A New Flat Car for the Little River RR

[Grabnet]

This was a fun build.It is a 30 foot logging flat in 1:20.3 scale. I used "bits" salvaged from an old junked B.mann Big Hauler flat car given to me by my model RR friend Bill.

 

I never turn down anything "free" in large scale. I used 5/8" poplar wood for the frame and steel strap iron from Lowes for weight. The deck was built up using cut down tongue depressors (craft sticks).

 

The wood was stained with alcohol and india ink. The small plastic bits were painted with acrylics, weathered and attached with Super Glue.

 

Metal wire was bent to form the coupler lift bars and some of the grabs.

 

I have always enjoyed this prototype picture from the Little River RR:

 

I am hopeful my model captures some of the spirit of hard working wooden flats doing the heroic work of moving the timber.

 

Thanks for looking. Tom

 

Doc Tom and the Little River RR guys in East Tennessee.

[captain perry]

That looks great Tom!  looks like you are having a lot of fun too!

[Grabnet]

Thanks Eric. I am now working on a scratch-built 1:20.3 passenger car. I studied your nice looking "homemade" passenger cars as part of my research. I also loved how you built one to allow a camera inside for some really sharp movies as the train traveled the line. I am building a combine to allow that same trick with the camera in the baggage area.

Tom

[captain perry]

Building passenger cars is great fun Tom!  let me know if you get stuck  eric (at) shearwater-boats (dot com) I would be happy to send some construction photos

[Grabnet]

Thanks Eric for the offer of help. One of the practical problems I ran into is determining the color of the interior of passenger cars in the 1910's  into  the 1920s. Of course there were no color photographs at that time. The best  I can come up with is some type of tan color or perhaps a gray color was used in the standard American passenger coach of that era. Do you have any resources on the color schemes that were used on the interior of passenger cars in the 1920s??? Thank you. Tom

[captain perry]

All I can add is that the 1892(ish) Jackson and Sharp coach at the WW&F railway museum was originally varnished and seems to have stayed that way.  the ceiling does have white painted panels to keep the inside of the car bright..

this is a shot of the inside of coach 3 taken inside the car shed so the lighting was tricky.  old varnish on all the wood work, dark green leather seats with black iron hardware.

here is what I did:

The dark wood is a dark piece of western red cedar.  walnut would also work.  the finish is a simple wash of linseed oil.  the light wood is pine.

[Grabnet]

Eric,

Thanks for these great pictures and your help. I too elected to go with a light tan brown interior. My coach is supposed to be one of the earlier all metal bodies. I am building up the end walls and sides from a laminated cardstock material.

Here are a few shots of the 40 foot combine in the very early construction phases. You can see the tan I have chosen for the interior color. I like your prototype picture of the white interior roof shot. I will probably go with that for the paint on the roof. Thanks for your interest.  Should I start a new thread?? Moving on from logging flats to varnish.

Doc Tom