove with a light tap to the bottom of the stake.

Nice work, Gary.