Here’s a picture of a modern woodchip hopper car that I want to add to my railroad . Its owned by Bill Frank Trucking (BTFX) and is a big car at 64 feet long and over 15 feet tall. I’m building it using the same techniques as my centerbeam and bulkhead flats from the past. The floor is made from .080 plastic sheet cut 64 scale feet long and 9 feet wide. The car will be over 10 wide after the sides are added . A 1/8 x 2 inch aluminum strip I got at LOEWS is ruffed up with sandpaper , cleaned with alcohol and epoxied to the plastic bottom . The truck bolsters are added next . They are made from 3 pieces of .080 plastic and topped with a small piece of 1/8 aluminum for wear resistance . A 1/4 inch hole is drilled through the bolster sandwich and a piece of Evergreen #228 plastic tube is inserted. A hole is drilled and tapped #440 at the center of the truck location and the bolster is glued with JB Weld to the bottom over the screw . The area between the screw and plastic tube is filled with JB Weld last. The pictures show one side already started . The side braces are made from Evergreen # 186 !/8 x 1/8 inch solid strips. The car will have a permanent load so i’m not going to have to do a detailed interior . 
I hope it gets a better paint job than the prototype has. That thing looks ready for the scrap yard…(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Will be a cool build to watch… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-sealed.gif)
ooooh yeah!!!
can’t wait to see more!
I get in trouble for posting blanks letting you know that I’m watching your post so I wrote this.
Following along Mike!
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Thanks rooster . I finished the other side tonight and after I was done and the MEK was curing I noticed I missed something . To late now . There is a horizontal line at the bottom of the side that the floor , i’m assuming is connected to . It would have been easy to do before I put all the ribs on by just scoring it with a x-acto knife blade. Oh well . I’ll make a note of it for my next one I build .
Great start Mike. Looking forward to watching.
Shane
Ya Hooo here we go again … I can’t wait to see how this comes out … how much diff is this car from USA’s woodchip car ?
Looks like a great build coming.
Sean , the USA woodchip car is much smaller than this one is gonna be . I think the USA car is in the 40 foot range and this one will be 64 feet long.
Since the trucks are very close to the ends of the car I modified the Kadee #830 couplers as shown. I did this to enure the car will go around my curves. The couplers are screwed to the aluminum strip after I drilled and tapped it for #440 screws. I didn’t have to shim the couplers cuz they checked fine against the Kadee gauge. Then I flipped my side panel over and marked a line 1’ 3 " from the bottom and glued a strip of Evergreen #252 to the line. This is where the floor meets the sides . I cut the ends a scale 9 ’ wide and 12 ’ high and will do the ribbed areas with Evergreen #258 rectangular strips. Here’s some pictures . .
Last night I finished the ends of the car and today I assembled the parts into the “box” . The vertical brace on the ends is a piece of .010 plastic cut a scale 6" wide and glued on the center . I’ll trim up any loose ends and then get the top rail installed . 
Looks good… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
You’re quick …looks great !
Hot dang a new ride. Nice looking wheels.(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Today I installed the top rail for the car using pieces of Evergreen #168 solid strips . Then in each corner I put a triangular brace made from .030 plastic . Before I mentioned I forgot to score a line on the side at the bottom to simulate a seam on the real car . So I decided to add a scale 1 foot wide band at the bottom made from .010 plastic sheet . I think it came out okay and does what I want it to. Now i’ll be starting the detail portion of this car . I did one of the ladders but ran out of one of the Evergreen strips I need so that will have to wait till I get some more . I think next i’ll get the grab irons on and some rivet details . Oh yeah I also have to order some brake parts from Charlie Roe too .
Sweet !
Wow Mike , you do great work , now if you could turn it into a production line and sell the centerbeams, bulkheads and chip cars I would be a buyer.
Thanks Pete , I think these kind of cars would sell pretty good . This car is going fairly quickly and after its all done I think I will have approximately 15 to 20 hours in it , maybe less . The other two took somewhat longer. If USA or AML came out with them I would buy them too .
That is nice, Mike… Real nice… Yes, you do some great work… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
