My first attempt at scratchbuilding rolling stock

[GAP]

Necessity being the mother of invention I have had to resort to building my own rolling stock due to the cost of RTR being out of my reach.

This is the prototype of flat car that will have a boxcar body mounted onto it, I intend to make 6 Boxcars which are roughly modelled on plans from Garden Railways and are intended for use behind my 1:20.3 Consolidation..

The base is made from MDF (type of particle board) with strips of wood to add some underframe detail and a piece of mild steel flat bar which serves to stop the MDF from curling and to add weight.

The bogie (trucks) side frames are made from 2mm styrene, the bolster from some plastic molding, the axle bushes are belt making eyelets from a craft shop and the springs are from clothes pegs.

The only commercial products on the bogies are the wheels and the coupler.

 

[trammayo]

Looking good. I look forward to seeing the completed cars. The steel bar is a good idea for ballast. Just be careful when you're cutting MDF (Phenolic Resin) - although you are probably aware of that already!

 

[dunnyrail]

Super Job, way to go. Glad to see a little more creative craft in the rolling stock side. This has got to be inspirational to others on the site finding stuff similarly out of reach pocket wise.

I am sure you will agree that starting is the hardest part when scratch building.
JonD

 

[Henri]

Very inspiring!!!

 

[gregh]

I like!.
( BTW I gave up using metal for the axle bearing long ago and just use the styrene. They seem to last OK for my amount of running.)

 

[GAP]

I like!.
( BTW I gave up using metal for the axle bearing long ago and just use the styrene. They seem to last OK for my amount of running.)[/QUOTE

With the amount of running these are going to get I probably could get away with running with styrene then bush if needed, but thought I would future proof seeing these are going to get a hell of a lot of running when I retire.
The body work is my recovery therapy after the hip replacement next month.
When I get one up and running maybe I should drop by and do a show and tell with the GRASS guys it has been a long time since my last visit.

 

[GAP]

First body built, roof yet to be made.
The door is made from paddle pop/icy pole sticks and bought from a $2 shop.
To get the sides and ends square I used balsa blocks glued inside which were held in place by dressmaking pins.
The ends are a bit rough so I think I'll trim and sand them square I might even use some styrene angle over the joints to simulate steel reinforcement and hide the rough job.
I have some 0.5mm which I should be able to bend and put simulated coach bold heads down it using my pattern tracing wheel.
The meranti wood strips were a bit wide, so I had to attempt scribing them down the middle to give the impression of thinner planks, I am going to give them a dark wash to try and highlight the scribe marks similar to what the plastic modeler do with aircraft panel lines.
A friend has cut some of the strips to be used for the rest in half so that scribing will not be necessary.
This will be an outside frame boxcar so thin strips will be glued over this to simulate the frame.

 

[GAP]

The boxcar is now assembled and is ready for a visit to the paint shop.

Being made of wood I am going to paint it with a sealer/undercoat prior to spray painting with another primer them the top coats.

This boxcar was produced by loosely following a plan that was in "Garden Railways" (when they came as a centerfold) that I was given a collection of.

I have Australianised it by not making the roof out of "planks" and not putting roof walk details on.

From looking at rolling stock in museums here in Oz I noticed that roofs of wagons and carriages were made of wood which had canvas or some other cloth glued/attached which was then painted so this is what I am emulating.

This project was therapy while I recover from a hip replacement I have 5 other chassis ready for some bodywork to be attached the original plan was 6 boxcars but while in hospital I started thinking open wagons, maybe a reefer and a tank car might make the train that these are destined for more interesting.

 

[Gizzy]

Nice work....

 

[Hal Farsed]

More power to your elbow GAP. Theres something very satisfying about knocking a few bits of wood together and coming up with your own design. Love it.

 

[GAP]

13 Nov 2016

The boxcar is now out of the paint shop and ready for service.

I added a couple of pieces of styrene to the door to give it a bit of detail (runner brackets and a lock)

I painted the wheels and springs a rust colour (Humbrols 113), the axle box ends are painted a dark grey (Humbrols Asphalt 112).
I did this because when they were painted flat black they looked plain boring and I feel that the bogies now have a bit of character.
The paints came from the Op Shop SWMBO volunteers at, the rest are rattle cans from a $2 shop.








The Future

The next project is a tanker, I am using one of my 6 premade chassis and making the Tank from 100mm PVC stormwater pipe with end caps and a couple of 32mm PVC end caps for the domes plus I'll try to add some details eg ladders, walkways, piping etc.

 

[trammayo]

13 Nov 2016

The boxcar is now out of the paint shop and ready for service.

I added a couple of pieces of styrene to the door to give it a bit of detail (runner brackets and a lock)

I painted the wheels and springs a rust colour (Humbrols 113), the axle box ends are painted a dark grey (Humbrols Asphalt 112).
I did this because when they were painted flat black they looked plain boring and I feel that the bogies now have a bit of character.
The paints came from the Op Shop SWMBO volunteers at, the rest are rattle cans from a $2 shop.

View attachment 216592


View attachment 216593

View attachment 216594

The Future

The next project is a tanker, I am using one of my 6 premade chassis and making the Tank from 100mm PVC stormwater pipe with end caps and a couple of 32mm PVC end caps for the domes plus I'll try to add some details eg ladders, walkways, piping etc.

Nicely done! Look forward to your tanker project too. Keep up the good work.

 

[gregh]

13 Nov 2016

The boxcar is now out of the paint shop and ready for service.

I added a couple of pieces of styrene to the door to give it a bit of detail (runner brackets and a lock)

I painted the wheels and springs a rust colour (Humbrols 113), the axle box ends are painted a dark grey (Humbrols Asphalt 112).
I did this because when they were painted flat black they looked plain boring and I feel that the bogies now have a bit of character.
The paints came from the Op Shop SWMBO volunteers at, the rest are rattle cans from a $2 shop.

The Future

The next project is a tanker, I am using one of my 6 premade chassis and making the Tank from 100mm PVC stormwater pipe with end caps and a couple of 32mm PVC end caps for the domes plus I'll try to add some details eg ladders, walkways, piping etc.

Looking great. Especially satisfying when you consider the small cost. Not sure about the wheel colour though.
BTW, instead of using peg springs which are pretty 'tough', I just wind small insulated wire around a suitable size drill bit.

 

[GAP]

Looking great. Especially satisfying when you consider the small cost. Not sure about the wheel colour though.
BTW, instead of using peg springs which are pretty 'tough', I just wind small insulated wire around a suitable size drill bit.
View attachment 216619

That bogie look great Greg.
The cost of buying bogies was going to make the wagons a very expensive proposition, especially when postage is taken into account the price was almost double.

The wheel colour is just to make them stand out from the bogie, after looking at them for a while thinking I might tone them down with a dark wash of some sort.
Weathering of the whole wagon is on the radar just to get rid of the shiny new look.

I used peg springs because I have a bag of old wooden pegs that the missus won't use, all I really did was wind the spring around a wire coat hanger piece and compress them with pliers. I did consider winding some from wire I have here as well.

 

[GAP]

The tank components for the next project ( a Tank Car) are ready for assembly the chassis is the same as one used on the boxcar.

 

[GAP]

Picture of progress on the tank car so far.
Domes and a walkway attached, one end cap press fitted (there will be a band that goes around the tank which will hide the end cap joint) and a ladder trial fitted.
I took the piece of steel strap of the chassis as the tank assembly weighs heaps.

 

[GAP]

Tank Car is finally finished.

Some details;

Chassis - Same as the boxcar with a covering of stained wooden coffee stirrers to simulate planks.

Tank - 100mm (4") PVC plumbers Pipe and end caps.

Domes - 32 mm (1.25") PVC pipe end caps.

Dome Access Hatch - buttons for lids with snap fasteners for wheels, borrowed from wife's sewing bits.

Ladder - Cut out of a piece of plastic gutter leaf guard mesh.

Some pictures;

 

[dunnyrail]

Great effort, so very satisfying to take raw materials and end up with usable Rolling Stick for ones line. Look forward to seeing more Gap. Motive Power and Coaches next!
JonD

 

[David1226]

I like the clever use of everyday bits and pieces to create the tank and fittings. The ladder was definitely thinking outside the box.

David

 

[GAP]

Great effort, so very satisfying to take raw materials and end up with usable Rolling Stick for ones line. Look forward to seeing more Gap. Motive Power and Coaches next!
JonD

No motive power or carriages, these pieces are being built to give my Bachmann Consolidation (Connie) some thing to pull.

Plan is for 6 wagons and a caboose, not sure what the next build will be yet possibly a refrigerator wagon (aka Reefer in US) or an open wagon (aka Gondola in US) maybe 2 the tank car weighs 3.5Lb (the boxcar 1.5Lb) so I am treating it as 2 wagons when I make up the train, so the gondolas will be light to compensate.