Large Scale Central

EBT stuff

Modeling
#1

It has been a while since I have posted any work. I was at Roger Cutter’s 1:20 RGS East this weekend and took advantage of the great weather to take some pictures: Scratch built EBT steel flat # 108. This is a typical example of the 22 steel flats built in the EBT shops. Plans were drawn by J.T. Derr and are available through The Friends of the EBT.

B end 108

I am doing a load of 60 lengths of 33 ft rail.

Scratch built EBT fishbelly flat # 73. This is the one and only example of a fishbelly design and was the first steel car on the EBT. Built in 1902, it predated the first steel hoppers by 11 years or so. 73 survived into the 50’s, but it’s final disposition is unknown. More information and plans by Lee Rainey are in the Winter 1989 FEBT Timber Transfer.

On both models I used trucks from RY Models, the same ones used on his beautiful brass hoppers. Couplers are the new Accucraft #1 scale working couplers (which are perfect for the 3/4 size EBT couplers). Frames are a combo of brass, styrene… basswood for the decks. Cut levers are fabricated in brass, poling pockets are cast from a brass master and stake pockets are brass stampings. All rivets are individually placed. Both flats need a little more weathering. I have dedicated my Bachmann hoppers to rock service. The highly detailed RY hoppers will run in a separate consist delivering coal.

I am in the process of studying photos and applying weathering. On some of the Bachmann cars I have ground through from the inside to create paper thin areas to simulate rust through. In other areas I have riveted steel plates in place to cover rust outs.

I have also fabricated cut levers and added the Accucraft #1 scale couplers to all the hoppers.

Also in the works, I am doing a heavy working weathering job on my RY EBT #14 mike. I will post some photos when finished. Geoff Ringlé

#2

Beautiful work, and a real pleasure to see.

tac
www.ovgrs.org

#3

Very nice!
Thanks for taking the time to post pics.

#4

Fantastic models and great pictures too.
Ralph

#5

Super job Geoff. Thanks for posting.

#6

Geoff thanks for the posting. Nice work

#7

Looks good! One minor nit to pick with the flat cars; they’d have a narrow steel strap going down the outside edges on the top of the deck around 1/4" thick by 1 1/2" or so wide. They’d have bolts between each of the deck boards. (Just what you wanted to hear–more rivets.)

Can you give me more info on your cut levers? I was playing around with some similar cut levers of my own design, but I couldn’t get them to play well enough with the couplers to where the bar didn’t interfere with the coupler swing. That’s my biggest stumbling block right now to fitting the rest of my equipment with those couplers. I think if I used a smaller rod going to the pin itself, it might work better, but the brass I was using was too soft.

BTW, the dry transfers look great. Ya gotta re-letter the 2-bays, though. They would not have been in that bad shape and still had the old-style lettering. :slight_smile:

Later,

K

#8

Interesting work Geoff, well done. There is something quite enchanting, to me, about workaday hoppers and flat cars.

#9

Very nice work and the detail is awsome

#10

Thanks to all for the kind comments. I have re-figured out how to post & post with pictures, so you all might see more of me in the future. I totally welcome criticism and questions and was glad that Kevin chimed in.

Kevin Strong said:
Looks good! One minor nit to pick with the flat cars; they’d have a narrow steel strap going down the outside edges on the top of the deck around 1/4" thick by 1 1/2" or so wide. They’d have bolts between each of the deck boards. (Just what you wanted to hear–more rivets.) Can you give me more info on your cut levers? I was playing around with some similar cut levers of my own design, but I couldn’t get them to play well enough with the couplers to where the bar didn’t interfere with the coupler swing. That’s my biggest stumbling block right now to fitting the rest of my equipment with those couplers. I think if I used a smaller rod going to the pin itself, it might work better, but the brass I was using was too soft. BTW, the dry transfers look great. Ya gotta re-letter the 2-bays, though. They would not have been in that bad shape and still had the old-style lettering. :slight_smile: Later, K

Flat cars – I agree about the strap, but I don’t have definitive information yet. The restored cars have straps for sure, but I think that I have seen pictures of flats without them. Regardless, I want to get close on the bolt pattern. The drawing by Derr calls for deck boards that are 2 x 6 with the end boards being 2 x 7. As luck would have it, that’s exactly how the models turned out. However, Derr shows spacing that doesn’t necessarily put a bolt in every plank. More research necessary…. Here is a great shot of a flat sitting in the woods without a deck. Note the inside stake pockets on this one. This is one of the photos that make me think that there were nailers in place below the deck boards. I don’t see any holes in the side sills. http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=12483&nseq=267 Cut levers – I use .125 x .030 brass for the lever and the bracket. The bracket is mounted to the hopper frame with an 00 hex head bolt. The pivot is a brass pin, soldered in place. The rod through the coupler is 1mm K&S brass. A slot is cut in the lever and the rod is inserted and soldered. The hole in the coupler pin is drilled out with a #57 (.043) bit and then use a slightly larger bit to countersink/de-burr each side. Not much meat left on the coupler pin, but still strong enough. A very slight bow in the rod will help with coupler swing. Also, keep tolerances loose on the lever pivot and use some of the Kadee graphite to lube the coupler so that the pin drops easily.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/old_iron/rock8.JPG)

Lettering – the Bachmann cars are models of the four cars built in 1930 for rock service. Although the drawing in Along the East Broad Top shows the EBTRR&CCO lettering, I wonder if they still used that in the 30’s. Anyhow, I did my rock cars with various styles and states of repair. 618 was done to look like the photo on page 73 of Colorful East Broad Top.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/old_iron/rock2.JPG)

Like many photos of various cars that I have seen, 869 has patches for the data and car number only.

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/old_iron/rock6.JPG)

(http://www.lscdata.com/users/old_iron/rock5.JPG)

Thanks for looking, Geoff