Making a New Start

[C&S]

RPO (C&S version), basic body shell, shortened from a Bachmann baggage car - following an original idea by Mik to whom go due acknowledgements and thanks.

A view of the other side with the roof being tried in place

The smaller mail compartment has the end door blanked off, for security.

 

[C&S]

The windows needed some security bars and mesh

With the windows fitted

 

[C&S]

The RPO project moved on a couple of steps today - the two parts of the chassis were fixed together and glued into the body. The roof is a good force fit, so will be left as is, in case the glazing needs attention later.

Finally, the job I'd been dreading: shortening the coupler mounts, had to be tackled and turned out much easier than feared. The tongues were cut back to just behind the small post where the tail of the knuckle coupler fits (as I use hook and loops it is not needed. The channel in the tongue was then packed out with 80 thou styrene and the couplings fixed with two screws, one from below and the other from above. There will be a narrow cill fitted to each end of the body to form the end beam. This is still to be added in the photo showing the end detail.

Last pictures shows the other end of the mail car, with its access door and the first grab rails fitted

 

[MR SPOCK]

Pretty neat work that, I likes the mesh on the windows very effective,​

 

[C&S]

Pretty neat work that, I likes the mesh on the windows very effective,

Thanks, Pete. Yes, that old plastic mesh potato sack is working well. I used to have some finer net which might have worked even better, but after about 20 years without having used it I threw it away recently Doh!!

 

[dunnyrail]

Pretty neat work that, I likes the mesh on the windows very effective,

Thanks, Pete. Yes, that old plastic mesh potato sack is working well. I used to have some finer net which might have worked even better, but after about 20 years without having used it I threw it away recently Doh!!

Giles just goes to show, never ever throw that stuff (junk?) away. You never know when you may need it. Nice conversion as always.
JonD

 

[C&S]

True, Jon. I've done it before, and will no doubt do it again. There just comes a limit when the items to be stored overcome the space available. Case in point - I have a box, now filled with enough bits of car siding and details left over from other projects on the layout that I'm thinking of building another drover caboose and a works caboose, just to get rid of them.

 

[Shawn]

They look great. Gives me an idea now. I want a few coaches for my layout. I like the aristo Sierra coaches but too expansive and not crazy about the fancy details etc..... I also like the Hartland coaches but again too expensive for me. I like the style of the Bachmann but a tad to big but I could always cut them down especially if I go with the kits. A lot more affordable. What is the length of those coaches now? They seem aboutthe size I want.

 

[C&S]

Shawn,
The Bachmann coaches do cut down quite easily. The RPO is 12.25 inches long (31cm) which is the same body length as the combine, although the balconies bring the latter up to 15 inches overall. I think this is about three inches off the original length.

If you look at the roof-lights, the combine works out just right, but the RPO only just makes it, which is part of the reason why two of the roof-lights have been blanked out. The combine has been a bit camera shy up to now, with only partial views, so here's a shot of the whole thing.

 

[JonathanJ]

Meanwhile I'm just back from a model show put on by my old club in W. London, which had 2 large scale exhibits - a one baseboard section of the club's own G scale layout, and an awesome private effort in Fn3 by a team of four club members, which must be about 40 ft long. So far it's been in development for four years and is now almost fully scenic, with only some buildings at one end to finish. Like a fool I didn't take a camera, so cannot regale you with pictures. However it's called the Orange River & Portland, so if you hear that it's at a show near you, do go and take a look.

Think this is it?...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DXM...ay the RPO is coming together. Jonathan

 

[C&S]

That's the one, Jonathan - thanks for posting it. The pictures also show the conversion of the little yellow MDC diesel switcher that has been the subject of a thread elsewhere on this forum.

Meanwhile, work on the RPO has stopped as I've run out of polystyrene cement. Unless a local art supply shop has any the only other "convenient" shop is at Waterloo, an hour's round trip by tube, as long as I can go tomorrow before the line shuts down for the usual week-end engineering work.

 

[dunnyrail]

I am pretty certain that the layout was at the large Scale Show in Reading last month.
JOnD

 

[Shawn]

Thanks Giles. Im going to order the bachmann kits and cut them down. They look real nice that way.

 

[C&S]

Good luck with the conversions, Shawn. I'm sure we'll see them on your garden railway thread eventually.

Meanwhile I've just been looking at the combine and thinking that the number of passenger windows looks a little odd. Wonder what the effect would be of blanking out the second and fourth of the five - maybe give it a sort of business car/combine look.
Otherwise this done to a shortened coach would also be an interesting variation, I feel. Shame I don't need another coach myself.

Edit: Something like this, perhaps.

 

[C&S]

Finished off the end beams, handrails and brake-wheel today, then added an undercoat of JN green - the nearest I can think of to Pullman Green. Still some other small details to add, plus another coat of paint before it will be fit to photograph, (paint too wet today, anyway)however the dark colour does help to add "mass" to the model.

 

[C&S]

Another small step completed today - step boards beneath each of the sliding doors (made from some planking from spare reefer ice-hatches, and some large parcel staples straightened out), plus handrails from the spares box. Now the green undercoat has gone on, I realise that I don't like the green top-lights, so it looks as if these will need replacing eventually.

As I need to order some bits and bobs from Ozark, I looked through the car sides scrap box and reckon I've enough for another boxcar and two or perhaps three short bogie cabooses - one of which might turn out to have a gondola section. So that's several more brake wheels and some corner stirrups needed, then.

 

[C&S]

Have placed an order with Ozark Miniatures to get some detail parts to finish off the RPO (and the other new cars that are planned), so will have to wait a while until they arrive before taking this project on. Meanwhile I'll give the car another coat of paint - it looks pretty terrible at present. It's been a while since my last Ozrak order, so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that shipping costs have risen to $18 - ouch!

Meanwhile I'll probably make a start on the new "bitsa" boxcar. I have in mind a plan for an outside braced car from the Oxford and Peach Bottom RR (yes, really - plans published in NG & Shortline Gazette). Same issue has a couple of Mexican cabooses that have given me some ideas for using up some of the other car sides in the spares box.

 

[vsmith]

Thats come along nice. Finding cars that work on really small layouts can be a challenge at best, I've been using those uber-short LGB cars, but sometimes you just have to build your own if you want something unique.

 

[C&S]

Finding cars that work on really small layouts can be a challenge at best, but sometimes you just have to build your own if you want something unique.

Thanks, Vic. Lucky there were several 3ft lines with freight cars in the 22 - 24ft range, like the O&PB boxcar I'm planning to build. Certainly helps to have models about 12 inches long when your spurs are short and there's not far between stations.

 

[C&S]

Just to bring the story up to date. Here's the third attempt to photograph the cut-down coupler shank with the coupling screwed in place. The long white tabs are strips of styrene rebated into the wooden end beam and cemented to the underside of the car's floor.

The second shot shows the RPO with its second coat of paint. I'll leave it there until the corner stirrups and the door pulls arrive and are fitted.

Meanwhile work has started on the outside framed boxcar.