Large Scale Central

Little River Rail Road in Doc Tom's back yard

General Discussion
#81
Doug Arnold said:
Did you build that flatcar? It looks good and would fit in on my layout.

My crew has been busy building despite the rain. Hopefully I can post some pictures.


Hi Doug,

I wish I was that talented to scratchbuild a nice flat car like the one in the photos. Actually it is an Accucraft/AMS model that I got cheap at the NNGC in St Louis. It is their D&RGW “idler flat” http://amstrains.americanmainline.com/AM30060.htm It is in 1:20.3 scale and is about 30-32 feet overall. I did slap on the LRRR decal, painted the deck to look like wood and weathered it.

My RR buddy Bill Nelson gave me box loads of old LGB and B.mann Big Hauler flat cars from his deceased Dad’s collection. I am thinking about using their wheelsets and frame parts to build up 1:20.3 flat cars by scratchbuilding their decks from either styrene or wood. Should be an interesting project.

I did get my crew out away from “goofing off” and out in the relative cold Tennessee air today to build a few more feet of trestle out in the mountains. I hope to post progress pictures too in a few days.

                                                                                                Doc Tom
#82

I’ll have to upload a better picture but early in the year some of us built MOW cars and this was my first attempt. The flatcar is all old redwood scrap.

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/doug_arnold/_forumfiles/TANK.JPG)

#83

Cool!!! It can be done. I will probably try to do this soon. I need a lot of logging flats.
Doc Tom

#84

Tom,

Did you see this article I did a while back?

http://www.largescalecentral.com/articles/view.php?id=110

Might give you some ideas.

#85

Ric,

When I go to view the article all the pictures are broken links.

Bob C.

#86

Ric, beat me to it!

We still have about a dozen HLW flats to get back to work on!

cale

#87

Doug, Nice build on the MOW car.

#88
Ric Golding said:
Tom,

Did you see this article I did a while back?

http://www.largescalecentral.com/articles/view.php?id=110

Might give you some ideas.


Hi Ric,

Yes I did read it several weeks ago. Very well written with good ideas. Any way to see the photos included???
Doc Tom

#89
Bob Cope said:
Ric,

When I go to view the article all the pictures are broken links.

Bob C.


Bob,

I think I have all the picture links put back. Sorry, I wasn’t aware this set was gone.

#90

Thanks Ric! I am sure I was not the only one in question.

Bob C.

#91
Tom Grabenstein said:
Hi

For about a year now I have been a “lurker” on this site soaking up information about Large Scale model railroading. I come to large scale after 22 years in HO logging layouts. A move to a smaller home without a basement and the quest for a good running logging Shay led me to Large Scale and my first railroad in the back yard.

                                                       Hoping to learn more.       Doc Tom</blockquote>

Damn Doc you got a sweet thread going here! This info don’t blow my dress up but still interested as there is a ton of info on this thread if you start from page 1!
:wink:

Edit for page 7

#92

David Russell said:

Tom Grabenstein said:
Hi For about a year now I have been a “lurker” on this site soaking up information about Large Scale model railroading. I come to large scale after 22 years in HO logging layouts. A move to a smaller home without a basement and the quest for a good running logging Shay led me to Large Scale and my first railroad in the back yard. Hoping to learn more. Doc Tom

Damn Doc you got a sweet thread going here! This info don’t blow my dress up but still interested as there is a ton of info on this thread if you start from page 1! :wink: Edit for page 7

Hey Dave, Thanks for the nod. Boss Crumb and the boys are “proud” you tuned in and look forward to more “dress blowing” and interest making from Tennessee. Doc Tom

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/BossCrumb-1.jpg)

#93
Bob Cope said:
Thanks Ric! I am sure I was not the only one in question.

Bob C.


There was an attack on the Kingdom of LSC many years ago and far away, but tho the fires were put out, every once in awhile old damage is still found. Point it out and sometimes it can be fixed.

#94

What a pain. I’m g;ad our trains aren’t on the internet!

Keeping my track powered and battery/rc trains separated can be enough of a problem.

#95
Doug Arnold said:
What a pain. I'm g;ad our trains aren't on the internet!

Keeping my track powered and battery/rc trains separated can be enough of a problem.


But isn’t that the beauty of having both; you can run both on the same track independently. I guess you do need to pay attention to where things are though :slight_smile:

#96

Ya. A head-on train wreck could ruin your day!

#97

With the New Year’s holiday weekend I have been working a bit on the LRRR. I thought I would share a few pictures of Trestle Building 101 using inexpensive garden stakes from Lowe’s cut and put together using hand tools. Here is my Little River train shed on a snowy day in Tennessee.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/LRRRShop.jpg)

Inside we fire up the ole kerosene heater (venting the window a bit to avoid CO poisoning) and start to work. I have made a large stencil of a section of the curved 20’ diameter Aristo-Craft track I am using for the curved trestle at Nelson’s gap. I trace around the track with a marker on a four foot section of cheap insulation foam from Lowe’s. I am spacing the bents about 11.5" (approx 20 feet in 1:20.3) and draw in center lines for the bents. The caps are 7.5" long and are marked as well. In the picture below you can see the piece of painted Aristo-Craft curved track that will be used.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/tracing.jpg)

I place the garden stake material (about .7"X .7" X 48") on the tracing and mark the angled cuts for the sections between bents and straight cuts for 1.5" inner spacers. The parts are cut using your basic hand saw and vice. The parts are placed on the foam tracing and assembled using Titebond III glue and small finishing nails. Pilot holes are drilled for the nails to avoid splitting the wood.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Builtupwoodpieces.jpg)

The assembled pieces of wood are now given the moniker “stringers” and are attached to the curved rail with wire ties through holes in the web of the rail.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/tracktiedtostringers.jpg)

I built my bents using the same garden stake material and secure it to the “spcers” in the stringers again using wire ties.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/trestlebldg1.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/trestlebldg2.jpg)

I give all the pieces a good soaking in Thompson’s Water Seal before during and after construction. Did I mention that I like Thompson’s water seal? I am using wire ties to allow some shift of the trestle pieces in the extremes of temperature and humidity found in Tennessee. Also when the Thompson’s fails I can easily “cut out” a wood piece by snipping the wire tie. I was elated when my first heavy large scale train got up on the trestle and it did not fall in.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/sidemountbrakewheel-1.jpg)

Let me know what you all think. Improvements and suggestions are always welcome in these parts of the Tennessee woods. Doc Tom

#98

Nice work Doc!

#99

Tom they look great. Maybe add a few barrels on those trestles for water in case of a fire. Once they weather they will look great. I agree Thompson water seal is gerat. Thats all I use on all my wood.

#100

Thanks Dave and Shawn. Encouragement helps keep you going.

Shawn, glad to hear you use Thompson’s Water Seal also. All I have learned about Garden Railroading is from the Internet and books, including the idea to use Thompsons. I am glad that some one with real world experience out in the garden has used it on their wood pieces also. I am thinking about getting a pump sprayer to spritz the stuff on once and a while to slow down the degradation of the wood on the layout.
Doc Tom