N scale "What's on your workbench?"

Cable car BCOL 6504 was converted from a former Great Northern 4400-4699 series grain/lumber boxcar - quite an unusual car with early Dreadnought ends, exterior post sides and ten foot Camel plug doors. Intermountain provides hte correct ends and roof; I copied the Intermountain inner ends and floor in styrene and scratchbuilt the sides. Here are the parts prior to assemby:




Inner ends added to floor:




Sides added to ends and floor:




Trial fit of Intermountain ends and roof:




That is what is on my workbench at present - thanks for looking.


Tim

 

BCOL 6504 was assigned to the Prince George Auxiliary (the BCRs northern heavy lift train) and carried spare cable for the crane. It replaced an earlier outside braced boxcar in the same role. A similar car numbered BCOL 6404 was assigned to the Squamish Auxiliary.

Tim

 

Here is the roundhouse base off the printer and compared to the stock base.



Now installed with track. Next I'll draw up the inside bracing and print them so I'll have enough parts left for 6 add on bays that I could sell.

 

Very cool , Mike

 

I don't think I understand this. What kind of printer is this?

I see you are changing the base and you don't want the roundhouse structure to be so close. How are you moving it back? The turntable radius is still the same. Are you putting the tracks closer together at the turntable edge? I see the final result here and it looks great! I just don't follow how it all happened. I'm not sure it is physicaly possible but there it is! It's awful to get old and not follow this stuff, but you guys are accelerating away from me, you know! Anyway, please explain a little of the geometry of this. It sure is a nice looking structure and I do like the tracks as you have them there. Thanks.

 

Mike,
Thanks, I really like the looks and it turned out about the way I wanted.

This type of printer is FDM (filament deposit material). There is several types of plastic that can be used but I only use PLA cause I get the best prints with it. I drew out the new base in sketchup (free CAD program) so the front would be 305 mm (drew it in metric cause it saves a step for the printer software to read) from the center of the turntable. The tracks are set at 6 degrees. Hope that helps.



The front will be printed parts and the doors and back walls will be resin castings from a master that I'll have to make.

Rodney

 

What’s on my workbench?
Currently?
Just about everything.

While I don’t think it quite qualifies as a “Super Fund” site, It probably merits a visit from FEMA.

 

Here is what i will be working on soon.



Mike

 

Cool Mike, how long will the trestle be when finished?

 

I am not sure why the left side door was removed and plated in. This was also done with several power car conversions. One door would be needed to load and unload the cable spools; the cable was played out through the small 16" square openings in he bottom of the sides of the car. That is all I know.

More photos soon.

Tim

 

Nice car. I am confused though as the small square openings look to be at the TOP of the sides of the car...not the bottom
:question:

 

Wow Mike that's a oldie. I have 2 of them somewhere that I bought back in the early '80's. Thought being that I would combine the two to make a longer one.

Rodney

 

Karl , I think it is about 11 or 12".
Mike

 

Thanks Rodney , They are again in production and now include a DVD as well.
Mike

 

The openings at the top of the car sides are windows for illumination. The cable doors at the bottom of the sides will not show up in the photos I have posted; perhaps in the lower angle photos of the assembled car which I will post later this week.

Tim

 

Here is how far I got today.
146 ties, I thought I would never get done gluing.





Mike

 

Sharp looking start to the trestle, Mike. Great spacing and squaring of the tie placement. Will enjoy watching your progress. Robert

 

Thxs Tim...makes sense now