GN wood caboose from Laser kit

I will leave mine at .65 , seems to work ok . I shot a short amature video of the just shopped GN FA and FB hauling the caboose to the photo shoot for some rail fan mag ... note the S2 just Had to have its picture taken ...nosey thing, jealousey runs in the family I guess ... mumbled the engineer , something about how IT should be hauling the caboose ....

http://youtu.be/L-k2P-DVlJ8

 

Stopped work on the AMB 25 footers to catch up on the bay window version being done in styrene. Finished the underframe using .040 Novelty sheet styrene for the board pattern and then attached the ends and sides.


The AMB wood model is sitting on the weights from Pinecar Derby I'm using. Glued in just a tad under .60 oz and then attached the roof supports that were cut from .040 styrene. All that danged white is hard to photograph. I'm will be adding cast metal end steps and with the other components the total weight will be close to the recommended.


The underframe components are all made from .040 styrene.



That S-2 is a handsome locomotive but so are those Alcos pulling that caboose. I had originally thought about doing two of those bay windows but getting to be too much like work. I may have stumbled on a way to make the other versions of the bay windows using a Tichy Train work car as the starting point. Those wood bay windows of the SP&S have eluded me for a while now and there is nothing on the market in the bay window category that comes close. The SP&S took some old 40 foot wood boxcars with steel underframes and converted some into 30 footers by cutting the ends back three feet and sliding the old end back under the roof creating a platform. So a little study is called for to see if there is the potential. Also trying to find the Tichy kits right now is a little difficult.

 

Bay window looking good John. I may have to try that .

 

I have basically used all the templates that the AMB sides and parts came out of, and a very sharp fine point pencil to trace onto the styrene. In a couple of cases I actually used the parts themselves as a pattern for the styrene. That and a True Sander evened up the sides and joints for me. The Tichy Train utilty windows ended up being the closests match to the actual window for this one of a kind and I simply split two windows with a Duplicutter to get the bay end windows. SP&S only converted one 25 footer as a test bed so everything else they had was in the 30 foot category. I tried a much earlier experiment in laminating thin scribbed styrene to some old Model Power bay windows. However that experiment failed when the entire car decided to develope a sway back probably due to the Plastruct Bondene that I used to attach the sides. I'm not 100% happy with the bays, particularly the slanted ends, and in hindsight I probably should have cut the windows a bit narrower. However it is a learning experience and next time I'll make those changes.

The camera also pointed out that I needed to add another coat to the AMB cars as that wood really soaked it up so tonight I gave all four a light coat of Floquil.
So while the first coat dries on the bay window and the 2nd coat is drying on the others I'm taking my one Tichy Train (old Demi Trains) work car and break out my reference work to see if it is feasible to use one as the basis for a bay window conversion. And the 5th AMB kit is going to probably end up as a drovers car since I have that extra roof part sprue. SP&S didn't have any tranfer cabooses,and GN didn't use any in my modeled locale, so with the stockyard planned for the next layout the drovers car is a good fit.

 

I was unhappy with the projection of the bay windows so I carefully cut the sides off this evening trimmed by about half and re-attached. Much improved width of the whole car and then I trimmed the front of the bay windows to fit and glued them. I still have to finish the frame on the end windows of the bays and then when everything is set time for some minor filing and sanding and cutting a roof.

 

Slow but sure with some time out to resolve my photo software issue. 2nd coated the AMB cabooses and the styrene bay window so things are looking better. Glazing applied to all windows on the bay window version that was a mix of clear plastic and Micro Kristal Klear. Assembled the underframes for the AMB Laser Kits and now need to attach brake parts and assemble and mount MT 1015s but probably need to get the steps and end platform on before the couplers. Slow going but being retired I'm in no hurry and I'm taking the time to paint most of the parts before any assembly which does make life easier. Also cut the Pinecar Derby weights and ACC'd them to the floor section. They had to be arranged the way they are because of having to keep the truck mounting holes free and use AMB's mounting method.

 

John, don't forget I used trak nails for the boggies as one of the supplied nail/s were too large to fit the plastic rings and i broke one of the rings trying to make it fit , good thing they sent extra ..

 

I noticed that this afternoon as I was using them to line up the underframe sections. One or two have a bit of heavy flash at the point where the machine stamping out the wire nails didn't quite get one right. For me a little polish with the Dremel will take care of that. Especially since I can't remember which one of many boxes the track nails are stored in.

 

Continuing on in what is now the 2nd week of construction, finally got all the little trim pieces on the car bodies and the cupola roofs glued on. Also cut and glued the bay window roof. Sat back this evening and counted up the parts for the kits. Each kit has 163 parts, or I will have handled 653 parts when these 4 kits are done, not counting couplers and trucks. I still have about 40 more parts each with the end platforms, steps, underbody detail, handrails and end rail and ladder assembly, plus the couplers and trucks. I have been setting with these little fragile parts, holding my breath and biting my tongue for so long now I feel that I'm suffering oxygen deprivation and my tongue is sore. If the level of fun (not) I'm having with these guys is any indication I'm questioning my sanity as to why I have 3 of thier pickle cars and one more caboose waiting to be done after this. Anyway the underframes are assembled and ready to go tommorow and here is one more update on where I am now.

 

Installed the last roof covers and painted them then added all those danged PIA supports for the roof walks. I have needle point tweezers that are almost to big to handle those parts and a few went flying. Fortunately the parts sprue had extras. Also installed the trim pieces for the cupola and cabin along the roofs and the cupola armrests. Then went to work on the underframe details. I don't like thier cast steps from resin. They come attached to a thin resin sheet which at first I thought was paper. A pain to trim and a pain to mount on the platforms.Plus comparing them to some metal ones I have I thnk the back sections are a little too thick. Same with the brake gear in cutting it off those danged resin sheets. The tool boxes are three pieces that have to be glued together except the front laser cut sliding door section which has a self stick backing. Installed letter boards on the bay window version and installed the small roof sections on the bays. End platform is styrene. Then I cut two pieces for the roofwalk ends from styrene using the AMB parts as templates. End trim for the roof overhang at each end is from my extra roof part sprue. Decided to use an MT roofwalk from my collection of parts for the bay window that will be cut down to length. Found a problem fitting the cabin on the underframe with too close tolerances between the steps and the car body on at least two so once the ACC sets some filing will be in order.

Also found a discrepancy with the roofs. The final tarpaper covering does not align with the wood roof substructure as far as the predrilled smokejack hole. Placing the wood roof section in the right orientation leaves the hole for the smoke jack on one side where as the hole for the smoke jacket in the tar paper is on the opposite side. So far though about the only gripes I have for these kits.

 

With the delicate nature of the end platforms right now and the generally fragile nature of the whole caboose I decide to assemble my MT 1015s and drill and install while the underframe was flat on the workbench. Then I glued the underframes to the caboose bodies. I felt those steps should probably not be installed as per the step in the constuction guide but after the underframe is permanently attached to the car body. Also the underframe shows too much when attached to the bodies in my opinion. Here I think the the scribed wood sides probably need to be attached to the car substructure before the substructure is assembled allowing some adjustment to tuck that underframe further under the car body. However all is not lost there. While having lunch I broke out one of my reference books and there was a series where that underframe showed. Those 25 footers had strengthened steel underframes added due to the helper grades of the Rockies and the Cascades. And since my modeling locale is Washington State that works fine for me I just need to adjust my numbering series to reflect those cabooses. I tried the wire handrails and had too much difficulty getting them right so out came the laser cut wood ones of which one in the photo has a set on it now. Another set of danged delicate parts but they look good. I think I will confine my wire to the top at the ladders. Made a tarpaper roof for the bay window using a piece of post-it note paper. And started fabricating the walkway end platform, and the walkway. I'm going to leave final paint and touch ups until after I've done the grabs and rails.

 

With a few days taken for other things I'm back at the 25 foot cabooses. Got the trucks mounted before I started those delicate end rails and found the issue was not the wire nails provided with the kit but the small round clear plastic disks designed to fit inside the Atlas truck frame. Finally found my track spikes and even those were not quite small enough for some of the disks. Also found that a few of the disks were a little large to fit into the truck bolster hole and had to ream out some with a number 11 exacto blade slightly to get then to free swivel. The problem was the laser cut holes in the disks were not big enough. Tackled the underframe frame body fit issue on two of the cabooses by making them into the steel frame reinforced version used on the Cascade helper grades. Simply added a black styrene strip along the frame after consulting some photos. Photo below shows the reinforced frame on the left and standard frame on the right.


Actually have progressed to the point of all the grabs and rails applied including the end rails and now getting ready to touch up the paint prior to clear coating for decaling. Didn't like the end step option I was going with on the bay window version so I went back and applied end platforms with steps off of some Overtion chassis that I had in the parts boxes. When I ever get through with this project I will end up with 4 classes of the GN 25 foot cabooses, 2 reinforced frame, 2 standard, 1 bay window conversion, and 1 transfer caboose sans cupola.

 

Hi John,
Cabooses looking good . numbered mine X601 amd may try upgrading it to pusher duty . Only 10 caboose were refitted for pusher duty in the west .. X627-X636.

 

Now messing with the top handrails at each end. So I have done one in phosphor/bronze wire and the rear in the photo are the Laser Kit wood ones. Did something different with the wood in that I drilled out the top platforms enough to accept the ends of the wood rails and then ACC'd them in place. I'm thinking I like the wood better just in that it is a nice uniform shape compared to my wire bending skills. So opinions on the two methods welcome.

 

I am looking at the latest tool catologue for a adjustable jig since my attempts with hemostats and other tools result in about 1 in 5 being good enough to use.

The bay window version now has curved side grabs made from .020 styrene rod. The cab ends at the platforms have grabs made from scrap self adhesive backed wood trim from the AMB kits. Since I have the extra set of platform end rails they will go on this car and the ACC reinforced roof rails that I have as some extras will also go on this car. Took a set of MT Bettendorf trucks with couplers and cut off the coupler since I already have body mounts. Most of the upgraded and rebuilt versions of these cars received Bettendorfs. Modified roof walk is ready to install and the end roof platforms need another coat of paint before installing. the last two 25 footers now just need the roof rails installed and hopefully today I will be clear coating these for decals.

 

John,
My info says the roof and roof walk were painted black for GN , do you have evidence to the contrary ? or are all yours red for SP&S ? I think I will get a second kit and do it with the reinforcing so I can have both. I did not see the size of the styrene you used for the steel .

 

0.015 by .040 for the steel. And flip a coin for the roof since I have photos of them both ways. I think it depended on the shop they were assigned to. And since they got around in thier assignments you could have a mix sitting side by side.

 

Just got a new Micro-Mark catalogue and happened to notice some wire and metal tools and jigs last night.