For my project I am going to build a crane car based on the article by Roger Baker in the April 1995 issue of Garden Railways. I am starting with the crane so I can mount it on a existing flat car as a kitbash or scratch build a new flat if I have enough time and ambition. Here is the base, I have used a gear I scrounged from somewhere instead of cutting my own and I used some slices of plastic pipe instead of the 35mm film container lids Roger used;
John
John Lilly said:
For my project I am going to build a crane car based on the article by Roger Baker in the April 1995 issue of Garden Railways. I am starting with the crane so I can mount it on a existing flat car as a kitbash or scratch build a new flat if I have enough time and ambition. Here is the base, I have used a gear I scrounged from somewhere instead of cutting my own and I used some slices of plastic pipe instead of the 35mm film container lids Roger used;(http://www.lscdata.com/users/jlcop/cranebase1.jpg)
John
Well, shot! Now I have to think of sumpin else. Ratz
…winking…
I like to try something different when participating in challenges. This is the first time I have tried bending styrene with heat. I dunked 2 Evergreen I beams repeatedly in boiling water and gradually bent them for the boom sides.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/jlcop/crANEBOOM1.jpg)
John
…grinning…
Never thought of the boiling water. I do know that the toaster oven sure was the wrong thing to use. 
Are you using some sort of jig to bend them?
No, I did not use a jig, but it would have been a good idea. I just held them flat against the counter top to keep them from bowing out.
John
John,
How long do you put the piece in boiling water?
You mention repeatedly - is this just until it’s too hot to hold?
Sorry Bruce, I didn’t think to time it. I would guess not more then a minute and a half. The water just falls off so the plastic wasn’t that hard to hold with a rag.
John
John,
Do you get all the bend in just one dunking, or do you dunk, bend a little bit, dunk, bend some more, and so on…?
Multiple dunks.
John
Here is the cab, siding and roofing goes on next:
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/jlcop/cranecab1.jpg)
John
That looks great so far. Love the cab
John it’s coming along nicely… Nice work…
Nice looking crane. You mounting that on a flat car or on a loading dock
Looks good John!
