New Rolling Stock!

Well, my L&N single sheathed box car didn't make it.  Heck, I didn't even get a chance to finish it.  My buddy Rick just HAD to have it for his smelly old L&N railroad, so I gave it to him.

Of course, he couldn't take it as a gift...so he went browsing...

This Seaboard Silver Meteor boxcar is on its way over to my house for the Dixie Central.  I'm glad to have a fine Seaboard car on the line and Rick's being more kind than me and even putting the metal wheels on it.  Now I'm ashamed...


We are done with rolling stock!  Now, to get it built and running!

Boxcar Blues

Ok, so maybe there is a reason I get Accurail (Inaccurail) cars so cheap! 

 

Let's start by using some glue!

 

First I want to mount some of the clamping pads.  Here is one drying.

Bob's right.  The bright color is easily seen from underneath the layout where there is no light.  It also gives a good contact point for the clamp and can be replaced if needed.

Here is the book full of pier pictures.

I like the loose leaf notebooks so I can take the pictures out.  Each photo is in a plastic sleeve to protect it.  I've also been know to put samples of the weathering materials on the back of the photos and slide them back in the sleeve for reference later.

The Monon gondola needs to go back on the shelf so that I can work on the L&N boxcar tonight, so I'll take a sticky note and write on it the next steps.  This way I don't forget and can match up like paint jobs when I fire up the airbrush this weekend.  Flat black, rust and oxide red.

I'm a fan of the L&N, but this kit has some really bad flash on the plastic.

All of the kit parts are here.  The brake wheels look terrible and if I can find a spare they will go in the trash.  Horn hook couplers are tossed as well.  I have friends with billions of horn hooks.  They just can't make themselves throw them away for some reason.  The wheels (plastic) went into a drawer.

I cleaned up the running boards and mounted them.  They aren't really level so I pressed down on the flat workbench to straighten them out.  My glue stand is missing so I'll have to build another.  Actually I could use a couple of them.

Next we'll work on the frame.  I'd like to run this car with the doors open so that you can see the cotton inside.  So we'll paint the floor area by the door.

 

 

The Dr. Ben's Aged Driftwood is in reach so I'll use that.  One coat goes on easy.  

Next I'll test fit the weights.  The pins are much smaller than the mounting holes!

To keep the weights from banging around I put some silicone bathtub caulk down and will press the weights into the calk.

A quick check of the scale and the NMRA RP guidelines shows the car will be just a bit heavy when I add the metal wheels, which is ok for a small train.  

Next we'll trim and mount the doors and the door guides.  This step goes easy.  I left the doors loose in case I ever want to shut them.  This is a single sheathed boxcar with roof walks and a high brake wheel.  

 

 

The underframe is test fit into the body and we are ready for painting.  I put the steel wheels in the box and sealed it up for the night.

Again I made a note to myself about the paint colors.  That's it for tonight!

Long Legged Module and Rolling Stock Assembly

Today has been an on and off day.  Work a little,  play trains a little.   Rainy, cold, nasty day.

The leg has to go.  It's just not stable enough.  Bob suggested I go with a double leg, and we'll do that today.  But last night I had a dream...

Every railroad needs a foreman.  Safety glasses, check.  Warm coat for the cold basement, check.  Lollipop rink, big check.  We're ready to go!

My dream was that the temporary set up leg would also be the carrier of the plastic section legs.  Brilliant!  I have the best nightmares.

First we'll take some plywood strips and make an L-girder.

Taylor wanted to know why the clock doesn't work.  Now that she and the other 14 emails I've gotten about the clock have pissed me off, I sent her upstairs for a AA battery.  Meanwhile I'll knock the dust off.

There!  It's ticking.  Now are you happy?

I marked each of the leg board at 44".  This may be a bit long, but I'll adjust it later.

I'm out of 1 1/4" screws again.  You have to remember to get some, Scott.  Ask the guys if they want to all go in on a pail.

Using glue and 1 1/4" drywall screws I've made to 44" long l-girders for legs.

I'll make two 12" long 2x2's and use them for the spacers.

Then I cut some 3" long 2x2 pieces for the adjustable feet.

Using scrap plywood I built a small tray to hold the bottom part of the plastic pipe leg extensions.

I finished the bottom tray and built a top tray, leaving one side off.  I'll get some bungy cord and use it to hold the legs tightly in place.  After digging through the hardware box I was unable to find a cheap handle, so I'll pick up one and add it later.

There!  Now I have a more sturdy leg set with a built in leg extenison carrier!  This kind of thinking is important in portable layout design.

The leg is just a bit longer than I'd like, so I'll cut another inch off the bottom and remount the adjustable feet.

Now that the first section is so much more stable than it was, I mounted the second section to the first and will get it ready to add foam and risers. Keep in mind that we still need to put in the scenic dividers, but I want the risers in first.

I kept wondering why my clamps were always fastened so tightly to the bench.  Normally I leave them loose so that I can grab them quickly.  Then I caught this photo of Cinderella tightening them up.  Oh well.  Having a four year old running around is tough work.

The web on the sections doesn't allow for easy clamping, so I'll cut some 2" x 2" plywood clamping blocks and glue them in place.

Taylor (4 years old) is a great painter so I put some acrylic orange paint in an old ashtray (glass) and got her to paint the tops of the clamping pads orange.  She does amazingly well.  The Cinderalla dress is a bit over the top, though.

Painting with the grain helps the paint flow.  Keep your brush full but not overloaded is the key to smooth strokes.  These unimportant pieces are very good learning tools.  There are 14 of them and the repetive nature of the task teaches patience and allows for the skill to develop.  I'm talking to GROWN UPS here!

14 clamp pads.  The bright orange is a tip I picked up from Bob Wheeler who sprays his joints and clamping points bright orange so that you can see them easily under the layout.

Now that I have the wheelsets its time to start working on the rolling stock.  We'll start with the locomotive and electronics work station, a foam cradle and the Monon gondola.

When you open up a kit the first thing you do is check the parts to make sure that everything is there and in good shape.  Unfold the instructions and READ THEM.  Hey you....(smack).  READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.  You'll be suprised how much you learn about model building.  This kit is complete and it has a very nasty frame casting that is full of flash (extra metal from the casting process) that must be filed away.

After a great deal of filing I got the casting to fit in the well of the car casting.  Still, there is a lot flash left.  I spent an extra amount of time making sure the coupler pockets were clean and free of metal, and that the bolsters (where the trucks go) were smooth and polished.  I'm too worried about the rest as you won't see it on the layout.  We'll put it aside for painting.

I swapped out the plastic tired wheelsets for Kadee metal 33" wheels.  They will need a coat of paint as will some of the detail parts in the kit.  I'll take them upstairs tonight and wash them in Greenworks Dish Detergent.  I use this product because it is all natural, easy on the plastic and dries clean.  Dawn dishwashing detergent pulls vital oils out of the plastic.  Besides it is always better to use all natural products when you can.

The truck sideframes had some flash so I removed it with a hobby knife.  There was a sprue gate on the gondoal that I removed with a hobby knife and a sanding block.  There!  All ready to paint.  I'll dig through the models and get two more that require black paint and do them all at once.

That's all for today!

RIP Track: Working on the Accurail Cars - Couplers and Wheelsets

I'll need to assemble some Accurail cars for the layout.  This also means coupler and wheelset swap outs.  Several post suggest I replace the wheels with Intermountain or Proto 2000 wheelsets for 33" wheels.


Here is a good article on Accurail car assembly.
http://railroad.union.rpi.edu/article.php?article=4145

NMRA Car Weighting Specs
http://www.nmra.org/standards/sandrp/rp-20_1.html

Replacement Wheelsets
http://www.branchline-trains.com/blueprint/parts/wheelsets.htm

Kadee Wheelsets
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/truck.htm

Wheelset Evaluation
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,463166

It appears that Intermountain Wheelsets have become the most preferred.

Rolling Stock Aquisition Roster - Updated

#007 04 Tybee Pier - Pier Madness

WARNING:  DO NOT BUILD A PIER WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS.  READ TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG ENTRY AND WAIT FOR THE CORRECTIONS.  SORRY!

Well, that should tell you how my afternoon went today in the shop!  After about an hour's worth of work building a jig for making pier bents I realized that the drawing (which I did check vertically) was not correct horizontally.  I will redo it tonight.  Everything was right but the piling dimensions.  The pilings must fall under the rail or it won't hold the heavy rolling stock.  Crap.

And now...blog o mania.

My wife bought these really nice 1 oz stainless steel condiment cups.  I use them for painting because the are easy to clean and heavy so you don't knock them over.

Here is the lumber that I ordered from Trainmaster Models in Buford, GA, USA.

Today I went to the Train Show at the North Atlanta Dump...er North Atlanta Trade Center.  They should trade it in on a new building.  There was a ton of used equipment and since we're still on the Bleach Budget for the rest of the month, I'm paying in cash.  Here is a spiffy Georgia Railroad boxcar.  That makes one too many boxcars, but I can swap one out.

You have to have something that says Cotton on it, so I'll add this double door Cotton Belt boxcar.  Ok, now I'm two boxcars over the limit.  I never did find a shorty combine.

Wow!  A Southern caboose.  It is probably about as prototype as a Steisel (steam or diesel locomotive) but it is of the type that I'd like for the railroad and better than the bobber.  With new couplers and wheels, and a good coat of weathering this one will be excellent.

Back to the Pier.  Let's continue working on the Pier Wall.  Its about 1:00 pm so if I can get all the wood painted/stained in an hour it will be dry for later tonight.  I'll do 10 strips at a time. 

Before starting, always check your timber for accuracy.  I'll check five spots on two sides of the board to ensure that it is 1/8" all the way down.  I don't care about the length so much.  Also we'll check a few for knots and weak spots.  Buying in bulk gives you much better wood than that which has sat in the hobby shop for a year standing on its end and warping.

I check the wood for warpage, too.  This wood is super nice and sanded to perfection.

I stack the 10 pieces close together so they support each other....

...and then I distress them with three passes of the saw blade.  I change my angle on the saw, and the pressure that I put down so that the scoring doesn't look uniform.  Believe me, it WILL show up in a photo and looks like a Ruffle's Potato Chip.

We will give the boards a lite sanding, about three passes.

A light coat of Dr. Ben's Aged Driftwood Weathering Stain.  Keep it light or the wood will warp.  Don't paint it, stain it.  If you miss a spot it will be ok as we'll give the whole pier a coat of blackening solution.

Then we'll darken and age the wood with Dr. Ben's Weathered Black Paint Pigments and a little alcohol.  Again, don't paint it.  Sloppy is good here and precision is not what we are after.  Dark spots here and there are great and a few non-covered spots will help.

Here you can see me feathering out the black using as little alcohol as possible.  Alcohol = warpage, just like in college.

While it looks like a spot here, once the boards are mixed up and 50% are turned around, the spotting will look natural.

I'll take the boards and make sure to separate them as they tend to get painted together.  We'll sit these under a sheet of glass to dry and prevent warpage.

When my desk top glass gets too much paint on it, I'll scrap it off with this hand scraper.  We're out of razor blades again, btw.

After we finish 24 more boards on one side, we need some cap boards to go on top of the pier.  They need color on three sides so we'll take three more sticks and weather them.

I printed off the drawing of the pier and the bents and checked them for accuracy with a rule.  First, we'll make the large bent where the track goes.

I'll make a jig to produce the 7 long bents.  Use a jig when you have to make several of the same pieces and especially when they need to be fairly precise.  Usually it doesn't take that long and the results are worth it.

** One thing to note.  The pilings on the bents are NOT UNIFORM in spacing.  The rail on the trackage has to be over a piling, so there will be a facing direction on the bents.  Be sure to check the assembly for gluing.

Using a sheet of .080 styrene and a pack of 1/16 x 1/8 styrene strips we'll build the jig.

The first step is to change the blade in your hobby knife.  Get in the habit of this!

Using my drawing I cut off part of the thick sheet of styrene which I'll used for the base of the jig.

Be sure to keep the plastic bag and put the styrene in a flat storage box.  This will protect your investment.  I've got TONS of strips and keep them in this box in the shop.

Using the straight edge I cut out the long bent.  We'll use this as the template on the jig.

Now we'll glue the template on to the plastic base.  Use VERY THIN applications of Elmer's Glue and try to avoid any bumps.  It will dry quickly.

First I glue a 1/8 x 1/16 styrene strip across the top where the cap timber will go.  The trick to making jigs is to keep the board straight and provide for accuracy, but plan for being able to remove the piece out of the jig.  Often I've made jigs that were too tight or had braces that prevent the removal of the piece.

Using the Northwest Shortline Chopper (mine is ancient) I'll set up a cutting system to make several of the piling guides.

I ran out of blades so I'll have to use this dull one.

I cut a strip of the 1/8 x 1/16 strip and put it on either side of the pier piling.  There are 14 of these.

There!  Now I can mass cut the pilings and caps and assemble them quickly and accurately!

Using some 1" x 9" boards (they were S scale board left over from a project) I cut out the sway braces.

There!  A nice pier piling bent.  This is just a test, so I'm not going to paint it.  I'll just use it to test the dimensions.

CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!

Well, I checked the drawing vertically, but something happened horizontally!!!  The rails MUST go over the pilings, but now it is too narrow.   I'll have to start over and build a new jig.

I reprinted the plans and check them for accuracy.  After dinner I'll have another go at it.