Hello people,
recenty I have been thinking a lot about attempting to scratch build some rolling stock. It seems to fit my space and financial limitations perfectly. The problem is that I can’t find all the design details that I want. I think that kalmbach produced some rolling stock informational books at one point but I have yet to stumble across one of those. Anyone know where to find that sort of information, hopefully online and free.
thanks!
(I’m on mobile, hope this is formatted ok)
Lost in the snow
"dementional information"? I think you meant 'dimensional', or were you looking for some really crazy designs?
Sorry, I couldn't resist!
Hopefully doctorwayne will offer his expertise in this regard. He has scratchbuilt tons of rolling stock. He has also worked wonders by using low end cars and modifying and detailing them to make them into craftsman quality rolling stock.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Oh hush, you didn’t see nuffin. I need to stop making late night forum posts, It makes me look far dumber than I would like.
Magazines - Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, etc
Plan and Diagram books for sale
I did Google search "Railroad Car Diagrams" lots of hits some with a few plans or diagrams and other sites with a lot like
Northern Pacific Railroad Historical Society
http://www.nprha.org/Pages/Home.aspx
has NP freight car diagrams under "Equipment"
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
BeringAnyone know where to find that sort of information, hopefully online and free.
Hi,
One of the great standard references is the "Car Builder's Cyclopedia of American Practice"
I found two of the early versions available here:
https://archive.org/details/carbuilderscycl00divigoog
But these go way back to 1903 and 1912.
https://archive.org/stream/cu31924032183208#page/n349/mode/2up
above is an idea of some of the detailed drawings.
The actual books can be expensive but they are a good reference. I believe Kalmbach reprinted the 1940 edition. There are Passenger, freight, M-of-W and shop information in these tomes as well.
You can find .pdf CDs on Ebay sometimes and those can be handy since you can print chosen pages and possibly enlarge them to your scale.
https://www.ebay.com/p/1946-Car-Builders-Cyclopedia-Railroad-Railcar-Design-and-History-on-DVD/689109092?iid=171561886724
Sometimes used book dealers or Amazon will have them listed. There's a 1946 on Amazon right now for about $40.
Lots of detail photos and drawings are in these cyclopedias, too.
Hope that's some help.
Good Luck, Ed
A treasure trove!!
http://prr.railfan.net/
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good to know, do you know if there is any more modern equivalent? I am looking for 70’-80’s built DOT 111 tank cars, for a late 80’s to early 90’s southern pacific unit train. it sseems like that era is a gap in the available information.
BeringDOT 111 tank cars,
Gee, and I thought you young blokes were all Computer Whiz Kids!
http://www.sulphuric-acid.com/techmanual/Storage/tankcar.htm
Bering Good to know, do you know if there is any more modern equivalent? I am looking for 70’-80’s built DOT 111 tank cars, for a late 80’s to early 90’s southern pacific unit train. it sseems like that era is a gap in the available information.
Most (all?) of that information will still be under copywrite. That's why you can find the early Car Builders online but not the recent ones. The same is true for published drawings, unless the copywrite holder permits it - some do.
Historical societies may be your best bet for online free. Otherwise you could use the index (under resources above) to look for model magazines issues that have what you want and then buy those issues.
Good luck
Paul
Going by Bear's link, it looks like the good ole' Roundhouse/MDC 50' tank cars would be a good match, or a starting point.
Mike.
My You Tube
Do you (the OP) have a particular car you seek to build? Or do you just want to find good drawings of anything and then build it?
Be aware that "equipment diagrams" which railroads created and bound together to document their rolling stock (and which rail historical societies and others often reprint) are not necessarily strict drawings to a particular and consistent scale of the sorts you see in Railroad Model Craftsman, older MRs, and model rail magazines of the past. They nonetheless contain important basic dimensional information which together with a good selection of photographs can be used to build or modify a car.
Some railroad historical societies do print actual scale drawings, newly created which are not mere equipment diagrams.
The drawings in the Car Builder's Cyclopedias are, as I understand it, actual scale drawings but more challenging to read and interpret than the simplified versions you'd see in MR or RMC or Mainline Modeler, etc. Back in the 1940s MR would sell "plan packs" of drawings reprinted from MR, and from time to time a Model Railroader Cyclopedia would appear with all sorts of drawing reprints. That stopped in the 1940s. Not to be confused with their steam locomotive and diesel locomotive plan Cyclopedias.
Older drawings (and photos) from Car Builder's Cyclopedias were reprinted in the Train Shed Cyclopedia series that you see at swap meets.
Years ago when I was a Pennsy modeler I went through the annual indexes for every year of MR that I owned, and went through every issue of RMC that I owned, and made a list of their drawings of Pennsy freight cars, passenger cars, and locomotives. That was a big list.
Then when I switched to being a C&NW modeler I did the same darn thing all over again. Laborious to be sure but the online periodical index on this website does not reliably index scale drawings just articles. "Fortunately" (I am being sarcastic here) MR stopped running freight car drawings about the time I did that work so my list should be fairly current.
I am told that Kalmbach once did publish a list of all the drawings ever published in MR, compiled by George Drury, but I have never seen it for sale anywhere.
I believe the annual MR indexes going back several years are somewhere on this website (NOT the master periodical index which is under "resources" but the four page annual index that was usually tucked into the March issue of the following year). It is laborious but that is the most practical way to find scale drawings in MR and thanks to the all time archive you can actually find the drawings. I do note that some of the scans of older drawings in the archived versions of the magazine were not particularly well done and you might still want to seek out the paper magazine.
Dave Nelson
dknelsonBe aware that "equipment diagrams" which railroads created and bound together to document their rolling stock (and which rail historical societies and others often reprint) are not necessarily strict drawings to a particular and consistent scale
True but they do give critical dimensions which can be difficult to determine from scale plans. Using them along with appropriate photos accurate models can be built.
back issues of the mainline modeler. if you would like some scans pm me.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Easy-To-Build-Model-Railroad-Freight-Cars-1971-Kalmbach-Publication-Model-Trains/292542205171?hash=item441cdfccf3:g:VBMAAOSwz7NaZOc0
This is an older book. It has about 24 projects in it, along with 14 or so drawings with dimensions. I dont know what era you're modeling. The copyright on it is 1971, so everything is older than that. Dan
Bering I am looking for 70’-80’s built DOT 111 tank cars, for a late 80’s to early 90’s southern pacific unit train.
I feel like a dummy sending you a link to a 1912 Car Builder's Cyc. They didn't know much about DOT 111s back then. Guess I should have asked what ERA you were interested in.
In the 1960s-1980s era, wasn't there a quarterly? magazine that had lots of plans in it? It was always sold with MR, Trains and RMC at the hobby shops. I see copies at swap meets, but I know it is long out of publication now- just can't remember the name...
Cedarwoodron
ok now that we know what lookng for . is it the 111a 263,00 lb or the 195,300 one ?
I’m looking for something around 23k gallons, single dome and with a straight tank. I was originally thinking of trying to model tanktrain cars, but with all those extra railings and fittings it didn’t seem too feasible. So basically I was thinking something that basic size but in single dome with the short square walkway on top. Something along the lines of this. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOT-111_tank_car#/media/File%3AFRA_NATX22746_DOT-111_tank_car.png
I wouold think that the old MDC 50 tank car would get you a good starting point:
https://www.google.com/search?q=mdc+tank+car&client=firefox-b-1-ab&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=MxIvxzWgxrPuxM%253A%252CvmuaYmMSYPMm6M%252C_&usg=__yK4JRBiJI-zWlJ961fcEPIvPiEw%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiO2MST5eTaAhUMd98KHdGjC00Q9QEIKzAB#imgrc=IGFzYggCp-b95M:
the closest i could find so far to a dot 111 is in the may 1997 mainline modeled and its a dot 112 .
I have a little info on tank cars in general, a DOT 108W and some specs regarding the types:
DOT_tank-3 by Edmund, on Flickr
DOT_tank-111 by Edmund, on Flickr
DOT_108-W by Edmund, on Flickr
DOT_tank-111c by Edmund, on Flickr
Just tryin' to help...
Ed
Regarding freight cars in general: Mainline Modeler offered a collection of articles in book form.
The Best of Mainline Modeler's Freight Cars, Volumes 1,2,3.Regards, Volker