This is how a laser cut caboose kit starts

[pray59]

People have asked, and since I am working on a new Z Scale kit, I am at a perfect point to post the drawings for the 1/64" plywood sheet.

I am still working on the 1/32" underframe parts.

Can you guess from the drawings, what kind of caboose it is?

http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abq.jpg

-Robert

[JoeS]

It looks similar to the NYC wooden caboose you made a few years back?

[pray59]

Hint: < :D


-Robert

[david f.]

i don't know caboose styles or numbers, but it looks very similar to ones used on the Rio Grande. can i buy one?

i'll build it inside out (without wood grain) so i can have a late steel-side version, as used by the Grande.

now if you could adjust a few things to make a wide-vision caboose -- that would fantastic!!

thanks for what you do.
dave freehling

[Kurt Moose]

Ya,I'll guess. It looks like the one I'm gonna buy! :D

[Kurt Moose]

Anyone have GN caboose decals for sale? graemlins/headscratch.gif

[Kurt Moose]

David, that's an interesting idea! graemlins/088.gif "Turn it inside out for a steal sided caboose". Great, now I'll have to buy two! tongue.gif One wood side, and one steel side! graemlins/222.gif

[HemiAdda2d]

Originally posted by pray59:
Hint: < :D


-Robert My guess is an NP hack....
I would love to see a Z scale DRGW 01400, but I'm trying to get one in N first!

[pray59]

Originally posted by Kurt Moose:
Anyone have GN caboose decals for sale? graemlins/headscratch.gif :D


X582 http://www.midcontinent.org/collectn/caboos/gnx582h.jpg

-Robert graemlins/wink.gif

[JR59]

That's a very nice caboose! Thank you Robert for the drawing. Will you show us the upcoming process?

Regards
Jürg

[Kurt Moose]

That's it!!! :eek: graemlins/wow.gif Ya' just had to show that, didn't ya?! That's exactly what I've been wanting in Z! graemlins/222.gif

[Adam Amick]

Hey that's pretty cool, Robert. Does the computer tell the laser to cut all the way through the purple lines, and only a little on the black lines?

Adam

[pray59]

Hi Adam, and Welcome to Trainboard!

Yes, I'll update this topic as I progress. This project was planned a long time back, and was never finished due to lack of time, in fact I only have that sheet done, which is the car side details and brake gear layout for AB brakes.

Yes Adam, the red (they are supposed to be red anyways) lines are cut all the way through, and the black are cut 1/3 the way through. I also use green lines for 2/3 through cut, mostly for roof parts that I want to bend at the scribe, but not break.


I still have quite a bit of drawing to do before I cut the first model and start the test fit process, however I do have a plan to finish it by summer. I am still getting lots of hobby shop orders so I don't have lots of time to work on it.

My normal mode of operation has been to work on kits and trades, then about once a month I take a couple days o modeling time for myself and do something I need, like those grain elevators I did last weekend.

We get a 3 day weekend at my day job, and the boss is making me and another guy come in to work Saturday, to kill the whole 3 day off experience thing. Why do they do that? graemlins/headscratch.gif graemlins/226.gif

Oh well, I am only working 4 hours then I'm going to work on trains! tongue.gif


-Robert

[pray59]

Originally posted by HemiAdda2d:

I would love to see a Z scale DRGW 01400, but I'm trying to get one in N first! All is not lost Hemi, as I still have the drawings you sent me, and will re-visit that project too when things slow down a bit.

-Robert graemlins/wink.gif

[pray59]

So, I had the day off work again, and continued the caboose project.

Here's how it goes, Draw the model you want:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abr.jpg

Send the drawing to the laser:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abs.jpg

Cut the parts:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abt.jpg

Test fit, and reiterate until everything fits good:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abu.jpg

Draw out Decals:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abv.jpg

[pray59]

Print out Decals and overcoat them:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abw.jpg

Paint Model, then Decal it:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abx.jpg

Take pictures and see if you are happy with it:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/aby.jpg

And enjoy knowing that you have the only one in the world so far! :D tongue.gif :
http://www.railimages.com/albums/robertray/abz.jpg


-Robert graemlins/wink.gif

[pray59]

As is often the case, I end up building a different road number than I intended. The reason why? Well, I always look up a bunch of roadnumbers to see if there are safety slogans, different hearlds, different lettering, etc. so that when I draw the decals I draw all the variations at the same time.

If you look at the decal sheet, you can see several different road numbers that the sheet supports.

I found a Big Sky Blue wood caboose and decided I wanted it first:
http://www.greatnorthernempire.net/images/cabooses/GNX394Caboose1.JPG

And that is the easy part. It will take me till summer to get around to doing instructions, and a new project just came in the mail today...

Converting Father Nature old time reefers into old time boxcars! tongue.gif :D

-Robert

[HoboTim]

Damn Your Good!

graemlins/223.gif Tim

[shamoo737]

Another excellent job, Robert, and I agree with what ever Tim said.

[Chris333]

I wondered about if you built the kits and then made changes to make the parts fit better.

Almost every laser kit I've built I've been disappointed at the fit of the parts, but when I built your "widow maker" there were no gaps at all and everything fit great!

[pray59]

I'm glad to hear the Widowmaker kit went together well for you Chris. It does have Basswood in it's construction.

What I found was that the wood is not exactly 1/32" or 1/64", so when I draw out parts, making allowances for the thickness of the wood, It don't come out perfectly.

So I test fit every piece until I am happy with a tight fit, and adjust the cut lines a bit until the part fits best. For N and HO scale models, you can use Basswood in many cases, but for Z Scale, you have to use plywood in more places, because Basswood will expand and contract more with humidity, where the plywood is more tolerant of humidity. Mostly.

There is another factor involved, that we have just discovered. My friend Kim Vellore just bought a laser a few months ago, and his has different cutting charistics than mine. So a kit drawn up for my laser, but cut on Kim's laser will have parts that do not fit like they do when cut by my laser.

The beam on Kim's laser is a bit bigger in diameter because he has a more powerful laser. This causes the kerf of the cut to be wider, so the lines have to be drawn in slightly a different place to get the same tight fit.

Again, probably not an issue with O and HO Scale kits, but if the kit is Z or in many cases even N Scale, using a different laser for pre-production design work, and farming out the cutting for production work, could yeild those fit differences.

A guy draws up a model and has the laser cutting company cut it for him. Fit is good, but that model was cut on their older slower 35 watt machine. When the guy orders 250 kits worth of parts, the laser cutting company does the work on their bigger 100 watt machine, and cranks out the work in a couple days. But now the kerf of those cuts are slightly wider due to the different beam diameter.

There is a focusing lens that sets the beam diameter, and if the same size lens is used, then the kerf of the cut should be the same, but there are slight manufacturing differences in the lenses from one manufacturer to another, and even on different models from the same manufacturer, and that may also be a factor of fit.

-Robert

[Colonel]

Robert,

Your skills totally amaze me, I would never have the ability to design and print decals let alone design and make kits with a laser cutter.

Are you selling many kits? I hope you able to at least cover the costs of the laser?

[JR59]

What a wonderful and interesting report. Thank you very much Robert. BTW as you allready now: your are the greatest! graemlins/notworthy.gif

Regards
Jürg

[John Bartolotto]

Robert,

Where did you get all the brass break wheels from?

John Bartolotto

[Chris333]

I was wondering about the brake wheels also. I imagine they are Z scale, but still I've never seen that sheet before.

[pray59]

Originally posted by John Bartolotto:
Where did you get all the brass break wheels from? I drew up the wheels in Corel Draw, and had Hobo Tim etche them for me with double sided etch.

-Robert

[pray59]

Originally posted by Colonel:
Are you selling many kits? I hope you able to at least cover the costs of the laser? Oh yes, It paid for the laser 1.5 years ago, and am riding the gravy train until it burns out. Now it pays for the hobby! :D

-Robert