A Buffet car for the Sandstone & Termite

gregh

electronics, computers and scratchbuilding
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It’s been  15 years since I last built a passenger car, but I’ve been motivated to start on a Buffet Car.
The hot weather means work inside is more comfortable, but the main motivation was coming across these  ‘smelly’  smoke oils from  http://megasteam.com/page2.html  (Thanks Tramcar Trev)
and noticing there is a ‘frying bacon’  smell available.  Now how about a buffet car trailing a smell of frying bacon around the layout?
I decided on a Buffet rather than a Dining Car as I have fond memories of traveling  Sydney-Melbourne on the Spirit of Progress in the 1970s, and enjoying sausages for breakfast in the Buffet car. It looked like this:
spirit BuffetCar sml.jpg
Externally I will make it much the same as my sitting car, which is 520mm long:
pass1.jpg

Internally, there will be a kitchen space behind frosted windows, where I can put a battery and the smell unit.

Now cutting out all those windows can wear out your fingers pressing on the knife, so I discovered years ago it is easier to use 0.5mm styrene and build the sides up in layers.  It took a couple of hours to mark out each side and cut the windows out.
buffetside1.JPG
buffetside2.JPG

Then on the inside, below window level, I contact-glued 6mm ply to one side and 38x8mm pine to the otherside which will be hidden by the ‘counter’. Along the inside tops above the windows, I glued 3/32” piano wire to stiffen it. These stiffen the sides and keep them straight.

Then it was just a couple of days of fiddly work adding all the window frames etc to build up the sides.  Note the area below the window will be painted green separately and glued on at the end.
side3.JPG

I make the inside window frames so I can slide the pieces of plastic ‘windows’ in from the top.  This pic shows one of the frosted panes being installed.  This is so I can paint first and put the windows in later.
fitting window.JPG

The base is 3mm, 3 ply wood with 8mm thick timber frames.  I had a couple of simple bogies I had made from styrene previously, so decided to use them. 
underside1.JPG

Having finished this, I realised I had made the frame 3mm too narrow, compared to my other carriages, but I hope it’s not too noticeable.
Now I`m working on the interior while I wait for the paint to dry.
 
Looking good, Greg.
Love the idea of the frying bacon smells. Following the build with interest

Rik
 
Side panels are all painted now, so a `test fitting` is possible.
I had great plans for a really detailed interior, but I’m lazy, so it will be a minimum effort complying with the 8’ Rule. I made the benches from wood and styrene. Here’s a test ‘fitting’ before glueing it all together.
testfit1.JPG

I also need 14 stools and I used my usual method of 20mm x 20mm plastic angle shaped on my bench grinder, with nails melted through them to form the support pole.  This is a work in progress.

24 seated, 1:25 scale plastic people have been ordered from:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/P25S-24pcs-all-Seated-1-25-Painted-Figures-LGB-SCALE-G-/280679479086?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:AU:3160

but I wonder if 1:32 would look better inside, which seems a litle cramped.

It was around this time that it struck me I’ll need crockery and cutlery for the buffet !  Dinner plates are 10mm dia  and knives and forks are about 10mm long by 1mm wide!  How to make them????
 
I use those seated persons as tram passengers and they are about right if in fact a bit small but Bachmann sized persons do not fit.
Dolls house crockery? maybe too big though... http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dollhouse-Miniature-Crockery-Bulk-lot-3-INCOMPLETE-set-designs-1-12th-scale-/191016598016?pt=AU_Houses_Miniatures&hash=item2c7979fa00&_uhb=1

Otherwise make up a tool and press your own out of that bake in your oven modelling clay..... Cutlery wow! Greg I think you are going to boldly go where no G scaler has gone before.... Maybe make some from some thick alfoil? going to be tedious...
 
Simply brilliant as always Gregh
 
[quote author=Steve link=topic=297741.msg301488#msg301488 date=1388266524]
Simply brilliant as always Gregh
[/quote]
Thanks Steve.

Today was spent wearing magnifying glasses! 
My first attempts at plates (aluminium from `baking dishes` as used for corrugated iron, cut with a hole punch and pushed into  a styrene former.  NEEDS MORE WORK!
Mug from 3mm styrene tube. Not too bad.
Fork from multi-core wire and solder (I know - only 3 tynes - the 4th one broke)
IMG_8564.JPG
I need slightly thicker wire, but shows promise.  Maybe the cutlery will be wrapped in a serviette.

 
Didn't someone mention you could get figures with the cutlery moulded in their hands a while back?

I tried a search, but do onot seem to have much luck searching on the forum. >:(
 
o my god.. heaven :o
 
I’m about to glue the sides and ends on the carriage, so I took the opportunity to get some pics that won’t be possible after that.  I’ve finished making all the plates and cups and printed some menus for the counter, but can’t fit them all till the figures I ordered arrive. Added a fire extinguisher and power cord for the hot water boiler.

Here’s the length of the buffet counter.
int1.JPG

This is the other side.  For the paneling, I downloaded a pic from the net, replicated it the required number of times and printed it out and glued to the wall.
inside panelling.JPG

Coffee for the ladies.
int2.JPG

Bacon and eggs for 2 coming up!
int3.JPG


Tomorrow it all goes together (I hope)
 
Very nice Greg! Only one minor problem if I may be so bold, you forgot to put the NSWRGR logo on the crockery. I`m sure you will correct this minor oversight when you get a 3 D printer and start mass producing G scale crockery for any railway in the world....
My MIL was an RRR Girl at Parkes back in the days when there were RRR`s. She refuses to this day to surrender the secret as to how they used to get the sandwiches to curl up at the edges....
NSWGR logo.jpg
 
tramcar trev said:
Very nice Greg! Only one minor problem if I may be so bold, you forgot to put the NSWRGR logo on the crockery.
NOT NSWGR but Sandstone and Termite. Yep, it proved too hard for me. Even on the Menus, the SaTR logo is unreadable.

My MIL was an RRR Girl at Parkes back in the days when there were RRR's. She refuses to this day to surrender the secret as to how they used to get the sandwiches to curl up at the edges....

If she was there in the 60s-70s she probably served me some of that great coffee as I got off the Mail at 6am and waited for the Silver City Comet. Yum
 
Greg,
That crockery and Fork is just superb. Just remember anyone that looks into your super Buffet will not (probably) be using a Magnifying Glass. So I for one think that they look perfect. Great project.
JonD
 
Now for the roof. I made a frame using 6mm balsa for the roof-line formers and a better timber for the side rail (something from model aircraft store).
roofframe.JPG

Then I used strips of 1.5mm balsa glued over the formers with PVA glue.  When that was dry, I put another layer of 1.5mm under (ie inside), and then glued ordinary printer paper over the lot.
A few decals and it’s almost done. Really only the lights inside to do, and fitting all the people when the order arrives.  Oh, and testing over ALL the layout.
partialroof2.JPG

I had to glue some lead weights under one side as it has more weigh on the ‘counter’ side.  Maybe when I fit all the people I’ll have to remove the weights?
Then it was time for a test run – and amazingly, it didn’t derail!
buffetfinal3.JPG

Then today I hooked it up to the other carriages for the full 4-car train. It showed up some alignment problems with the other cars, and the new one is a couple of mm too high, so I’ll remove some packing from under the bogie.  One problem is that the green loco in this pic, which is the usual motive power, had trouble getting the 4 cars up the 1:25 grade. Oh well, looks like a bank engine will be needed.
fulltrain1.JPG

As the carriages don’t have end doors, it’s a bit difficult for passengers to access the Buffet, so I then started experimenting with making concertina connections between the carriages – but that’s another topic for later.
IMG_8674s.jpg

 
[quote author=tramcar trev link=topic=297741.msg301780#msg301780 date=1388623007]
Very nice Greg! Only one minor problem if I may be so bold, you forgot to put the NSWRGR logo on the crockery. I`m sure you will correct this minor oversight when you get a 3 D printer and start mass producing G scale crockery for any railway in the world....
[/quote]
OK Trev, this mug`s just for you when you visit.  This is the best my bubble jet printer can do on decal - the picture/logo is 1.5 mm across.
IMG_8688.JPG
 
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