Large Scale Central

WSRR's 2019 Mik's Challenge Work Caboose

The MIK - Annual Build Challenge
#1

This year the Waverly Southern shops will be building a work caboose for Mik’s Challenge. The caboose will be the first piece of an entire work train. It is our plan to scratch build all the pieces to the train other than the engine. If time permits, we may get more than one piece built during the challenge since most will use the same flatcar design as its base. The others will just use a shorter version of that flatcar. We will cut enough wood for several cars when we get started so we will be able to have more than one going at a time. The train will consist of this caboose, a flatcar, crane, crew car, blacksmith car, a small ballast car, a gondola for ties, a tool car and probably a box car just for good measure. We will see what time permits us to build. Our caboose design is below.

Thanks for following along. I’m pretty sure I will have lots of questions since this will be my first rolling stock build.

#2

Sounds great. Following…

#3

Whats all this "we " stuff, Its supposed to be an individual challenge, not you directing a bunch of people being paid in wood fired Waverly Southern Pizzas

edited to correct speling un punkuasion

#4

A little reference photo of a past project.

A bit of inspiration…

#5

Thanks, Jim

Pete, I need all the help I can get so I use whatever leverage or bribes I can.

Thanks Dave. That is just what a I had in mind. My original inspiration came from one Tac Foley built a few years ago. It can be found here

#6

Dan,

This is a project I can get into. I am building a scratch built work train also. And started in the same place you did. Now my work caboose/foreman car does double duty as the crane boom support for the crane I am building this year. As I am waiting for go time I am building a flat car that will carry the rails sections.

If you look in the reference section I posted a great little spreader that I want to tackle.

Cant wait to see what you come up with

#7

Devon, I saw a photo of a work train that was displayed at the Narrow Gauge convention in 2015 and I have wanted to build one since. I’ll be following your crane build closely as I want build one too.

#8

Got to have a work caboose, just so much neat stufflogging caboose

#9

Cool caboose, Bill. I have followed several of your recent builds with great interest. You do great work. Thanks for sharing. Are the trucks/axles on the caboose of your own design or are they commercially available? Do you have a better picture of them?

#10

Nothing special just a LGB 2 axle low side gondola that I cut openings in the sides and ends, probably looks strange because when I took the picture there weren’t any wheels on it, thanks, Bill

#11

Not a whole lot of progress on the build this first weekend. i was out of town yesterday and had to get some projects off my honey-do list today. I did manage to get most of the wood for the frame of the work caboose milled today. I actually milled enough to make 3 cars. As I’ve mentioned previously, my plan is to build the caboose for the Challenge build, but it will be a part of a multi car work train. The final dimensions of the caboose will be a scale 29ft x 8ft in 1:20.3. I still need to do some additional milling on the end beams. I am connecting the center sills to the end beam with dados so I need to cut those and then I can start assembly. Here is the 3D model.

#12

Finally some visible progress. Its not much, but progress none the less. I glued up the end beams and side sills. But first I had to finish cutting the dados in the end beams to accept the center sills. Because these cuts have to be precise in depth, width and location, I 3D printed a copy of the end beam and used it as a setup jig.

Then I glued up the exterior of the frame.

You can see the dados in the photos above. I hope to get the center sills glued up before I retire for the evening.

#13

Dan, where did you get the corner gauges that your using for gluing clamping, the look handy?

Rick

#14

Rick, the two little red ones on the front are Woodpecker Mini squares. The yellow one in the rear I printed. I wasn’t sure how square it would be, but I checked it with larger Woodpecker square and its as close as any cheap square you can buy. I wouldn’t use it for machining work or for machine setup, but for modeling I think it works fine. I have four more printing as I write this. The cool thing about the printed ones is I can make them any size I need (up to the capacity of the printer) and I can add holes or slots for holding clamps, material, etc.

#15

Last update for tonight. Center sills have been installed. Tomorrow I will get the other two frames put together and then work will begin on the caboose portion of the build. I want to get the major structures built before I start detailing. Thanks for following along.

BTW: the frame is just setting on the trucks for the photo. The rear one doesn’t even have a bolster. I do like the Bettendorf T trucks.

#16

Dan,

What wood are you using. Are you like me and prefer premium hardwood like black walnut, or are you staining them prior to assembly?

#17

Devon, I do like nice hardwoods. This happens to be walnut. I visit The Hardwood Store of North Carolina a few times a year (wife’s family lives a few miles from the store) and rummage through their scrap bins and get my modeling wood. I also buy other wood from them for larger projects I do around the house.

#18

I collect wood. Sometimes I even make things out of it. I got lucky and acquired an entire black wal it tree. Had it milled down. Unfortunately it was a yard tree and not a forest tree. I learned yard trees do not make good lumber as they are branched to much and those branches cause internal fractures due to stress. So the vast majority of this tree is worthless as far as lumber is concerned. But I like to turn projects, do inlay work, and generally just putz around and there is plenty of that to work with. I am also going to stabilize a bunch with resin and make it more usable and have the added character of having color in it. Who knows where that will take me.

#19

Devon, did you read the sentence Dan put about getting the MAJOR work done then doing the fiddly bits??? You need to worry about getting the main parts build then you can do the details!!!

Looking good so far Dan!

Edited because of auto correct thought it knew better

#20

Hey Pete, shoosh