Foothill Model Works Flat Car Challenge

[lab-dad]

Thanks guys!
Marc, its "Brass Hole"
Chuck, its actually pretty stout, but I wouldnt wanna step on it!
Here is a shot of the second ladder in the "jig"
The two nuts are 5/16 so they measure .500" - two feet in O scale.
The large flat aluminum squares hold the sides of the ladder against the nuts. The large steel blocks keep everything in place.
The whole thing sits on a piece of glass over my cutting mat.
Then I just tweaked it all square and soldered away!
This is how I do most of my assembling using spacers, weights and glass.
Hope this helps.
-Marty

[marc_reusser]

It's been a busy week and weekend, but I had some time this afternoon, and gave the Molino Timber Company flat a whack.

So here is what I got done so far today.

The original cars appear to have been 4?-6? x 20?.  Using the FMW frame, and lopping off the side sills?.will leave you the intermediate sills as being exactly 4?-6? wide, and pretty close to the dimensions that the MTCo. Side sills were.

MTCo?s side sills however extended beyond the end sills (there?s some technical name for this, but I can?t recall it)?..to recreate this Styrene strip was laminated up to the proper dimensions and then attached.  Fro, the photos it appears that MTCo had only one needle beam, so the existing cast in needle beam locations on the FMW frame needed to be filled with strip styrene; and a new set of notches for the single needle-beam needed to be milled at the center of the car (the piece of .005 styrene in one of the new needle beam cuts is a correction?.likely due to frame flex during clamping, the mill ?bit? a little too deep, and thus the notch needed some filling.)

Next, the bolsters were cut and sanded to their new width, ?end-grained? and installed. From the images it appears that the MTCo cars had their bolsters flush behind the side sills?but I chose to ?interperet? the design here a bit for expediency..and in order to better utilize the FMW frame.

I didn?t have any good reference image of the end sills, buffer or draft timbers of the MTCo. cars,?..so since this is the FMW Challenge, I just went with the stock FMW parts. The ends of all these pieces were also ?end-grained? prior to installing.

Next will be narrowing the kit  needle-beam, adding the car hardware and stake pockets, and then she should be ready for primer. After that I will move on to either the deck, or building the trucks.

Marc

[lab-dad]

Ta Da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TRAINS1941]

-Mj

Real nice another outstanding build by you!!  Can't wait to see the next project in its finished stage.

Jerry

[John McGuyer]

I've had very good luck making brass ladders using ceramic foam that I got from Micro Mark and 'T'-pins. Here's one on the back of the K-27. I just pin, measure and solder a bottom rung, straighten everything and do a top rung. Then a center and so on. No jig, ladders are straight and I make various types quite quickly.

John

[marc_reusser]

Marty,

Congrats on finishing it. Looking good.....now on to the next one!


John,

great ladder and beautiful scratch detailing in the tender.



Marc

[lab-dad]

John, thanks for sharing, I often wonered if that stuff worked.
Question; was it hard to form the bend on the bottoms of the ladder going against the shape?
any tips?

Thanks Marc, and yes! on to the next one!

-Marty

[John McGuyer]

Marty
The stuff works very well and I use it all the time. Makes little soldering jobs so much easier when you can 'pin' things together while you solder. As for the bends, I anneal the area by clamping a heat sink (pliers etc.) just beyond and heat to a dull red. Once soft, it is just a matter of working the bend around. Bend a little, then straighten, bend some more and so on.
John

[marc_reusser]

Bend a little, then straighten, bend some more and so on.
John

...oh sure...just that easy...I can't even begin to describe the fiasco I would probably end up with!

Marc

[finescalerr]

Listen, McGuyer, just because you are an excellent pattern maker and can work miracles with brass, don't expect clods like me to just heat things red hot and bend 'em. The brasswork on your models looks as though a jeweler meticulously and lovingly crafted it. I rejoice when I manage a simple, clean solder joint; I can't imagine even attempting your artistry.

Russ

[jacq01]

I anneal the area by clamping a heat sink (pliers etc.) just beyond and heat to a dull red.

Flaming handwork      John, fantastic results, but I have to agree with Marc,  for us simple modelers...........
styrene is already a challenge. 

Jacq

[John McGuyer]

Thank you guys. I just have to remember not to hold the parts while they are red hot.

John

[Belg]

Guys, the tips on the soldering are great as are the results you both created. I wonder is there a specific place where tips like this are all compiled?

Marc, I was wondering you had any time to put the tips for the wood together yet? I just don't want to miss it if you posted it in its own thread. Thanks for always sharing men, quality results as usual. Pat

[marc_reusser]

Reply to Belg's question on wood has been moved here as a new topic so as to make the topic easier to find and contribute to:

http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=215.msg1957#msg1957


Marc

[Belg]

Thanks Marc, your very right in that different scales approach things very differently, I have tried some of Mic Greenberg's methods from his cards and they do not translate well to HO scale at all. Right now I start with a thinned floquil cp gray with laquer thinner, brushing this on but trying not to get full coverage, using a file card and a scratchbrush to impart grain, when painting I use an open container of thinner and dip into it to help vary the color slightly. After assembling the walls, I plan on using a mixture of turpentine and chalks to wash the wood to get graining pattern. I'm thinking so far my hand has been slightly heavy  so the grain will be a little to pronounced, but it will be a heavily weathered structure so might not be too bad. This is one of the 4 walls I have build so far, I think if I do the rafters 16" on center it might look a little too crowded but will see when I get a little further along. Sorry for posting in your thread Marc, but this is where we started our conversation. If it could be moved that would be fine with me, Thanks Pat