The WW&F railway museum has this caboose which is a new build from old plans. I need one for my line too!

I started the project with a drawing then built a frame.

I make my own metal work. the truss rods are copper house wire (12 gauge I think) threaded for the turn buckles etc. the truss queen posts are made from a rail. I slot the head with my mini table saw then slice off short bits and solder them to pads so I can nail them to the frame.

this is the bolster area as seen from the bottom.

The deck is make from spruce with a half lap just like the real deal. having a selection of table saws help…the big (Delta Contractors saw) one to slice up 2x construction grade lumber, the smaller (micro mark) one to add the half lap. the mini one will get used later.

I painted the deck then sanded it to represent wear.

The car sides are plywood. I grooved them with my mini saw with a 0.016" wide blade…these a really thin grooves.

I used the same plywood to build the seat and cupola bases.

the table saws all get used to make the siding lumber. it is scale (ish) bead board made from pine scrap from the WW&F Car barn siding.

Heck yeah, off to a great start, Eric…your craftsmanship is always a sight to behold. I’ll keep tabs on this one.

Very nice Eric. I like the metal work you have done.

Chuck

Great build! Looking forward to following this project.

WOW, just wow! I thought the metal work was awesome, but the bead board is over the top! I love it.

One quick question. How do you get the 12ga copper to be so nice and straight? Is it really under tension?

Eric off to a great start.

How did you make them turn buckles?

Master Craftsman!!! That’s all I can say. As always, thanks for sharing. Every time I look at one of your projects I learn something new.

Eric,

How are you doing your queens posts and turn buckles. Could I get close ups and tips. I know your this isn’t 1:20 but if I could get a better idea I would like to copy you.

I should have read closer, rail for the queens posts huh? good idea. looking at my code 215 it would make some nice 1:20 queens posts.

Great stuff, Mr Schade - I’m VERY interested to see how this progresses as I’m in the mood for another project now I’v completed my SAR/SAS narrow gauge brake van project.

Right now it’s a toss-up between the replica SR&RL caboose running down in South Wales or the Roaring Camp caboose.

And now, this one!

Choices, choices… Whatever I choose will be tricky, as I don’t have a shop or the power tools that you do, just a two-foot square bit of kitchen worktop.

tac

Ottawa Valley GRS

NICE!

I love the beadboard/wainscotting!!!

I have gotten a little more done today…hoping to have something to drag and brag about at York!!!

I framed up the roof last week. the side stringers of the roof have a groove running the length of the bottom so that they fit over the top of the sides. the fit is tight so the roof stays on but can be removed to access the interior.

the roof is sheathed with the tongue and groove bead boards as used on the sides. the “show” side is down as it can be seen through the windows. The sheathing is trimmed around the edges and a strip of trim covers the cut ends all the way around. … Oh and I used a little filler to smooth the roof in preparation for the foil tape yet to be applied.

I had some acrylic exterior paint mixed for the car…“box car red” more or less

the end of the car was a little trick, the sheathing goes around the truss rod washers and the platform and roof beams.

I had to make more of the bead boards for the ends…and enough to do a box car later.

the prototype was hand painted too!

I made the window sashes for the cupola. they are pine with grooves sawn to fit around the plastic window panes.

Lots of fiddling to make the cupola. I started with 5-16" pine cut to a 10deg angle to fit on the roof with the proper angle. the center window on the side is fixed the front and rear window will slide inside it to open as on the prototype.

looking out the open window…

Wow, Wonderful(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif).

Outstanding !!!(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

Wonderful model. Can’t wait to see it finished.

it snowed today, so didn’t go out to the WW&F…soooo…Caboose work:

I installed the trucks. these are old Steve King cast truck kits purchased from a friend. I replaced the spring boards with oak…maybe I’ll give them a touch of red.

I experimented with the hand rails. these are forged steel. I tried to thin the metal in the curved parts of the side…it looks like the real one is thinned there too. I heated it with my torch and beat on it with a hammer while rotating the wire. Once I had it thinned a little, I flattened the top section. I drilled holes for the brake wheel and the vertical stanchion. I filed the tip of the stanchion thinner, pushed it into the drilled hole in the top rail and peened it a little to keep it there.

Aluminum foil duct tape cut into sheets makes the “tin” roof

Wow! Can’t wait to see it.

Eric

Ain’t what I’m into however I love,appreciate and respect the modeling work!

sorry if I missed it , but what scale are you working in?

I am working in 7/8th scale 1:13.7 scale. The prototype cars are really little. Just 6feet wide.

Whoo-hoo! Great stuff, Mr Schade! I’ve just received a set of plans for four of the SR&RL vans from Mr Alan Carroll, also of Maine, to whom I send my grateful thanks fir his kindness.

I’ll be building #556 in 20.3 scale, and starting pretty soon. Lacking any kind of table saw, I’ll be planking mine with MacDonald’s coffee stirrers, of which I have many - they are about 4" wide in my chosen scale. Sure, I can get ready-scribed siding from stateside, but although THAT is affordable, the twenty-four bucks shipping is a mite too rich for me.

Looking forward to seeing yours completed.

tac

Ottawa Valley GRS