Large Scale Central

wood stave vinigar car

Modeling Rolling stock
#1

Does anyone have any insight on how the ends of these wooden stave tank cars were made. All the google searches I have done seem to show iron end pieces that don’t show the actual end of the tank. Unless they are the end of the tank and there is no wood. I am thinking they are built more like a barrel but really don’t know. I think this would be a fun idea for my MOW train’s water tanker. I was going to do riveted steel and still might but I am intriged by these wooden ones.

I gues of course if I am modeling it I really don’t need to know as I will just model the steel ends, but curiosity has gotten the best of me.

#2

i assume they are just vertical tanks laid on the horizontal and the ends are built like the bottoms of regular wood water tanks and the steel and wood ends are just or less pinching the tank in place

#3

There is this - Construction of Vinegar Tank Car If you click on the “view this item” text in the upper left of the article it will open the picture and then you can enlarge the photo. It appears, as you suspected, that the ends are similar to a normal barrel and are made of individual planks.

There is also this article that has a pretty good picture - Is our Vinegar Car one of only two surviving examples?

#4

Devon, if you decide to build it and use the trucks in the photo, I have them ready to go.

#5

Thanks Mark.

It is as I suspected it has stave ends also. This gives me some ideas to play with. I like the link to the one at the museum it shows the end of the tank partially exposed which I like the look of. That is more than enought to go on to build a decent model of one.

Dan,

That brings up another thought I have had. I had considered using all the same trucks on my work train. But really this wouldn’t be prototypical. They would likely have a variety of trucks as the cars would be of different eras and constructions. So I am very will switch it up and use a combination of different trucks. We will see.

#6

On the V&T water car the wooden ends have horizontal staves/boards. I had to lighten the pic too much to post it…

#7

As John mentioned above the V&T had I think 2 wooden tank water cars.

Here is my version of one of them I built several years ago.

A regular water car would give you an option from a converted vinegar car

#8

All of this is good info. I have already decided I have no intention of doing anything to a particular prototype. Kinda of like the crane I have seen two many versions of the concept to pick one. And since my RR, the Canyon Creek Railway, was real on paper it never owned any equipment and once the track was completed was immediately leased to the Coeur d’Alene Railway and Navigstion Co. which was the plan from day one because the CR&N failed to include Canyon Creek in its charter.

So I am taking basically a hypothetical RR and making it real. So with that in mind I will incorporate features of all of them into a car I like.

#9

And I see yours Rick is a fire fighting car which is exactly what I want to do with mine.

#10

If you recall, Devon, I built a shorty water tank car, with the inspiration a Morgan Hlll Models On30 kit [link]:

They also have a picture at their site of a fire tank car based on the same kit:

Here’s my version [link to build]:

Pretty different than the car you are looking at. Shorter! Mine is about 12 inches long.

#11

Yes Jim,

Now that you posted it I do remember it and remember liking it. But had forgotten about it. Thanks for reminding me. And yes mine will be a 15" long but yours gives me some ideas to borrow on how to build it.

#12

Devon is Devoning again.

#13

What am I Devoning? (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

Already bought the plastic to start the frame as soon as the crane is done.

#14

How many projects are you working on at one time? Either in your hear or in real life. I seam to recall a locomotive, a darn pretty locomotive, that doesn’t run because the chassis need reworked.

#15

Well if we count the ones in my head. . . I cant count that high. Physically working on in some various stage of doneness. . . Well still cant count that high. Ones I am actually making progress on. . .1. How many have my immediate attention for after the MIK. . .2 1/2.

Yeah okay I am not Devoning again, I am Devoning STILL.

Thank God I dont rely on train building as a career. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)

The pretty loco that doesnt work has me almost too flustered to return too. I have resolved myself to the idea that it needs a major design overhaul, it needs a new chassis, and because of the way I built it that is quite likely more work than it’s worth. It maybe better to take what I have learned and start over.

#16

Devon Sinsley said: Yeah okay I am not Devoning again, I am Devoning STILL.

Admitting is the first step … they say…to recovery …

#17

Devon Sinsley said:

Well if we count the ones in my head. . . I cant count that high. Physically working on in some various stage of doneness. . . Well still cant count that high. Ones I am actually making progress on. . .1. How many have my immediate attention for after the MIK. . .2 1/2.

Yeah okay I am not Devoning again, I am Devoning STILL.

Thank God I dont rely on train building as a career. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)

The pretty loco that doesnt work has me almost too flustered to return too. I have resolved myself to the idea that it needs a major design overhaul, it needs a new chassis, and because of the way I built it that is quite likely more work than it’s worth. It maybe better to take what I have learned and start over.

Yea, That’s why some items I have built took as long as they did. I had to go back and start over on some sections to get it all right.

#18

You know David for awhile I was pretty mad about that loco. I mean so much work and it looks really good and given it’s the first time I have ever tried to build a working model from scratch, I will take what I learned and go on. I am not mad at anymore. I think it will be a shelf queen and I will move on.

#19

Devon, let it be a shelf queen, everyone needs a few of those. But don’t let it stop you from starting over and getting the loco you want. I’m sure Henry Ford had many shelf queens before he was satisfied.