Id be curious to see one of Tim’s up-sized cars side-by-side with an AMS car. Or at least some comparison measurements of length/width/window size/etc…
Bob,
these are basic measurements for a Bachmann coach lengthened to 13 windows. I feel that the dimensions due the compressed nature of the Bachmann moulding (window width/spacing) would not scale up .
Basic body 446mm x 105mm
Window opening 38mm x 22mm (glass area)
Coach height above rails 153mm
Overall width (across roof) 108mm
This is the ‘long’ baggage car, D&RG #111. Doors are not correct for a late model car but OK for my purpose. Car took about two days to this stage. Two baggage kits required.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/tim_brien/_forumfiles/9zae.JPG)
Due several cars that I like have duckbill ends, I needed a simpler method to make these ends. This method involves using the stock Bachmann coach/combine/baggage car roof moulding. The clerestory end section of the roof is cutout using a sharp hobby knife. The area left behind is infilled with several layers of 0.030" styrene. The removed clerestory end section is then trimmed and refitted sitting back from the roof edge. The curved end of the clerestory section is then ‘filleted’ using approximately six 0.030" stroips of styrene layed across the car and pancaked on top of each other. When glue is dry the area is filed/sanded to get the required fillet radius on the clerestory roof end. The process is a little fiddly but does retain the original shape of the roof so that it may be refitted to a car. After gluing the main sections it would be wise to fit the roof onto a car so that it retains its shape. No attempt as yet has been made to paint or fill the repaired section. Photographs show the raw state with just the modified area sanded.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/tim_brien/_forumfiles/1zz1b.JPG)
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/tim_brien/_forumfiles/1zz1a.JPG)
Hopefully, a simpler method than described above. In this case the clerestory roof end section is removed from the stock roof moulding. I had a spare roof so cut the end section from it to use as cutting the original end section may make it too small, width wise, to reuse. The extra end section cut from the spare roof is then glued in required position on the roof so that it fits down ‘inside’ the roof moulding. On the example above, I glued a 0.120" subsurface ( four 0.030" pieces) to the undersurcace of the roof, finishing flush with the top surface. The removed clerestory section was then glued down to this. I am hoping that this second method is simpler. The rib shown just forward of the clerestory section, must be filed/sanded down at least 0.060" to enable two or more pieces of 0.030" styrene to be glued in position, resulting in a flush top surface. Better to do this before gluing down the rounded clerestory end section. The opening is then infilled with several 0.030" pieces (easier to bend/glue than thicker pieces). Five 0.030" strips of styrene are then glued ‘pancake’ style at the interface between the clerestory end section and the infill pieces just fitted. When dry, these are filed/sanded to give a smooth fillet radius to the clerestory end pieces to contour in smoother with the end of the roof. One could simply fill with Bondo/filler, but I prefer the strips to minimise the amount of filler used as it shrinks over time resulting in an uneven surface.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/tim_brien/_forumfiles/1zzc.JPG)
Progress on D&RG #211. Car is unusual in that it has small baggage section entry doors, duckbill roof ends and only seven side windows (D&RG combines normally had eight windows). Built in 1900 by D&RG and retired from service in august, 1940.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/tim_brien/_forumfiles/1aza.JPG)
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/tim_brien/_forumfiles/1azb.JPG)
Another car commenced yesterday (Sunday). This is Southern Pacific SP 400 (SP1 pre-1946). Clerestory roof section is cut from a Bachmann coach and cut to size. The lower portion of the roof is from several Bachmann centre cupola caboose kits, but it could be fabricated from several layers of 0.030" styrene laminated together. The five window sections each side are used from the combine kit. The panelled section aft of the windows is longer than on the stock combine body, thus extra panelling required here (I estimated the distance between the aft window and the baggage door is equal to the width of three windows). The section aft of the baggage door should be slightly less than the stock combine moulding, but not worth the effort to remove the offending extra length. The forward body section is from either a baggage car or combine as there is no window rail moulding. A very fiddly car to make, but as there is little interest in this car then it is rarely made. End platform railings from a LGB caboose. Some compromises made to make life a little easier. Still a lot more to build to complete the car.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/tim_brien/_forumfiles/1zspa.JPG)
Still looking good Tim. Why the stacked plastic bits at each end of the celestory ?
Dave,
a duckbill end has a ‘fillet’ radius where the clerestory roof section joins the roof at each end (see photographs above of duckbill end). I use a ‘pancake’ stack of 0.030" strips of styrene to build up enough material to file/sand down later to form the radius curve. I could simply fill with Bondo filler and then sand later to form the shape required, but I find that filler suffers from shrinkage over time, leaving telltale signs in the finished product.
Thank you Now I remember 
These are looking great! Very nice work!
Thanks Ray. Just trying to show that the simple kits from Bachmann have other uses.
Hi Tim,
Cars look super. I like the prototypes you chose to model, there different than most that you see. Keep them comming. Bty what color are you doing them in?
Chuck
Chuck,
I like unusual prototypes for the very reason that they are different to cars run by most modellers. At present, paint is low down the list on priority. I like to build cars to an almost finished state and then move on to another project. This way I know that only detail finishing is needed to complete the car when I choose to do so.
However, colours will be, D&RG cars (a few modelled are early cars from the Tuscan Red period) and so will be painted in red. Later cars that I know existed into the Pullman green period will be painted and lettered for the D&RGW. I believe a lot of red cars existed well into the Pullman green period, so a mix is acceptable. Rio Grande gold is not on my list as I prefer the timeline prior circa-1950. I have conflicting info on the red/green changover timeframe. I believed that green was required post 1918, but believe that red is acceptable up to the late 1930's. Maybe with the D&RG collapse around 1920 and merger with D&RGW, colour changes were not a priority.
The Southern Pacific car will be painted boxcar red.I really like your duckbill combine. I’ve always admired D&RGW 211 from the picture on p. 53 in the Robert Grandt book, “Narrow Gauge Pictorial, Vol. 2, Passenger Cars” and thought that would make such a unique model. Good job. Here’s another picture of D&RGW 211 but in very poor condition:
(http://davesriogrande.net/Rosters/DRGW/passenger/pass211.jpg)
John
John,
many thanks. A few more ‘unusual’ cars are in the future. Last week I built another D&RG construction car, #0772 but as yet have not posted a photograph. This car is similar to a previous build, D&RG #0460, but differs in window/‘baggage’ door position and interior differences.
At present I am 'mocking' up the remaining two Southern Pacific combine cars, SP 401, pre-1952 (clerestory roof) and post-1952 ('flat' roof). I need to purchase a few more Bachmann baggage car kits to progress these cars.Tim
I have a Bronson-Tate SPC #47 Kit (http://www.bronson-tate.com/kits/spc-47.shtml) with
a extra set of sides. I’m going to dig it out and do some measuring. I think I can make it
work for 211. I also have 2 of the Colorado Central Coaches #1 and #2
(http://www.bronson-tate.com/kits/cc-coach-1-2.shtml) to bash into something DRGW.
I’m modeling 1940.
Your 211 is looking very nice. Thanks for the updates. They are giving me ideas,
Rodney
Rodney,
it would be so much simpler for me to model in 1.20.3 scale, as there is so much available (these days). No doubt you are aware that SPC #47 became SP #1 (pre-1946)/#400 post 1946.
Tim
I maybe easier but the cost is 10 times compered to the Bachman cars.
It would be nice if I could buy a 20.3 coach in $20 or even $50.
I know a little of the history of #47.
Rodney
Tim - some very inspring work there and a LOT of stuff to add to ‘your’ file in my PC.
What would make me interested in doing a few conversions is the urge to own a train to put behind my 99% correct 1/22.5 White Pass mikado. As you noted earlier, the Bachmann cars are just toooooo short to be anything like realistic, and it’s just so sad that having made an almost perfect scale model - a unique model, I might add - of one of the most famous NG 3ft gauge locos in existence, that they never went a bit further and made a set of scale-length cars to match it.
Hauling six or eight teeny $25 Bachmann cars, or even teenier LGB cars, behind a $4000 model seems to be verging on the ridiculous to me.
tac