Large Scale Central

Box Car?Flat Car Build

Modeling Rolling stock
#21

So here are the cars to this point. All of the bases are done.

Here is my idea for the queens post. Now I got this idea from Bob Cope and his MIK build. Even though I didn’t use any of his parts it caught my attention. I used a pop rivet and a fish hook. To make them I pushed the nail thing out and cut the head off the nail leaving a small piece of shank to glue back in the rivet. I cut the eye off the hook and glued it in. To install them I drill a hole in the needle beam and insert the nail head in it glued into place.

Now that I have an idea off what the box cars are going to take I also spent time cutting a whole bunch of strip wood for the other three box cars.

#22

Edited because I asked a question and then figured it out on my own.

#23

Very Nice work Devon. I started a Civil War era boxcar tonite. I am currently adding the strip wood siding. I am laying it over a 1/8 plywood walls. the rest is cedar. So far mine is turning out really good. tomorrow I will finish cutting the siding boards which as you know is very time consumer but I like you like the way it looks and turns out. All of my buildings I have built have stripwood siding.

#24

My next project will be a flatcar of the time period to move artillery pieces…

#25

Post pictures I can’t wait to see especially the chain binders holding down the cannon. I want to put an 1880s compressor on my flat

#26

Devon I could not agree more about the wood, You have done a really good job on your build here.

i agree the pinners are one of the best tools, I use 3/8" pins mostly. I am amazed at how they are so easily

placed and do so much good.

Dennis

#27

Small cotter pins will work great for tie downs also. it might be easier than fish hooks, particuliarly if you need longer lengths.

Dennis

#28

Very nice adaptation of the concept Devon. Great thinking outside the box. Those cars are coming along really nicely. A technique I have found helpful when cutting my own strip wood is to get a good sanding block and use some medium grit sand paper on a flat surface (I use our glass top kitchen table with Fiskars pad on it) and sand the saw cut surfaces. Four or Five boards wide make sure they sand even and don’t taper the board. Takes out any heavy undulations from the table saw.

When I did the challenge time got away from me a bit and I purchased stainless steel cotter pins locally, which do not lend themselves to soldering. I have since found brass cotters on McMaster-Carr web site (www.mcmaster.com). I am also experimenting with a small brass flat washer, and a piece of 1/16 ID brass tubing to make the queen posts. I will let you know how that works out.

#29

Thanks everyone for the complements. Fun project. I am going to use the big end of the pop rivet since it is slightly domed for the washer on te end sill for the tension rods. I will glue some square styrene to it for the bolt drill a hole for a little rod sticking out.

Bob,

After doing the decking and siding Iam taking the whole thing to my belt sander and sanding down each surface as a whole. Working so far.

#30

And the horses are off! Great start. I can appreciate your mass production approach since I’m in the same mode right now. The wood work looks great and you’ll have a nice roster before you know it. How are the weights on them?

#31

Randy Lehrian Jr. said:

And the horses are off! Great start. I can appreciate your mass production approach since I’m in the same mode right now. The wood work looks great and you’ll have a nice roster before you know it. How are the weights on them?

The are too light. I will need to add either some flat lead or maybe some bar steel the bottoms.

#32

You know that lead you wanted to cast? Wrap packets of shot in foil and glue the packets under the cars. The foil makes it easier to get the lead out…

Looking great.

John

#33

John Caughey said:

You know that lead you wanted to cast? Wrap packets of shot in foil and glue the packets under the cars. The foil makes it easier to get the lead out…

Looking great.

John

I don’t have lead shot. What I have is tons of wheel weights. I thought about pouring some flat lead bars or cubes using a simple mold out of strap steel. then I could glue them underneath. I have about 100# of lead so really am just looking to use what I have.

To late now but I was thinking if I would have used aluminum square tube for the four inner sills (is that what the long beams are called) I could have filed them will lead and hide the weight. Next time.

So how much should the cars weight? I want them to be able to be empty so I don’t want to rely on the load for weight. Are we talking a pound per car total weight or what?

#34

Devon, weight does help cars to track better, but I didn’t add any weight to my wooden boxcar nor wooden passenger cars. I used metal wheels and made sure one truck can rock as well as pivot, and I do not have any problems with my lightweight cars. I also follow the rule of “the heavier cars go up front”.

Well, there is one “issue” I have had with my lightweight cars. A stiff breeze will blow them over first.

#35

Devon, with metal wheels, your boxcars should weigh in the neighborhood of three pounds. That is probably enough. Add a load to the flatcars to bring up the weight. The metal wheels also give you a low center of gravity, which is a good thing. You might be able to skip the extra weights.

#36

Well to add to the metal wheels I am going to attempt to cast the side frames out of pewter like Dave Taylor does so that will also add weight. I figure I am going to cast them anyway and Dave T’s look great so might as well do them in metal. I will have to weigh them when done. I will say i am glad I made the flats out of Oak. As they sit in the picture the box car weights 13.4 oz, the box car base out of cedar weighs 4.8oz and the oak flat which is at the same place in construction weights 8.8 oz.

#37

So I got some more work done on the box car. I made some truss rod ends out of pop rivets with the nail removed and glued on a square of styrene and a little bit of wire.

The truss rods are just styrene coated wire and the turn buckles are styrene tube beveled on the ends and a slot cut in them. Queens posts are as above.

For the one door that is done I used a piece of Red Wood 2x4 that I slabed off a 1/8 thick piece and cut it down and scribed it. The “rollers” are a piece of brass square tubing that I cut into a “J”. I added some styrene round rod for bolts. The track is a piece of 1/8 aluminum tube with a slot cut in it. The rest will be brass cuz I was able to buy the brass at the local hardware store. The bottom brackets are 1/4" brass square tube cut into a “J”. the handle is some more wire.

Here is the end view showing the truss rod ends installed and some grab irons made from brass wire and some styrene hex rod. I also made some brackets out of Styrene L and added styrene rod for bolts. I also added the coupler mounting board.

Starting to look like a box car. Or at least i think it is. While buying some nice fancy detail parts would look better I get satisfaction from the fabricated bits. Stretches the creativity.

#38

Ten foot rule…:slight_smile: Looking good so far. I like the creativity in the track using a small aluminum square with a slot.

#39

OK so time to start detailing the first box car. As you can see I have come up with many of the detailing parts already and now that I am getting silicone and resin I want to start casting some detailing parts.

For the bake wheel mechanism. I am wondering how to do this.

So there is no platform on the end wall or even on the roof. so where would the ratchet mechanism go. Would there be a little bracket on the roof that would hold the rod and also serve as a mount for the ratchet mech. Looks to me as if that is what is going on. then on the end sill there is a bracket holding the bottom of the rod and the end just sticks below the end sill. Is what I am seeing correct. or are there parts missing?

Edit: I am not rivet counting. I am open to suggestions on what would look correct and be cast repeatedly.

#40

http://www.ozarkminiatures.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=316