Created a couple detail parts tonight. Queen post and turnbuckle. I wanted to go ahead and see how these turned out so if I did not like them I could get some commercial ones on order. I think I like these fine. The turnbuckle is threaded with M2x0.4 RH and LH threads. I’ve got some 2mm brass rod that I will thread. I do need to order a LH M2 die.
Decking boards were milled this evening. Placed them on the frame and sat the frame on a set of trucks just to see how it was looking. Now the deck boards have not been permanently attached at this point. The truss rods and break details need to be added first.
More to come. Thanks for following along.
Dan Hilyer said:
Created a couple detail parts tonight. Queen post and turnbuckle. I wanted to go ahead and see how these turned out so if I did not like them I could get some commercial ones on order. I think I like these fine. The turnbuckle is threaded with M2x0.4 RH and LH threads. I’ve got some 2mm brass rod that I will thread. I do need to order a LH M2 die.
Dan , what are these made from? how did you make the turnbuckle?.
Travis, I printed them on a 3D printer using PLA. They were designed in Fusion 360. The turnbuckle has M2 threads.
Dan,
I might be making an order very soon
Didn’t get near as much done today as I had hoped, but I reckon slow progress is still progress (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-sealed.gif). Managed to get the final end beams attached and the coupler on one end installed. I am using Kadee #1’s. #1905 to be exact.
It wasn’t as difficult as I had expected to get it aligned and installed correctly but I couldn’t use the screws that came with it cause they were to short so I had to spend some time looking for longer ones.
I still need to cut the screws and install the top ones. I also started the sub assemblies for the caboose itself. I managed to get all the lumber milled and the front and rear assemblies put together.
The rear wall will sit about 50mm from the end of the flatcar and the roof will overhang both ends about 30mm. The placement in these photos is not exact, I just wanted to see how it was going to look before I continued with the side wall assemblies.
You may notice in several of the photos the pins I used to hold everything together while the glue dried. The shortest pins I had were 1/2" and the assembly is only 3/8" thick. I couldn’t source the shorter pins locally so they are on order but I didn’t want to delay the construction. I will grind them down flush with the wood and they will eventually rust and add some real weathering (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif).
Weehaw! Starting to look like it should (I was going to say “look like your drawing” but I didn’t want to offend you)!
I feel like I am way behind most everyone else this year. But I am making progress and confident it will get finished on time. Being as this is the first piece of rolling stock I’ve built, there has been a steep learning curve so I’ve spent a lot of time getting all the details figured out in my head and a lot of time modeling and printing most of them. Most of that is done now, so it will start to come together real quick. One set back is I decided mid-stream to change the way I was constructing the caboose structure itself. I think last week I had shown progress on a couple of the sub assemblies, well, that’s all out the window now. Instead of framing the structure in wood and then putting the siding on, I decided to print the walls and floor and add wood siding to that. Progress photos below.
We start with the addition of the final bolsters. These are attached using brass screws so I can replace them in the future if need be.
Next, I installed the queen posts, again with brass screws.
Here is an overall shot of the bottom so far. Next up will be brake detail and truss rods. You can see the CVG in the background sleep … I mean guarding the door.
Speaking of truss rods, that task has gotten started. I printed a bending jig to help me bend all the rods the same. This is the beta version, but it works pretty well. It could use a few tweaks but for now it will get the job done.
Its hard to tell, but there is a groove that the wire is in. Ok, now on to the caboose.
I’ve got the small door designed and ready to be printed along with the hardware for the side, sliding door. Hopefully tomorrow will see the doors installed and the trim work started. Thanks for following along.
Your first rolling stock build? Wow. Great job!
Dan
Your car frame construction is over the top. Great job, keep it up!!
Dan - I feel remiss for not stopping in here earlier and commenting. This is really looking great!!!
Thats looking awesome Dan. The combination of printed parts and fine carpentry are really show the depth of talent.
Devon Sinsley said:
Thats looking awesome Dan. The combination of printed parts and fine carpentry are really show the depth of talent.
I agree. I wish I had the patience to learn the 3D CAD. I started on it a few years ago and made some progress, but got frustrated working in 3D as my brain is 1D or 2D at best! At work I build mock-ups to figure out joinery even for simple stuff like shipping crates.
Jon Radder said:
Devon Sinsley said:
Thats looking awesome Dan. The combination of printed parts and fine carpentry are really show the depth of talent.
I agree. I wish I had the patience to learn the 3D CAD. I started on it a few years ago and made some progress, but got frustrated working in 3D as my brain is 1D or 2D at best! At work I build mock-ups to figure out joinery even for simple stuff like shipping crates.
Jon, 3D modeling can be frustrating, but today’s software makes it easier on us 2D guys. The concept is to draw it in 2D, which I know you are more than capable of, I’ve seen your work, and then extrude it (pull/push) into 3D. Its as simple and complicated as that. If you start with something like Tinker CAD that provides basic 3D shapes and make simple objects, it starts to all make sense. It took me a while to get proficient with it because I couldn’t get the concept of starting with 2D drawings first. I always wanted to start with 3D and my mind doesn’t work that way. I think Cliff could provide us all with some pointers because he is on a totally different planet from me with this stuff, but I think he does it for a living.
Now, I wish I had your talent for the illusions that you come up with. The pictures in the windows is pretty nifty. It makes sense when I see you do it, but I can’t see it on my own. If I can ever be of help creating 3D models for you, just let me know, I would be glad to help.
Spent some time today getting all the truss rods properly bent. The jig I made worked well, but it will get some modifications after the Challenge is done.
In its current design, it is difficult to keep all the bends in the same plane and it needs something to bend the rod against. Here I just used the corner of a square. For the most part, they all came out pretty close to each other.
I still need to do some trimming, threading and fine tuning, but I think the hard part is over. I’ve since drilled all the holes where the rods pass through the end beam.
Its gonna be close. Except for adding some bling (READ: Junk) to the front of the car and adding steps and grab irons, I am done with the car itself. The caboose still needs roofing, sliding doors and trim and then the whole thing needs painting and weathering. I think I’ll get all the construction done and maybe a coat of paint, but I’m not sure about any weathering, we’ll see. Anyway, here is where we stand as of tonight.
Absolutely fantastic job on the car Dan!!!
I just know that you can bring it in on time and under budget(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
That’s first rate Dan
Looks terrific Dan. All the hardware details are really nice…
Interesting on how the two doors are different…
