The latest Walthers flyer says they are going to do another production run of the carfloat and carfloat apron kits. These were "retired" for many years until they made some more about 4-5 years ago, and quickly sold out. So, if you missed that batch, you've got another chance.
I'm currently building up the models I bought back then, and I was cursing myself for only buying one float. I've been given another chance.
I've still go a few more weeks of work on this, but I should be pulling strings of cars by summer.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hi Mr B,
Looks like we are at about that same point, only I've left the superstructure for now to sort the point blades and what a cracker that turned out.
I don't know how you intend moving the blades, but we've have found if we attached a Peco PL10 to one of the bases and stood it the wrong way up on our surface (your foam) with a couple of shims on the solenoid frames the bottom of the pin just fits the tie bar (needs to be real smooth moving) till we get our apron level and fitted, then we will fix the motor and take out shims permanently when our apron is fixed in place.
Your side wall is the front of our layout, so with the superstructure planned to carry lighting and be lift-off, ye, the layouts portable. It's driving me nut at the mo, so I took the weekend off and am I glad I did, maybe we can swop ideas.
Be in touch.
pick.
PS the layout is 10 miles away, I'll try and get some photos Wednesday night. (gonna need help putting them up though)
We are at almost exactly the same point. Over the weekend, I also mounted the points and the throwbar. I'll be using a Tortoise below the plywood, with an extra-long piece of .039 wire. I took off the little stud that protrudes through the apron floor, and I've reworked the linkage on a Rix switchstand to move with the points.
I spread the little metal tabs on the points to get them to hold in the pivot slots a bit better, but once I got the points secure, they started binding, so I've got to scrape off some paint or whatever to free them up again.
I substituted Code 83 rail for the plastic pieces that came with the apron and the carfloat. I wanted to reduce rolling friction, because I hope to use a small 0-6-0T tank engine to pull not only the string of cars, but also a trio of idler flats.
This part of the scene is "permanent," but as I near retirement and our governor starts talking about raising taxes, I realize that I should no longer consider anything to be permanent. So, I'll wire the apron to a terminal block and make it easy to "cut the apron strings" when the time comes.
Ye we used Peco 75 for the float and apron ( I think, that was a bit back )
The odd Tortoise costs a bomb over here since the £ dropped through the floor and the boss her who's got a G clamp on me card and I salvaged quite a few PL's from an earlier N gauge set up.
I had a few problems with the apron blades, but through a complete fluke with my iron on the left stud below it worked, I did the same on the right (away from the wall)and I'd cracked it the tie was the problem, I nearly wrecked the sod. The blade ends locked in but wouldn't move, so I eased em a bit and with a scalpel blade and walla as smooth as silk.
I fancied using a CB&Q 0-6-0 with a transfer caboose while our John wanted a CP MP!5 and a 60ft flat, till he saw the add for BLI Trackmobiles and said, why not. Now 1 will just about pull 3 boxcars. But a pair back to back (feed reversed) and they looked great when they rolled 6 cars on, the last 6" by hand, no feeds yet.
Nothings "permanent" over here friend, I've only 15ft cellar and I great stuck down there under a layout the year before last and she won't let me down on me own cos I got mobility problems but that another story. Shelley's Landing will be an exhibition layout, I hope.
I recently learned of a local guy who paid what I thought to be an absurd premium price for a used Walthers carfloat. I wonder what he'll think when he learns of this news.
Dave Nelson
dknelson I recently learned of a local guy who paid what I thought to be an absurd premium price for a used Walthers carfloat. I wonder what he'll think when he learns of this news. Dave Nelson
The carfloat kit has an MSRP of $45. Before the previous production run, when they were listed as "retired," I saw the kits advertised for well over $100.
Hi Dave,
Oh ye, they weren't cheap in first place if you could get one even with a good £ rate. It was real short supply and long demand.
The one I got was the first up in years. But still a bargain, I think anyway.
The apron can be a problem, you need a y at the end and I didn't have the room so I customised a curved turnout for the attaching switch. I need two carfloats, looks like I am not the only one planning an interchange!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did everyone replace the platic rail with metal on the carfloat apron and then, if you did, did you do the carfloat too???????
I replaced all the rail sections with code 83 rail. My LHS guy said the cheapest way to do that was to strip the ties from pieces of Atlas flex-track, so that's what I did. It fits perfectly.
I did this to reduce rolling friction. I'm hoping to use a Bachmann Spectrum 0-6-0T tank engine, and also 3 idler flats, to pull the cars, so I'm at the upper range of what the engine can handle. I've been very careful about maintaining a level surface throughout the carfloat, apron and terminal area.
For this short engine, I powered the frog of the Walthers wye turnout, and I also powered the rails on the apron. The engine itself should not be on the apron (hence the idler flats) but it was easy enough to add. I did not power the rails on the float itself, as it will be removeable. I probably should have at least installed the wiring in the float in case I wanted to power it later, but that's water under the barge now.
MisterBeasley I replaced all the rail sections with code 83 rail. My LHS guy said the cheapest way to do that was to strip the ties from pieces of Atlas flex-track, so that's what I did. It fits perfectly. I did this to reduce rolling friction. I'm hoping to use a Bachmann Spectrum 0-6-0T tank engine, and also 3 idler flats, to pull the cars, so I'm at the upper range of what the engine can handle. I've been very careful about maintaining a level surface throughout the carfloat, apron and terminal area. For this short engine, I powered the frog of the Walthers wye turnout, and I also powered the rails on the apron. The engine itself should not be on the apron (hence the idler flats) but it was easy enough to add. I did not power the rails on the float itself, as it will be removeable. I probably should have at least installed the wiring in the float in case I wanted to power it later, but that's water under the barge now.
So far, I've built the benchwork extension shown in the picture at the top. The plywood ends just at the bottom of the picture, and this fixed extension holds most of the wye turnout and the apron. It's in a very narrow aisle, too narrow to walk through once the carfloat itself is in place.
So, I'm going to extend the fixed section shown with a long plywood shelf. It will be either hinged or removeable. It's against the wall, but I don't want to put holes in the "family room" so I'll need independent support. That's this weekend's design project.
The carfloat itself will sit on a piece of pink foam just a bit wider than the float itself. I'm going to use Envirotex to put "water" around both the float and the apron. The foam-with-carfloat unit will be removeable, and will sit on top of the fold-down? remove? section of plywood.
I thought about a tea-cart arrangement like you're planning. I may yet do something like that, but the narrow aisle makes that impractical.
I'm approaching retirement, probably in a year or so. I hate the thought of packing up and moving, particularly dismantling the layout, but the one thing that would make it a plus will be getting the carfloat terminal out of that dang corner. It needs more space for its yard. I've put a lot into the scenery already, and I'd like that to be more visible. Uncoupling is going to be another problem. But, I like a challenge now and then.
I'll jump in with my $0.02. My car float is along a fairly wide aisle and the plan is to have the boat slide off the "water" and have the 0-5-0 switcher place it in a drawer directly below the ferry slip. Then a second ferry will be lifted up and slid onto the water. I'll see how it works when the drawers are constructed. The thought is that the aisle only needs to be wide enough for the 6-inch wide ferry to be lowered onto the drawer and for the said 0-5-0 to stand there while performing the operation. I may also make the drawers deep enough to store additional cars for manual fiddling between operating sessions.
rws1225 I'll jump in with my $0.02. My car float is along a fairly wide aisle and the plan is to have the boat slide off the "water" and have the 0-5-0 switcher place it in a drawer directly below the ferry slip. Then a second ferry will be lifted up and slid onto the water. I'll see how it works when the drawers are constructed. The thought is that the aisle only needs to be wide enough for the 6-inch wide ferry to be lowered onto the drawer and for the said 0-5-0 to stand there while performing the operation. I may also make the drawers deep enough to store additional cars for manual fiddling between operating sessions.
I put together this extension of the benchwork over the weekend:
There is a hinge at the end of the fixed apron section, so this long board can fold down and I can get myself back into the corner when necessary.
With a piece of foam (oversized, for now) and the carfloat on the board, it looks like this:
The final model will keep the plywood structure. The carfloat and foam section will be glued together, to provide a more solid and stable piece to be moving around.
I jumped ahead a bit for this final picture:
The approach track, apron and float base all need some alignment work so everything will be nice and flat, and there is scenery work to be done. The pink foam is, well, pink, and needs some Envirotex to look like water. The superstructure is loosley in place, and behind the apron there are some square inches that need scenic covers, too.
The carfloat and carfloat apron kits are now in stock at Walthers, for anyone who is interested. The last production run a few years back sold out fairly quickly, so if you plan to buy them, do it now or you may be disappointed.
Missed a lot of this thread and the layout's been ‘down’ so to speak, getting the electrics to the apron, signals, street & house lighting brought up to date. No crawling under layout anymore, the boards will be back up in the next week or so and I think I've figured this new camera out now. So I should have something to show.
pick
MisterBeasley The carfloat and carfloat apron kits are now in stock at Walthers, for anyone who is interested. The last production run a few years back sold out fairly quickly, so if you plan to buy them, do it now or you may be disappointed.
Thanks for the heads up Mr.B. I got right to it and ordered them both last evening.Now the WP will get to San Fran. one way or the other. I know it should be a ship, but a barge will do in this case.
Johnboy out.....................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Now that ski season is behind us and graduation is done, I've had time to get back to the carfloat project. I built the float base from a piece of 2-inch foam, and put a Masonite fascia around it. I painted the edges, then measured it for the float model itself. The float will be glued to the center of the base, so I didn't want paint there.
It was pretty quick to paint the base and put the carfloat on, connecting it to the apron to get the position right. Below the base you can see the plywood shelf it sits on. The carfloat is designed as a removable model, so it can be used as a cassette and also so I can get into that tight corner more easily. The plywood shelf is hinged with a fold-away leg.
I put some freight cars on the float to test it out.
The base is still "dry," but I'll be getting to the Envirotex this week, I hope.
Looks great, Mr B!
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Thanks, Mike. This project is almost done. There are only a few cleanup details left. Here's the apron with the carfloat not in port. Everything is aligned now so the float just slides in on its base and hooks up with the apron with rails all lined up. On a real one, the apron is raised and lowered to account for changes in water level, which I certainly hope I won't have to deal with. You can see the pulley mechanism and the counterweights on the sides.
I've still go to pour some Envirotex in the space below the apron, glue the whole structure in place, and install switch stands for the turnout on the apron and the one on the wye in the background. I've got the Envirotex poured, with dark tint and some lighter green highlights, on the carfloat section.
And, I just liked the way this picture came out. I bought Preiser's "tugboat and carfloat crew" for the figures, and I used nautical rigging for the lines.