Hey y’all;
If you may remember, or if not, okay either way, my little freelance traction line, Willow Creek Traction, a.k.a. Rock Island Narrow Gauge, is, in its various - slowly being poked along at - scale/gauge incarnations supposedly set on a large semi-tropical island.
Story is that the line required another pair of boxcars. Being the idiosyncratic outfit they are, they chose to pattern them after some round end, round roof, ones from some Midwestern traction line on the mainland, although a bit shorter and 42in gauge rather than standard gauge.
(G track scales out to more or less 42in gauge in 1/24)
With RR shop occupied by other projects, carbody construction was contracted out to local builder of wooden boats.
Boatyard decided to sheathe cars with marine grade plywood.
{which is another way of saying I don’t want to hassle with cutting or scribing the board siding}
Models will, except for wheels for one of the 2 cars, be built with “on hand” materials: and assortment of balsa, basswood, 1/64 ply (birch?) from Midwest Products, that carcinogenic styrene, brass and copper rod and tube, cardstock, and whatever else works for whatever part.
After looking at 3ft, 3ft 6in, 1066mm, and standard gauge rolling stock, then cross-referencing with my desires, an interior height and width of 7ft 6in was decided upon. Car length is 30ft over end beams.
Model construction will be around a basic box of 1/4 and 1/8 balsa sheet. At this time plan is to carve roof out of 1/2 inch balsa plank. We’ll see if that remains as idea for built-up roof which would eat less material is emerging.
Bolsters will probably be built up of basswood.
Carbody color will be the sky blue which WCT uses on its longer boxcars.
Roof could be white, tan, or SP Lettering Grey.
Wheels will also be painted sky blue - in my little fantasy world wheels never have defects to be checked for.
well, hey, I love me too, now we’re all on the same page 
