NYCTA

[Anonymous]

I need some help. I am attempting to scratchbuild an r32 subway car. I have the basic dementions of the car, but i need help with the size and spacing of the corrigations on the side. I have previously built the r30 cars, which are basically exactly the same without the corrigated sides. The peaks of the corrigations are 1" thick, the lower part is 1.30" thick. The peaks are also rounded. Does anyone know if there is a scale corrigated styrene sheet that has those measurements? Or, even better, does anyone know if there are .010" half round styrene rods that i can get to make these sides myself?

[jrbarney]

Vbaglivio,
The smallest size half-round listed in my copy of the Evergreen catalog is 0.040", and in my copy of the Plastruct catalogue the smallest size half-round listed is 0.030". The Plastruct catalogue also lists corrugated siding for O, HO and N scales, but doesn't dimension the corrugations so you might want to check the sidings at your LHS to see if one is suitable.
If you are willing to experiment, you might want to try a technique British modelers once used to draw shape wood profiles for cornices and the like. Basically you file the profile you want in the non-toothed edge of a discarded hacksaw blade. Then you pull rectangular stock through that profile, sometimes with multiple passes, until the tool you made has shaped the stock to the shape you need. Don't know how well this works with plastic as opposed to wood.
Bob

[Anonymous]

I didn't think of that. But that sounds like a great place to start. Thanks for the tip. I'll let you know how well this technique works on plastic.