Large Scale Central

1:20.3 Southern Passenger Car for the Little River Railroad

Modeling
#21

In continuing the build I next went to work on the baggage section doors. Fortunately the doors from the donor were the the exact width needed.

I increased the height of the door to fit the opening.

With the three layer Art Board laminate I was using for the side walls I was able to create a “door pocket” for the door to slide in and out from.

So far so good and so far no great expense in the materials used. I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the parts from the B.mann baggage car could be used in this 1:20.3 build.

Doc Tom

#22

A little more work on the 1:20.3 Southern RR Combine. I scrounged around in the junk box and found two doors that were lengthened. I used cut glass microscope slides for their glazing.

The built up doors fit nicely. I kept the baggage end door open.

I wanted to use the baggage compartment to hold my iPhone for future video shots “out the door.”

Eric Schade has done some incredible videos using a camera in his baggage car while the train chugged along. I thought this was a pretty cool idea and wanted to try this with this car.

Here is a preliminary i Phone view out the back as the car is backed down grade to the new Fish Camp Store.

Thanks for looking.

Doc Tom

#23

The build of the roof of this large 1:20.3 Passenger Combine was presenting quite a challenge to me. These roofs have all these interesting curves and a clerestory roof. Pretty tricky stuff.

 

Bachmann has a nice casting of the roof on the donor passenger car I was cannibalizing for parts. So I literally "drawn and quartered" the roof piece using the  trusty  dremel tool to enlarge it.

 

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Southern%20Combine%20Project/DSC07229_zps4769f7fe.jpg[/IMG]

 

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Southern%20Combine%20Project/DSC07230_zps8561a688.jpg[/IMG]

 

I had a lot of "L" channel ABS plastic left over from the previous bridge project and I used this to form a lattice that supported the four corner pieces of the cut down roof.

 

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Southern%20Combine%20Project/DSC07228_zpsd5b13f3d.jpg[/IMG]

 

[IMG]http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Southern%20Combine%20Project/DSC07231_zps12bef10b.jpg[/IMG]

 

The "gaps" will be filled in with sheet and strip styrene and hopefully I will have a 40 foot roof in 1:20.3 scale.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Doc Tom

#24

Looks like ya have the hard part pretty well roughed in. The rest should be fairly easy. I like the way you have the windows, some open, some closed…:wink:

#25

Ken Brunt said:

Looks like ya have the hard part pretty well roughed in. The rest should be fairly easy. I like the way you have the windows, some open, some closed…:wink:

Thanks Ken. The roof was a particular challenge for me.

The window frames are the middle of three layers that make up the side wall. I next need to cut and mount the exterior layer.

I am learning a lot on this build.

Tom

#26

I’m watching this with interest. Way down on my to-do list is doing something with a couple of Bachmann passenger cars that might be combined as you have to up-scale. For now, my passengers have to be content with caboose rides. I’m thinking about a building an open bench car on a flat like EBT did.

#27

Jon Radder said:

I’m watching this with interest. Way down on my to-do list is doing something with a couple of Bachmann passenger cars that might be combined as you have to up-scale. For now, my passengers have to be content with caboose rides. I’m thinking about a building an open bench car on a flat like EBT did.

Hi Jon,

I did some more work on the roof of the model tonight. I’ll try to get some pictures posted soon.

The Little River RR had an open air car for tourists also. I am thinking about building one of those too.

I like using up old Bachmann RR equipment and making new models out of them.

Looking forward to what you come up with.

Doc Tom

#28

Tom Grabenstein said:

I like using up old Bachmann RR equipment and making new models out of them.

Doc Tom

You should be pleasantly surprised…soon :wink:
Ralph

#29

Ralph Berg said:

Tom Grabenstein said:

I like using up old Bachmann RR equipment and making new models out of them.

Doc Tom

You should be pleasantly surprised…soon :wink:
Ralph

Ralph,

This is so intriguing…been wondering what the surprise is. Looking forward to a “special package.” Thanks Ralph.

Doc tom

#30

Hiya Doc…good to see you’re back in action after the challenge build!

I really like the look of what you’re doing. I think it shows a balance between a handmade look and manufactured look. Just enough character to make it believable; not too much to where it starts looking corny or amateurish. I’d much rather have a string of cars like you’re making running behind one of my steam engines than a string of those extremely expensive, “beautiful” Accucraft brass models, even as incredibly detailed as they are. But then, beauty is different for everyone.

#31

John Passaro said:

Hiya Doc…good to see you’re back in action after the challenge build!

I really like the look of what you’re doing. I think it shows a balance between a handmade look and manufactured look. Just enough character to make it believable; not too much to where it starts looking corny or amateurish. I’d much rather have a string of cars like you’re making running behind one of my steam engines than a string of those extremely expensive, “beautiful” Accucraft brass models, even as incredibly detailed as they are. But then, beauty is different for everyone.

Hi John,

Much like the “Challenge” I am trying to do this low budget. Also those complex curves on the end roof-lines are beyond my skills. So I thought …cut up Bachmann parts and add in where appropriate to get an inexpensive 1:20.3 passenger combine. Thanks for your nice comments.

Doc Tom

#32

That’s coming out great Tom. Bachmann stuff is fun to bash. I like the low budget philosophy. That’s what I try to do, then it allows me to buy live steamers.

#33

Breathing a sigh of relief that the roof with the funky end curves and all the clerestory windows is finished.

Here is an interior shot in the tan brown that the interior of the coach is also painted.

The roof was built up using styrene strip, corner pieces from the donor coach, and sheets of Art Board.

It is in primer paint now and will be painted with red trim. I will put on a black canvas/tar paper type covering. This should hide all the many seams from the plastic surgery.

Learning a lot from this build.

Tom

#34

Shawn (napkin builder) Viggiano said:

That’s coming out great Tom. Bachmann stuff is fun to bash. I like the low budget philosophy. That’s what I try to do, then it allows me to buy live steamers.

Thanks Shawn. So far I have spent about $45 on this build so far including the Kadee couplers.

tom

#35

Looks great so far Doc!

#36

David Russell said:

Looks great so far Doc!

Thanks Rooster. Tis’ appreciated.

Tom

#37

Nice progress, Tom!

#38

Lou Luczu said:

Nice progress, Tom!

Thanks Lou. A rainy day here in Tennessee. I worked in the shed a bit on the combine. I’ll try and post pictures soon.

Tom

#39

I, too, am now a dedicated subscriber to the low budget, find pieces that work, make your own when you can, steal from other stuff lying around method of building: my oil tank storage pumphouse started like this with scrap 4x4, and when finished cost me dang near nothing out of pocket:

(http://www.saintfrancisrailroad.com/images/f1.jpg)

#40

John Passaro said:

I, too, am now a dedicated subscriber to the low budget, find pieces that work, make your own when you can, steal from other stuff lying around method of building: my oil tank storage pumphouse started like this with scrap 4x4, and when finished cost me dang near nothing out of pocket:

(http://www.saintfrancisrailroad.com/images/f1.jpg)

Very nice. Do you have a couple of pictures of the completed pump house?? I would love to see it.

Doc Tom