MC - Yup - The cab end running boards are flat brass wire and some K&S brass strip. I cut the pieces long and clamped them into a little PC board fixture I made out of some Radio Shack perf board. That way when I soldered the bits it wouldn't shift too much. The first one took me about 1-1/2 hours until I worked out a system. The next three were 20 minutes each. Trim off the wild ends with some side cutters, clean up with a needle file and voila! I like your idea of replacable shells on a single chassis.
He only sips out of the Big Jug O' Stain in the morning to "cut the phlegm" as he puts it. And he never has anything stronger than whiskey before breakfast, so I'm hoping he operates the heavy machinery before noon We'll see how fast he can work before Turkey Day.
Funny, I'm doing the exact same thing. I'm going to try building a version of the boxcab using my original plan (the printed photo sides on a flat sided body with roof details) as well as a wooden W&OD boxcab. And I might even do a shorty E-unit with a leftover E-7 body I have. In fact, if I did that, the remaining carbody (roof and two sides) would probably make a great boxcab. I'VE GONE BOXCAB CRAZY!
Is this boxy enough? I got all the planks cut & stained (& ready to build the walls), and installed the couplers: It's not pretty, but it works: [video=youtube_share;XWMdXLZRKC0]http://youtu.be/XWMdXLZRKC0[/video] Headlamps got mailed today, so we'll see when they get here
Is anyone else thinking of the theme music to 2001 A Space Oddysey right now? Monolith boxcabs REPRESENT! ;-) Seriously (as if you can believe that) lookin' good! Now, gimme some lumbahhhhhhh!
Funny you should say that, cuz those same monkeys are using that bone to build the boxcab as we spak.
so did anyone get a pic saved of the milwaukee road boxcab that someone put up and then quickly took back down? I just want to see a picture so i can get some ideas. im an ATSF/UP transition on cajon modeler but my old man likes the big boxcabs so id like to build one for him to throw in hos display cabinet. If anyone has a pic of it, PM me
MC - Seeing your boxcab has a funny effect on me: All I keep hearing in my head, over and over, is "Open the pod bay doors, Hal..." "...Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do... .... ............" If you wanted to and you had good soldering chops you could de-solder the LED's from the 44 tonner's DCC board and remount them with some extended leads. I kinda like the Bachmann LED lights. Soooo tiny!
T'was the night before boxcab, and all through the house Not a creature was stirring, except MC and his jug-o-stain (what, was I supposed to rhyme house?) Hetek was painting and lettering and stuff And PWNJ was right here on his duff Chris333's brass boxcab of gold Was probably finished before it got cold Grey One's boxcab needs more cyan ink And a way for the sideskirts not to just kink As for the rest of you, not sure where you are But tomorrow's the day that we show just how far And even if you haven't finished (or started) That's OK by me, cuz the cat just ... ...umm, tried to take my boxcab. yeah. the end. See you guys tomorrow. And hey, look. 1000 posts for me, woot!
I think an "rolling display window" is a good idea, anytime between tomorrow and Sunday. Cause I doubt my monkeys will be done by Sunday. (especially if the headlamps don't get here tomorrow). Excited to see what people have been doing, though!
That works for me! Maybe I can make some serious progress on Grey One's boxcab between now and then, too!
I'll second that - Great idea MC! Hey, even Macy's doesn't put up it's famous window display for only one day! It has the added advantage of given some of us a 4 day holiday weekend to pour on the gas for a last minute push. By "some of us", I mean me. And... now I know what to get PW&NJ for the holidays - a rhyming dictionary!
Thieu, I think I saw it strapped to the back of a turtle yesterday. Should be there before the Olympics are over. ;-) Meanwhile, while I have a quick chance, here's my entry, with a short start-to-finish look: Originally I was going to do a flat-sided car and add realistic photo sides to it, but then hetek came along and blew that out of the water by bringing up the old "make a boxcab out of a caboose" trick. I think I had the saw in my hand moments after grabbing the caboose from the box of rolling stock... or it might have been the other way around. A snip here, a cut there, a quick dummy chassis, and viola! Instant boxcab. Then glue a bunch of stuff to it, throw a Kato power chassis underneath, and I'm in business.
Then add some weathering. Some weight, so it'll pull more than just itself. And there you have it! Now, it still needs headlights, but I'm not in any rush to do them. And maybe in a day or so I can print and install the number boards. But overall, finito! Thanks for looking. This was a load of FUN! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving, TrainBoarders!
Thanks! Those are PATA IDE hard disk ribbon cable. I'm an IT guy and had a bunch sitting around when I started the project. It was just about the perfect size, and right in my budget. ;-)
For radiators I originally tried soldering a row of bare telephone wire (22 or 24 gauge copper, I think). Came out pretty good but there were some kinks here and there. That wouldn't have been too bad considering I've seen photos of boxcabs with bent cooling tubes. Adds a new level to weathering! But then I found the light (and a generous supplier!) and went with the HD cable bits too. I agree - they look just too good to pass up!
