Your determination on this project is inspiring, Dave!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Thanks Mark.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Here are a few pictures of the interior and ends of the Cook Car. I'm going to add some dry storage shelves in place of the table and two chairs and move the short table and chairs to where the long table is:
The locking magnetic reed switch. You can see the holes that have to be patched. :
The connector on the right feeds the interior lights. The next one to the left allows the trucks to be removed without anything having to be unsoldered. There is a similar connector inside the cold storage cabinets on the left. The wires still have to be tidied up:
Here is the keep alive circuit for the lighting:
Here are the ends of the car with railings, grab irons and ladders installed:
Pardon the messy black paint. I managed to get a bit too much paint on the brush when I was painting the interior and some of it was dripping off the end. The final colour for the interior will be white but I painted it black first to stop any light from bleeding through.
Cheers!!
Dave
I made up the dry storage shelves and filled them with various pieces of styrene tube and rectangular stock. Painting it will be fun!
I have also figured out how to make a spring loaded contact system so that I will be able to remove the shell without having to separate any connector plugs.
The full explanation is in the electronics forum.
https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/295791.aspx
I am in the process of reducing the size of the keep alive circuit for the Cook Car interior lighting. So far so good, but I managed to break one of the wires off of my spring loaded contact. I already had it in place. The contacts matched up exactly as I had hoped they would, but I had to remove it to re-attach the broken wire. In order to prevent that from happening again, I have added a small amount of liquid electrical 'tape' to form a boot around the wires where they are soldered to the contact pins to take the stress off of the wires.
In the past, when assembling circuits, I have had a bad habit of cutting wires too short. That made them very difficult to connect when working in tight spaces. I'm trying to cure myself of that. This time I will leave a reasonable amount of wire between the connections.
One more frustrating incident (what's new?!?):
As you are aware I have installed a lighting circuit in the Cook Car. I included a latching magnetic reed switch in that circuit so the lights could be shut off when the car was not in use, but I couldn't get the reed switch to latch, i.e. stay in the closed position. I decided that since the reed switch wouldn't stay latched I should just remove it and leave the lights on all the time.
After I got the reed switch out, I decided to play with it a bit more and I discovered that I had completely forgotten how the latching reed switches work. In order to get the reed switch to latch, you have to slide the magnetic wand from one side of the reed switch to the other. Simply putting the magnet up against the reed switch doesn't work.
So, now I have to reinstall the reed switch. Of course I cut out the excess wiring that fed the reed switch so that has to be fixed.
I never cease to be amazed at my own stupidity!
I got the latching magnetic reed switch reinstalled and it works!
My hands are too shakey to do anything else tonight so I'm going to call it quits.
After some fiddling and cleaning contacts, the Cook Car lights work. The shell is easy to remove.
There is still a bunch of painting to do. If you look closely, you can see the sink and the taps, and the wood pile. The stove doesn't show up very well. Maybe after I add some plated details it will be more visible, although I rather doubt that the railways would have spent any money making their stoves look good.
That is excellent Dave! It looks great!
Mike
Thanks Mike and Mark.
I may add a third LED directly over the stove, but the window in front of the stove is rather small. The other thing that I still have to do is paint the interior walls and ceiling. Right now they are black to stop the light from bleeding through. I'm going to paint them a light moss green. That might help.
FOOOOD!!! by Bear, on Flickr
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Hi Bear,
I'm afraid that you will have to get in line behind the train crew members who have actually been doing some work!
I was all set to start painting the walls and ceiling inside the Cook Car shell when I realized that it would be far smarter of me to paint the exterior first. If I paint the inside first I will have to do a lot of masking before I can paint the outside. If I paint the outside first I will only have to mask the LEDs and the spring contacts.
That pretty much puts the Cook Car on hold until I have the rest of the cars ready for paint, and then I will do them all at once. I still have to finish painting all of the cans and boxes on the pantry shelves. I have some of them painted but quite frankly it was a PITA to open and mix a bunch of different colours just so I could apply tiny amounts of paint. Last night I ordered a set of fine tipped acrylic paint pens. That will make the job a lot easier, and if I happen to get in the mood, I can also paint faces on some of the rocks in the garden.
While the Cook Car awaits finishing I decided to start on the Crew Car. I am building it completely from scratch with no donor parts from other models. I'm learning as I go. I have already tossed out the first two frames, one because I didn't get the floor cut square and the other because I realized that I had started assembly in the wrong order so that adding additional parts would have been unnecessarily difficult.
This is the partly built floor/frame assembly. I have still to build up the coupler pocket mounts and add some bridging between the center sills, but it is a decent start:
Here are the basic Crew Car parts. As usual the picture quality is poor. I am using Evergreen 0.040" car siding.
Details to follow.
hon30critterLast night I ordered a set of fine tipped acrylic paint pens. That will make the job a lot easier
I got the paint markers and I am very happy with them. I finished painting the pantry shelves for the Cook Car and I think they will look okay in the model. The tips of the paint pens aren't as fine as I had hoped. I am going to order another set with finer tips. Here are the pantry shelves (you won't be able to see them unless the shell is removed. Okay, okay, I know I'm going a bit overboard with this sort of detail, but what the heck?!?).
hon30critterOkay, okay, I know I'm going a bit overboard with this sort of detail, but what the heck?!?).
Use by by Bear, on Flickr
Canada is about to do away with best before dates to reduce food waste so I didn't bother with the dates on the cans and boxes.
The fine tipped paint markers were a good investment. It took me 1/10th time to paint all the colours than it would have taken using bottled paint.
I have made some progress on the Crew Car. The basic shell is assembled and it fits quite nicely on the frame. I still have to figure out how to keep it attached to the frame.
I also got the scratchbuilt power pickups mounted on the trucks. They are made from 0.005" brass sheet and they are mounted with #80 nuts and bolts. I still have to attach the feed wires.
The thread just went over 69,000 views! Of course, 68,000 of those are from me constantly watching the thread for Bear's cartoons. Seriously, thanks for your interest!
hon30critterThe thread just went over 69,000 views! Of course, 68,000 of those are from me constantly watching the thread for Bear's cartoons. Seriously, thanks for your interest!
This thread has become like an old friend that I check on each day!
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Bunk beds for the crew car.
I haven't figured out how to model the mattresses yet. I may get out the old play dough recipe we had for the kids. I could make them look really lumpy!
You can also see the 1/16" thick lead sheet that I have installed between the frame and the visible floor. The car will be plenty heavy enough.
Worried by Bear, on Flickr
hon30critter...watching the thread for Bear's cartoons
Cheers, the Bear.
Crew car is looking great Dave!
As this project begins to wind toward completion -- what will be next?
How about
OvermodAs this project begins to wind toward completion -- what will be next? How about
Hi Overmod,
I'm sorry but I am getting an error message when I go to your link. I'm not sure what is wrong.
There is still a lot to do before this project is complete, and I'm not in any hurry. It will not be complete until I can run the train on my own layout. I'm sure I can drag out the layout building for months!!
I decided to rearrange the bunk beds in the Crew Car in order to make more space for tables and chairs, and maybe some lockers. If I don't do upright lockers I will make foot lockers to go under the bunks and just add some coat hooks along the walls. I need to find a coal skuttle and stove tools to go beside the stove.
hon30critter Overmod As this project begins to wind toward completion -- what will be next? Hi Overmod, There is still a lot to do before this project is complete, and I'm not in any hurry. It will not be complete until I can run the train on my own layout. I'm sure I can drag out the layout building for months!!
Overmod As this project begins to wind toward completion -- what will be next?
I am planning a thread where participants will offer their best guess on Views and completion date. I am going with 100,000+ Views and a completion date of July 23, 2024 just because that is a year from today.
Seriously though, my only disappointment is that we have yet to see a completed snow plow actually running on a strip of track - - the original purpose of this thread.
Rich
Alton Junction
That's some Funny stuff Rich! I'll post on that!
Seriously though. I'm in no hurry these day either. Steady as she goes said the ship captain, and Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprize said the same thing as well. So I'm good with that
Looking Mighty Good Dave
Thank you!
TF
richhotrainmy only disappointment is that we have yet to see a completed snow plow actually running on a strip of track - - the original purpose of this thread.
Hi Rich,
I will spend some time correcting that. There are a few things that I have to do before I can run the train. I have to install new speakers in the locomotives, reprogram the locomotive and plow numbers, and add some couplers. Nothing extreme.
I will also have to clear off one side of the layout table so I have some space to lay a temporary track. Give me a few days.
Track fiddler That's some Funny stuff Rich! I'll post on that!
hon30critter richhotrain my only disappointment is that we have yet to see a completed snow plow actually running on a strip of track - - the original purpose of this thread. Hi Rich, I will spend some time correcting that. There are a few things that I have to do before I can run the train. I have to install new speakers in the locomotives, reprogram the locomotive and plow numbers, and add some couplers. Nothing extreme. I will also have to clear off one side of the layout table so I have some space to lay a temporary track. Give me a few days. Cheers!! Dave
richhotrain my only disappointment is that we have yet to see a completed snow plow actually running on a strip of track - - the original purpose of this thread.
I bought some modeling clay to make the Crew Car lumpy mattresses out of. That will be an interesting experiment.