Stock Car build for my cattle line.

[Bad Droid]

I started on a couple models now that we settled in enough to do something besides Homestead work.
This is a 1:20.32, 45mm gauge "Test Prototype" for my cattle line here in the high desert. It's being built from a Garden Railways Magazine "pull out plan" that Ted Stinson drew up back in the day. I've built several of his models including this one almost 20 years ago. Ted's models were all laid out in a simple fashion, most use a plywood core and the stringers and end beams are built around that. It gives the model weight and durability for the garden, carrying back and forth and all that. I may build the next one w/o the plywood and use full height center stringers and such, but for now I just want to get this one completed, stare at it a while and decide if I want to go this route, then build a jig so I can speed things up a bit, so that over time, I can produce 15 or 20 of these.
I may also build the same thing in 1:19.05 and see how it looks in 2 foot gauge form. But I'm leaning towards 20.3 on 45mm track.
Anyway, this is the basis for the railways' Series 300 stock car. I also have plans for a box car of the same length, which will be series 200. Most series of cars will ride on 3d printed 3' 7" American Steels' archbar trucks.
More to come....

[Bad Droid]

These are the arch bar trucks that I mentioned, I think they'll go great with the series 200 and 300 cars. The bolsters will be wood, the prints just don't come out right, even the designer gave up on that particular part. They'll still be fully sprung. I grabbed some wheel bearings, but at $11 for ten bearings vs 200 brass eyelets for $10, I'm leaning towards the eyelets to keep costs down. The wheelsets are a basic Bachmann "Big Hauler" type and are the most expensive part of the models. Most everything else is fabricated out of wood or 3d printed.
Feel free to critique, make suggestions or just point and laugh.
PS, I apologize about the quality of these pictures, my phones camera lens has a crack and does some strange things with lighting and getting a picture in focus is trying to say the least, time for a new phone.
EDIT: The trucks, these are my first prints using PLA. I have moved onto PETG, being told that the PLA will not hold up to the extreme heat and cold of the desert. I've started some petg trucks, but as a newbie with 3D printing, I learned rather quickly that I need a heat bed. Parts have been ordered and the Railway Shop should have a stand alone set up shortly.

[philipy]

Great to see the railway beginning to take some sort of shape after fighting the surroundings for so long.

The wagon construction looks very good, can't wait to see the finished version.

[Bad Droid]

Thanks Phillip, I'm really excited to be getting back into the groove.

[ge_rik]

That's looking really great. Can't wait to see what it's like when it's finished.

Rik

[Bad Droid]

That's looking really great. Can't wait to see what it's like when it's finished.

Rik

Thanks. I'm thinking that this series of car will be a dark brown with white lettering. D&RGW and most others were black, but I think that hides a lot of detail.
Also, I want to add some brake detail, these and the box cars were simple hand brake only, I may use a set of plans to add a scratch built brake cylinder/reservoir and some hardware to the trucks as well. But simple and robust. That'll be down the road a bit....

[LNR]

Looking good, I like cattle trucks. Plenty of scope for a good weathering job.

NM Cattle Truck 7.JPG (116.95 KiB) Viewed 1813 times

Grant.

[Bad Droid]

That's amazing.....

[Old Man Aaron]

Nothing to point and laugh at, to my eye.
Short bogey stock really holds a merit of it's own, I think.

[Bad Droid]

Nothing to point and laugh at, to my eye.
Short bogey stock really holds a merit of it's own, I think.

Thank you Sir. One thing I'm going to improve on with this series as well as my 100 series flat cars (same frames) , I do not like how the needle beams and bolsters are attached by just laying and gluing the surfaces together, so I'm going to make a fixture to router out the stringer profile to both the needles and bolsters. Some basic joinery, give them some strength. It will look cleaner too. I think after some regular use that the method in the plans would just snap off.
I have the sub-ends and some of those components completed, hopefully have some more pictures to post once we return from our road trip to the Pacific Northwest.

[LNR]

so I'm going to make a fixture to router out the stringer profile to both the needles and bolsters.

I think that's a wise move, our models suffer a little more hardship than the real thing. I wonder also if a deeper outer stringer would not allow so much of the ends of the bolsters and needles to show, the bolsters even having a chamfer for this. Just a thought.
Grant.

[Bad Droid]

so I'm going to make a fixture to router out the stringer profile to both the needles and bolsters.

I think that's a wise move, our models suffer a little more hardship than the real thing. I wonder also if a deeper outer stringer would not allow so much of the ends of the bolsters and needles to show, the bolsters even having a chamfer for this. Just a thought.
Grant.

Good ideas. The outer stringers are 1/4" by 7/16". I started out with 1/4 by 1/2 and hand planed them down to correct dimensions. While I was doing that with my micro planes I was thinking; "What would it hurt to leave them @ 1/2"?. But anyway, I think I'll increase the height of the needles and bolsters by a 1/16", router them out along the stringers the same amount and that way they'll sit were they show in the drawings. OR, like you mentioned, taller stringers and less needle beams and bolsters. I'll play around with that. In fact, that would be easier... hmmm...
After my run into town today I was able to get a few things done before our road trip. Nothing is glued down yet.
Definitly going to build a few jigs and fixtures to keep it all true once I settle on techniques and dimensions. Can't wait for a new camera...

[ge_rik]

That's looking great. Is this really your first scratch build? It's a heck of a lot better than any of my early scratch builds.

Rik

[Bad Droid]

That's looking great. Is this really your first scratch build? It's a heck of a lot better than any of my early scratch builds.

Rik

Thanks Rik! Actually I've been scratch building for a long time, this is just my first in a couple decades. was removed for quite some time and now I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. I'm really loving it.

[LNR]

that way they'll sit were they show in the drawings.

Guess I should have looked at your plan more closely, I see where you are coming from. I'm modelling narrow gauge with separate queen posts for the under frame stays. Your beams are actually forming a queen post.

New Underframe 3.JPG (185.37 KiB) Viewed 1317 times

I'm using 1/2" ally angle for my underframes, our bodies were always spaced up off the underframe showing a distinct gap and the rivetted end beams set the body up by 1/16th"
Yours are looking nice, they always do in the bare timber, sometimes it's a shame to paint them.
Grant.

[Bad Droid]

that way they'll sit were they show in the drawings.

I'm modelling narrow gauge with separate queen posts for the under frame stays. Your beams are actually forming a queen post.

Correct. The needle beams make up a large portion of that component, allowing for a shorter queenpost. His plans always call for a cotter pin, similar to what you are using. I've always like that method, it's simple and it adds strength where as an actual detail part would eventually get lost in the scenery somewhere.

I'm using 1/2" ally angle for my underframes, our bodies were always spaced up off the underframe showing a distinct gap and the rivetted end beams set the body up by 1/16th"
Yours are looking nice, they always do in the bare timber, sometimes it's a shame to paint them.
Grant.

I really like the low, and what I call a "hunkered down", look of your set up. That's what I set out for and I'm hoping to achieve the same thing. Your suggestions will definitely help me achieve that, I really appreciate all the input from you and the others.
And I also agree about painting the timber, sometimes I just want to leave them in their natural state .

[Andrew]

Just catching up on this thread - really liking the look of your stock car!

And yes, I like short bogie vehicles too...

Looking forward to further reports in due course,

Andrew.

[Bad Droid]

Just catching up on this thread - really liking the look of your stock car!

Andrew.

Thanks Andrew. I had a little time before packing up for the trip today and came up with some simple fixtures for the Dremel routing table. I'm going to pop the bolsters and needles beams loose and try something like LNR and I were discussing. Add a little strength and tidy up those areas. Hopefully at that point Im happy and can build jigs/fixtures to produce these Stock Cars and Flat Cars (same frames) a little more consistently. The box cars are a little different but we'll apply the same techniques/thoughts to them.