Wagon Scratch Bashes

[ge_rik]

That is a work of art, not just a model! Can't wait to see the finished pictures.

I agree! Beautifully done!

Rik

[BWLR]

Looks amazing and the rivets will really help the look of the finished wagon (and keep any rivet counters occupied for a while )

Splendid work!

[Old Man Aaron]

Beautifully done, sir!

[Lonsdaler]

That is a work of art, not just a model! Can't wait to see the finished pictures.

Indeed! Far superior for realism than Lineside Hut's representation of the hinges and latches. Really nice work

[MrRail]

Got back to working on the cattle wagon today, first thought of the day was a load. These little Papo sheep seem to fit pretty well... and well they followed me home.


All and all they fit pretty well in the car.


Next step was the roof. I started with a basic square framework (no photos sadly), made myself the top roof center, then proceeded to plank with styrene.



Still a little nervous on actually sheeting the roof, but still coming up with ideas on that. I think I'm going to use 0.02 or 0.03 styrene sheet for the main layer. The planking should only act as a base. I will likely put a sheet of tissue paper with glue over the top layer of styrene for a canvas texture.

Overall though I am happy with the fit. The roof just clicks right into place. The sheep may need to go on a diet, as this car is getting pretty heavy. I think the upper doors are next once I finish the roof.

[philipy]

That is looking better and better!

Personally I'd be very wary of using the really thin styrene sheet to cover the planks. Unless you plan to just tack it at the edges there is a real danger of it distorting and bubbling from the solvent over that large an area. I tend to use 1mm ply ( model boat shop) to do that job, and then cover it with fine weave cloth to simulate canvas.

[Peter Butler]

That is looking better and better!

Personally I'd be very wary of using the really thin styrene sheet to cover the planks. Unless you plan to just tack it at the edges there is a real danger of it distorting and bubbling from the solvent over that large an area. I tend to use 1mm ply ( model boat shop) to do that job, and then cover it with fine weave cloth to simulate canvas.

Ditto.... I find curtain lining material the most suitable for roof covering. It has a fine weave and looks just right after painting.

[MrRail]

Got a chance to get back working on the car, now completed the roof. (I still may do some detailing). First job was to finish up all the planking.


I ended up using the 0.02in sheet, 0.5mm, pretty sucessfully. I used a medium CA superglue in lines to give the glue a chance to vent.


Overall I'm very happy with the fitment. The whole roof just drops into place. I may have to modify my sheep yet, as the whole car is starting to get pretty heavy. Was looking for some 1/24 scale sheep plastic kits at work, but so far no dice.

That is looking better and better!

Personally I'd be very wary of using the really thin styrene sheet to cover the planks. Unless you plan to just tack it at the edges there is a real danger of it distorting and bubbling from the solvent over that large an area. I tend to use 1mm ply ( model boat shop) to do that job, and then cover it with fine weave cloth to simulate canvas.

Not a bad idea, but I already had styrene lined up. May try using basswood on the next car, but will look for some fine weave for this one.

[Old Man Aaron]

Absolute work of art, that. You might have to use a dremel to hollow out your sheep from underneath, I think Rik did that with his livestock wagons.

[ge_rik]

Absolute work of art, that. You might have to use a dremel to hollow out your sheep from underneath, I think Rik did that with his livestock wagons.

Well remembered - that's exactly what I did. I seem to recall hollowing out the palm of my hand at the same time

Rik

[MrRail]

Getting back into the swing of things after a busy spell.

Got the upper cattle doors done for the cattle wagon.

First things first, was the painful process of making the pins for the cattle car functional.

To accomplish this, I looped 27 link per inch chain through loops I made with phosphor bronze wire. This got the smallest dot of flux, then was soldered. The pins have the joint soldered to them, while the plastic loops on the ends the rings "float" and are not mounted to the end pins.


The end look is lovely, but man that took some doing. I get to look forward to repeating this process too. I will be drilling holes to secure the links on the end of the chain to the car. I REALLY don't want these pins wandering off.


The doors themselves went together a lot faster, and I just need to make hinges and apply rivets to them. Aside from that, the car gets guttering and then its pretty much done with assembly and its on to paint.

To that end, I have started work on a Welshpool and Llanfair brake van. I don't have any brake vans in my stock yet, so I figure I'll need one or two before I start operating sessions on my future railroad. To that end another LGB Short wheelbase frame was pulled from my stock.

This was immediately shortened, as the offset in LGB short frames just bugs me. The axles are now equal distances from both ends.


The car's deck was shortened in exactly the same manner.


The sides were then cut off, leaving the car you see in the first photo. Drawings show a roughly 6ft wheelbase, with a 2 3/4ft overhang from axle centers. I'm pretty close to these numbers, which I'm quite happy with. Next step will be to build up what would be the steel sections of the sides. This and finishing the cattle car should be my next post.