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.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
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:
FOOOOD!!! by Bear, on Flickr
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
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.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
That is excellent Dave! It looks great!
Mike
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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.
Thanks Mark.
Your determination on this project is inspiring, Dave!
I spent the night adding the final details to the Cook Car. It was a very frustrating experience! My hands were shaking badly so trying to get holes drilled in the right places and then trying to get the 0.0125" phosphor bronze wire into those holes took forever! I lost no less than four pieces of hand fabricated railing and one grab iron into the ether.
I also rearranged some of the interior pieces in the Cook Car. I realized that I had placed the cook stove right in front of two of the larger windows. Of course moving things around didn't go smoothly either. I managed to break the locking magnetic reed switch when I was unsoldering it. Fortunately I have a bunch of spares. Then the floor partially came loose when I was cutting through the stove and sink legs. Then I had to cut a second chunk out of the back of the cold storage cabinets to accommodate one end of the reed switch. I had already removed part of the back panel to accommodate the power pick up wiring. The holes can't be seen with the shell on, but If I want to take the shell off to show the interior details I'll have to figure out how to patch them up.
Just to demonstrate how fussy I am, the new arrangement doesn't make sense. Previously I had the countertop right next to the stove so that anything that had to be taken off of the stove could be set down immediately right next to the stove. Now the cook has to carry the hot pots past the woodpile and past the sink before they can put them down. That offends my kitchen design and safety sensibilities! How anal can I get?!? I wonder if anyone will ever notice.
Now that the Cook Car is complete (except for paint and decals of course) I'll have to choose what car to work on next. I need a crew car and a tool car amongst others. I'm not sure how much detail I will add to their interiors because it will be practically impossible to see inside unless the shells are removed. Who knows, I may follow the Cook Car lead and detail the interiors just for the heck of it.
I have almost completed the railings, grab irons and the ladder on one end of the Cook Car. Some of the details like the grab iron stand offs are a bit oversized but I'm not going to complain:
I have decided to not attach the ladders to the roof. They seem to stand up pretty solidly on their own. That will make removing the shell very easy.
SeeYou190I have never driled brass stock for ladder rungs. Amazing.
I'll admit that it was a bit tedious. The hardest part was getting the starting marks in the right place. The styles are 1/16" x 1/32". Getting a tiny indentation in the middle of 1/16" wide stock takes some patience. I suffered many failures where the starting point was not centered with the result that the drill bit wandered towards the edge of the strip. If it gets too close to the edge the style will crack and is then useless.
To make the starting marks I first started with a compass point. (Thanks to doctorwayne for the suggestion). That put a very tiny indentation into the brass but the indentation was too small to use as a drill starting point. The next step was to use a small center punch to enlarge the starting point. After several tries I was able to feel when the punch center point was in the mark made by the compass point (I couldn't see where the punch was sitting because my fingers were in the way). Then I gave the center punch a very light tap with a small hammer. That created a large enough indentation for the drill bit to stay in place when I started to drill.
I did the styles one at a time and Lady Luck made most of the holes line up so the rungs were level. For the couple of spots where the rung holes didn't line up I put the rung wire through the hole on one of the styles that was at the right height and then butt soldered the rung to the other style. The rung spacing is not perfectly even but any differences are not noticeable. I should have used the compass to get the spacing exactly even (as doctorwayne had suggested), but I guess I was just being lazy. It's good enough for me.
By the way, the drill bits that I was having such a hard time with when I was trying to make the drilling jig worked perfectly for drilling the styles. Go figure!
I got the extra rungs added to the tops of the ladders. They look much better. On to the end railings.
Attuvian1The photo of the C&T cook car hints at another rung on the ladder, which would be a second on the upper curvature.
Hi John,
I definitely need to add another rung at the top of the ladder. The gap is just too great. Adding the rung will be a bit tricky now that the ladder is assembled. I'll have to make a jig to support the styles as I drill the holes, and soldering the additional rung into place will have to be done very quickly in order to not disturb the other soldered joints. I will use some damp tissue paper to protect the other joints.
Thank you for your compliments about the car. I have to say that I am rather pleased with the way it is turning out. Doing the interior was a lot of fun.
hon30critter . . . although I may put another rung at the top of the ladders because the current gap between the existing top rung and the roof is rather large. Cheers!! Dave
. . . although I may put another rung at the top of the ladders because the current gap between the existing top rung and the roof is rather large.
Dave,
The photo of the C&T cook car hints at another rung on the ladder, which would be a second on the upper curvature. To me, it is being masked in your prototype photo by the shadow of the roof overhang. I can't confirm because I can't blow up the photo sufficiently to examine more closely.
Attuvian1 John
BTW, that's a great lookin' car you've bult there!
OvermodIn my opinion those ladders need to work like caboose ladders -- the sides need to extend up past the roofline and then 'crook' over and attach to the roof or the edges of the walkway to serve as 'handrails'
Hi Overmod,
That would make sense, but the Cumbres and Toltec car that I am using as a prototype had the ladders formed exactly as I have done:
I guess the railing on the roof is to be used to allow the person to pull themselves up onto the walkway.
My walkway has a very slight slope to the outside. I won't claim that that was intentional but it seems to have worked out. I haven't got the ends of the boards even yet but a quick touch with a sanding disc will cure that.
Next step is to form the end handrails. I also have to figure out how to make the shell removable with the ladders installed. I'm still figuring that out.
hon30critterIt took me nearly three hours just to get the styles drilled.
I have never driled brass stock for ladder rungs.
Amazing.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
In my opinion those ladders need to work like caboose ladders -- the sides need to extend up past the roofline and then 'crook' over and attach to the roof or the edges of the walkway to serve as 'handrails'. The way you have them now, you'd need at least one or two grabs on the roof itself for the poor crew to hitch themselves up, when the alternative is pretty straightforward both for going up and going down...
I would be tempted to raise the walkway slightly, so that the inside edge is clear of the roof by at least an inch or two (for drainage) and since this is to be used extensively in snow and ice, inclining the walkway very slightly toward the center of the roof.
Where's the brakewheel on this car going to be?
The second ladder is assembled, and I got the roof walk installed on the Cook Car:
I managed to make one of the end ladders for the Cook Car!
I took everyone's advice and threw it all out the window (sorry, no offense intended. Your ideas were great). I simply decided that I had to do more accurate work. I started by using a compass point (I will credit doctorwayne for that idea) to put a tiny indentation in the styles at each rung position. Then I used a small center punch to enlarge the indentations. Then I drilled the holes freehand using my slow speed electric drill.
Okay, I will admit that I threw out several styles before I got four that I could use, and I will admit that it took me nearly three hours just to get the styles drilled.
The results aren't perfect but they are good enough for me, although I may put another rung at the top of the ladders because the current gap between the existing top rung and the roof is rather large. Hopefully I can do as well on the second ladder.
BATMANtry turning the drill bit around in the drill, pointy end down.
Hi Brent,
What if I'm holding the drill with the chuck pointing up?
Hi Mark,
I don't have a drill press. I have tried using a pin vise and two different electric drills. One drill turns very slowly and I have used it successfully to drill tons of holes without problems. The other drill is variable speed but it didn't matter what speed I tried.
Hi Ed,
Thanks for the leads on the etched ladders. I'm just about frustrated enough to go that route.
I suspect that you are right in that the drill bit is spinning on loose cuttings or a loose solder plug. There is almost nothing in the flutes. I did try tapping the pipe to see if anything came out but nothing did. I'll give your suggestion about creating an exit hole for the cuttings a try.
I got an email from doctorwayne suggesting a method for scribing the ladder sides to mark the drilling points. It requires a level of accuracy which I'm not sure I am capable of achieving but I will give it a try.
Thanks very much everyone for your suggestions (including Brent).
Try countersinking the hole in the bottom of the bar, away from the tube.
Alternatively, cut a gap in the bar either side of where the bit will come through opposite the guide tube.
I'm suspecting that you're cutting chips that the flutes in the drill won't clear up the tube. They jam, lubrication doesn't really help, ouch!
So what you need is a way to knock or blow the chips sideways as they are cut, so they don't immediately jam in the fluting.
I don't know if this will be any help or not. Sometimes when I'm faced with a challenge I simply have to resort to costly, yet less frustrating solutions:
Westerfield ladder PRR X23 by Edmund, on Flickr
Westerfield offers an etched brass ladder. I have a few I bought for my X23 and R7 kits and haven't tackled them just yet.
Westerfield ladder rung by Edmund, on Flickr
I don't know if anyone in Canada offers these or even if Westerfield ships to Canada. Maybe eBay? Anyway, just another option. The X23 isn't a very tall car and I'm not sure if Westerfield makes a longer ladder.
Yarmouth is another source:
https://www.yarmouthmodelworks.com/index.php/Products/YMW-306
Good Luck, Ed
hon30critter My problem, as I stated above, is that my Chicago-Latrobe #77 drill bits refuse to drill the hole through the drilling guide. I have tried three different bits, with and without lubrication, and at various speeds. Nada!! I even tried a #78 bit thinking that the brass tube might have been slightly crushed which might have caused the #77 bits to bind, but when I removed (read - broke) the tube off of the drill guide, the #77 drill bit passed through it just fine. All I'm trying to drill through is lead solder and brass. What am I doing wrong???? I have never had a problem like this before using the same drill bits. Cheers!! Dave
My problem, as I stated above, is that my Chicago-Latrobe #77 drill bits refuse to drill the hole through the drilling guide. I have tried three different bits, with and without lubrication, and at various speeds. Nada!! I even tried a #78 bit thinking that the brass tube might have been slightly crushed which might have caused the #77 bits to bind, but when I removed (read - broke) the tube off of the drill guide, the #77 drill bit passed through it just fine.
All I'm trying to drill through is lead solder and brass. What am I doing wrong???? I have never had a problem like this before using the same drill bits.
What type of drill are you using? Pin vice, Drill press, hand-held Dremel, ...?
If it's a drill press of some sort, does it have drill stops? If so, are they set properly? Maybe the stop is preventing the drill from feeding the bit into the work?
Dumb thing, I know, but I had that happen to me in shop class way back in 1968 and I've never forgotten that lesson.
hon30critterAll I'm trying to drill through is lead solder and brass. What am I doing wrong???? I have never had a problem like this before using the same drill bits.
We're all getting long in the tooth Dave, try turning the drill bit around in the drill, pointy end down.
Brent
It's not the age honey, it's the mileage.