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Scratchbuilt flat Locos and rolling stock
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New member 25 posts Josh Herzberg New member 25 posts
Josh Herzberg

This is getting addictive! 

Here are links to photos of the prototype, SP class F70-12, a 53' 6" fishbelly side flatcar. 

http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=2871   This one has a lumber load that came from my hometown. 

http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/photos/sp/sp564625_jim_eager.jpg

Here are some pictures of my model, or the beginnings of it anyway.  The bulkhead flat is just mocked up with trucks under it, and doesn't have coupler pockets or an underframe yet.  I'm finding that I need to invest in an NMRA coupler height gage. 

el%20016.jpg el%20019.jpg 

 

An old junk Athearn caboose yielded its body bolsters and I used Kadee coupler pockets. 

el%20028.jpg 

The neat thing about building cars like this is I can build a fleet of the cars I want.  Now that I've got the basic dimension and construction patterns, I can turn them out relatively quickly.  Of course, I haven't gotten around to adding the basic brake detail or the other body details such as the grab irons or steps, but that won't be very hard.  Now how about a Gunderson 62 foot woodchip gon? 

SP in Oregon, drifting back and forth between 1975 and 1983.....
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jeffshultz MRH Staff 7,994 posts
jeffshultz

You're an animal, dude....

How long is it taking you to crank out these basic structures?

Also, heck yes on the woodchip gon - and if you actually create a pattern or blueprint to use in making it, please post it! 

 

orange70.jpg
Jeff Shultz - MRH Technical Assistant
DCC Features Matrix/My blog index
Modeling a fictional GWI shortline combining three separate areas into one freelance-ish railroad.
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Josh Herzberg New member 25 posts
Josh Herzberg

The first ones probably took

The first ones probably took the better part of a day to build each.  This was because I was researching, designing, and building all in one sitting.   If I was to build one of them now, I think I could build (basic structure) a bulkhead flat in 4 hours and a plain flat in 2 hours.  If I had proper tools, I could do it even faster. 

I'd be happy to post any patterns here you'd like to see, Jeff.  I need to get the dimensions down on paper or in bytes before they get away. 

Looking at the woodchip gon, I think it would be pretty straightforward.  On that note, here's an interesting article......   http://espee.railfan.net/woodchip.html    Does anybody have that issue of MR sitting around? 

SP in Oregon, drifting back and forth between 1975 and 1983.....
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Bruce W. Regular poster 183 posts
Bruce W.

Yes Josh please post 

Yes Josh please post  dimensions and diagrams if you can. I model in S and some where I have the formula for increasing ho plans and decreasing O plans to S scale. The flats look good so far even with minimal details add to them Did you scribe the deck or use a sheet of styrene with planks already in them?
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Josh Herzberg New member 25 posts
Josh Herzberg

Decking

Will do, Bruce.  I'm not much on computers, but I'll try to at least post a chicken-scratch sketch of the dimensions in prototype scale, so you can go from there in your own scale. 

The deck is Evergreen 4080 V-groove.  Next time I buy a sheet, I'll get the larger sized one so I don't have a seam at 43', which is where the 6" sheet runs out. 

According to the conversion table at http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com the planking would be in HO scale 3.5" by 7".  That's close enough for me.  I lightly touch the ends with my saw (maybe 1/32") in line with the grooves to make the planks look more realistic when viewed from the side. 

SP in Oregon, drifting back and forth between 1975 and 1983.....
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jbaakko Regular poster 463 posts
jbaakko

Quick question, is that

Quick question, is that composite side woodchip gon the same one ExactRail sells?

Josh

http://rr.blockchoice.com
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dfandrews Prolific poster 1,038 posts
dfandrews

SP G-100-15

Josh,

If you're refering to the MR article, Mar, 1992: Rick Selby did a model of a 62 ft. G-100-15/17.  There's some good ideas in it.

Don - CEO, MOW super.

Rincon Pacific Railroad, 1960.  - Admin.offices in Ventura County

HO scale std. gauge - interchanges with SP; serves the regional agriculture and oil industries

DCC-NCE, Rasp PI 3 connected to CMRI, JMRI -  ABS searchlight signals
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