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Prolific poster 1,358 posts feldman718 Prolific poster 1,358 posts
feldman718

While in another forum, I started a discussion on car floats. We talked about designs, what to make them from and what is currently on the market. I thought I bring part of that discussion here where there are a nmber of folks in all scales who might want to pipe in on the topic.

I realize that not everyone is in N-Scale like I am so let me start off by saying that I have already been in contact with Walther's about producing their car float and the related apron in N-Scale. The only naswer I have ever gotten from them, and this goes back several months, was that they have no plans to do it. I have no explanation for this attitude but I don't run Walthers.

That leaves me several alternatives: (1) get the Sylvan version, (2) get Searail version, or (3) scratch build my own. Each of these has both advantages and disadvantages which I'll discuss in turn.

The Sylvan N-Scale carfloat looks good and is readily available. But about 16" in length it is a bit to short for what I need. The second problem is it is a 2 track car float with no room for expansion in either length or width at least in my opinion. No doubt somebody may suggest it but it looks to be more trouble than it's worth.

The Searail version isn't prototypical of what was used in New York Harbor as it is a 4 track carfloat and requires a 4 track apron to dock with. None of the places in New York were accessed by such a ca float as it is of a California (Oakland to be exact) prototype. It can handle 16 cars according to the manufacturer and hence it might work for me if I can get around the 4 track layout. Frankly this is more expensive than the Sylvan and is probably of limited availability since isn't part of the regular Searail line anymore.

Given the above it looks like I am left with the last alternative. This isn't good news since I would have preferred another alternative. But let's see what this option entails.

First I need a design to use. From what I understand, there are three three-track carfloats in operation in the Port of New York. One is 290' by 41' and the other two are 360' x 41'. It would be great if I had access to some drawings of either or both versions. Right now I don't. In either case I would probably need to hand lay the turnouts on both the carfloat and the apron it docks with. That turnout would need to be cut so that the frogs are on the car float and the points are located on the apron. Furthermore I would need some kind of jig to make sure that both aprons and the 4 carfloats in need to make (at least initially) have the turnouts cut in the identical place and that the track is properly alligned so that any car float will match either apron. I have never handlaid track, much less a turnout but I have already decided that, if I go the scratch-building route, I'll use a Fast-Trax #6 turnout jig to build the turnout. That still leaves the jig for cutting the turnout and alligning the track to be figured out and created.

The other thing I would need to do was to decide what materials to make the carfloats from. It has been suggested that I make the hull either entirely of wood or from foam and plastic card. Foam has some appeal as it is easily shaped though the process can be messy and would require that I wear some kind of mask to prevent breathing in that stuff. Foam is also lighter than most woods but it doesn't have the strength or durability of wood. That would also be important since the carfloats wil serve as staging on my layout and hence be subject to being moved and stored abd reused at some later time to simlate movements between the 65th Street Yard and Geenville Yard and back.

Frankly I don't look forward to doing it myself but If I have to I will. To bad I don't have a buddy who lives near by and is into N-Scale and could help me or show me how to get it done. Any volunteers?

Irv
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Wolfgang Regular poster (deceased) 253 posts
Wolfgang

jig

I think you can build first the apron. Then you can use the apron track ( with the half turnout) as jig and build the carfloats.

I did this when I build a six track fiddle yard with four modules. This way the modules can be turned and changed in line. And it works!

Wolfgang

Logo.jpg 

 

http://www.westportterminal.de/
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bcarhoff New member 27 posts
bcarhoff

Car Float Food for thought

Someone once told me "Any worth doing is worth doing right;" someone else told me "If you want it done right (meaning your way), then you need to do it yourself." I often end up doing things myself. Ok, maybe not the inspiration you were hoping for.

I am guessing you have more modelling skills than me, since I have just started this hobby. I looked up the Sylvan kit online and found, Part #SYL-N-2066 from N Scale Supply. The picture and drawings, to me, lend themselves to a 'simple' solution. I do not think I could do the entire float from scratch, especially the details of the hull. If this were my project, I absolutely had to have it, and I had a little more confidence in my modeling ablilties, this is what I would do...

I would order two kits and do some kitbashing. I would temporarily assemble both hulls using tape. I would then cut one them on the centerline lengthwise, splitting it in half. The other I would cut lengthwise off center and trim of the side of the hull to get enough deking for a third track to splice between the two halves of the first kit. If I also wanted to lengthen the kit, i would use the full height section of the remains of the second kit ,cut it into thirds and splice them into the middle of the first kit, which I would have to cut in half crosswise. This would not give much extra length. So another option would be to scratchbuild part of the deck and hull bottom and salvage the hull sides from the second kit.

I think that I would then have at least 18 seperate pieces to glue back together. From some previous experience, the more pieces that are glued together, the more fragile it will be. I think the splices would need to be reinforced somehow inside the hull. A heavy coat of paint and weathering would help hide the seems. I would then the install the rails and above deck details.

I know little about car floats, but, to me it would be easier to keep the turouts on the dock and have a three-trackeddock apron ( I know even less about hand-laying track), even if it did not match the prototype.

I hope some of this was useful. I look forward to seeing the results, however you decide to do it. Good luck!
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feldman718 Prolific poster 1,358 posts
feldman718

I haven't given anyone some of my backfround

I have modeled ships for at least 30 years and have read about them for many more. So I know something about the kind of fittings any watercraft would require. I could easily fit out a car float with bits (the items used for mooring to docks) and the other arine equipment required. The problem is that I have not modeled anything on the water that uses train rails nor have I ever carved a hull from wood or any other material. That is where the real problem originates.

I really have serveral alternatibes to choose from:

1. Do what bcarhof suggested. But I odubt cutting the Sylvan carfloat in half and inserting a new center section would be worth the effort. IN my experience unless one can accurately cut it in half it isn't workable. And I don't have the tools taht wood be required to do so. As for adding about 11 inches to model 16 inch length, well there again it becomes a problem. You see it's not loke taking two of the old Revell tanker kits and cutting them to build one longer vessel and reshapng the hull as necessary to make a container ship, one doesn't have to reinforce it as much as I would have to reinforce the hull of the Sylvan car float since it will actually be used and anything that gets used needs to be able to handle that use.

2. Carve a car float from bass wood. Its doable but I need to find a plank 27" long amd 3 1/2 inches wide. I haven't found one yet but I am not above cutting a longer plank down to size in terms of length. The problem is the width since I would need to do it on table saw which i do not have access to. You see I can't cut a straight line. I oculd work with a 24 inch length to produce a shorter car float but I still have that extra 1/2 inch of width to deal with.

3. Work with foam board to produce a car float hull of the corrct size and width. Cover it with a thin sheet of plastic and wood and place the tracks on that. That might work if I can get an adequately thin sheet of plastic about the right size. That would have to be reinforced with balsa or bass wood (bass is better because it doesn't bend or compress as much as balsa.) I would still woory about the foam plastuc not being able to handle the movement the car float would be subjedted to when it is moved to and from storage between uses.

So I still don't have a workable solution. But I am better off than before.

Irv
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