Author Topic: SR&CL Ry Car Building - Flat Car (Read 3640 times)

tomc · « **Reply #11 on:** January 22, 2010, 03:54:18 PM »

_DSC6478.jpg: Assembly continues on the 33' car. Truss rods with turnbuckles, body bolster truss rods, and bolster-end block support rods are applied. Assembling the body bolster truss rods is awkward because they pass below the outer sills, above the center sills, and thru the inner stringers. We found that the easiest way to assemble this while building the car upside down was to suspend the frame with center sills and outer sills above the sawhorses, with the body bolster truss rods threaded thru the inner stringers which were resting on the sawhorses. The body bolster truss rods could then be guided above and well beyond the outer sill on one side of the car, and then the other ends pushed up and guided above the other outer sill. Then the body bolster end castings could be removed from the sills, fed onto the body bolster truss rods, and re-secured to the outer sills and bolsters.

tomc · « **Reply #10 on:** January 22, 2010, 03:51:57 PM »

_DSC6472.jpg: Assembly of the 33' car frame begins. End beams, end blocks, queen post supports, car bolsters, and car bolster side castings are assembled. John's workshop provides plenty of space to work around the 33' car which scales down at 3-3/4" to the foot to be a frame which is over 10 feet long and 25 inches wide.

tomc · « **Reply #9 on:** January 22, 2010, 03:50:42 PM »

_DSC6466.jpg: After a day of jointing, plaining, ripping, cutting to length, and dadoing, John Smith and Bob Milhaupt have a stack of parts for two car frames and some spacing jigs, plus some extra parts. The stock at the left of the picture is leftover stock from the frame parts, plus all the stock for the decking. All the lumber we used was White Oak, which is considered to be good material for outdoor use. Modern treated lumber was not used due to concerns about chemical interactions between wood treating materials and the fasteners used in the car construction.

Ferd · « **Reply #8 on:** January 22, 2010, 01:58:28 PM »

Hi Tom
I really want to make it down there this summer, be great to even camp overnight if that is possible. My mission would be to photograph everything conceivable on the line.
cheers Ferd

tomc · « **Reply #7 on:** January 22, 2010, 12:24:54 PM »

We have 2 new cars built over Xmas week by Friends of the SR&CL Ry. Bob Milhaupt and John Smith. Bob took pics and made notes that I will post with the pictures he took as time permits. Watch the cars come to life as I do.

Bob says, "_DSC6456.jpg: What does any railroad need? More rolling stock! (Except for those modern railroads which own more rolling stock than they can fit on the trackage which they own.) The Sandy Ridge does need more rolling stock - it is obvious when there are more than two locomotives operating during a timetable and train order operating session. It was decided that the "disconnect logging cars" were of limited use due to their link-and-pin coupling, and would be more usable as two traditional cars with Janey-style couplers. Those four trucks, some wood, a bunch of aluminum castings, some steel and fasteners would become a 33' flat car for the SR&CL and a 28' flat car or gondola for the CB&E (Calhoun Barry & Eaton RR, an acquisition of the SR&CL Ry.). Here's the rough wood stock which will become the framing and decking for these two cars."

russ · « **Reply #6 on:** December 15, 2007, 06:45:58 PM »

Wow! Is that ever innovative! Truss rods facing upward! <grin>

Russ

P.S. Looks great .. must get a bunch of us together from these parts to come out and visit next year!