28 ft. Ventilated (Combination) Box Car

Transcription

1 28 ft. Ventilated (Combination) Box Car Introduction This laser cut wood kit is an HO scale model of a 28 ft. Ventilated (also known as a Combination) Box Car. The model is based on the Illinois Central 1855 Combination Box Car shown in White s book, The American Freight Car. White s book also has a photo of a very similar IC car in service around Another photo shows a car very similar to this in Chattanooga in 1863, during the American Civil War. Kit Contents: 1 each 1/16 inch laser cut plywood sheet 1 each 1/32nd inch laser cut plywood sheet 1 each 1/16th inch laser cut plywood sheet 1 each 3/32nds inch laser cut bass wood sheet 1 each 1/16th inch laser cut Bristol Board 1 each Nylon bearings sprue 3 each Nut-bolt-washer sprues. 16 pieces inch phosphor bronze wire grab irons 1 piece inch phosphor bronze wire for brake stand Recommended Tools and Supplies Hobby Knife White Glue or Yellow Wood Glue CAA Glue 400 grit sandpaper #80 drill bit and drill 2 #0-48 3/16th inch screws and washers Branchline 33 inch code 88 wheel sets, though any HO wheel set with a similar axle length can be used. Assembly Sequence Build the rigid bolster trucks This kit includes an HO scale model of a wood-frame, rigid bolster, 44 inch wheelbase truck produced by Harlan and Hollingsworth in When used with this car and the supplied shims, the coupler height should work out to the NMRA standards. Step 1. Glue Journal Covers (on sheet B) to side frames (A2) using white glue or CAA. Step 2: When glue is dry, insert nylon bearings into holes on side frames. The Nylon Bearings A2 B1 and B2 nylon bearings will protrude slightly on the inside of the sideframes. Step 3: Insert bolster end (A1a or A1b) into the center slot on side frame. They should fit snugly. Make sure all the parts are square and the side frames are parallel. Apply white glue to all joints. Use white glue instead of CAA as it is more flexible. CAA glue joints will probably not hold when you insert or remove the wheelsets.step 4: Lightly sand the brake shoes on the Brake Hangers (A4) so that they have a curve to match the wheel tread. Glue the Brake Hangers into the slots on the Rigid Bolster (A1b). Test fit the wheel sets to make sure the brakes don t rub. Note that only one truck has brakes. Cars in this era only had brakes on the B ends, the same end as the brake wheel. Optional: For better scale appearance add nut and washer details over the precut holes. Step 5. Once the glue is Sand brake shoes here Link pocket dry, paint the trucks dark gray for the wood parts and grimy black with rust highlights for the journal covers. Paint the wheelsets before inserting into the bearings.insert wheelsets into the nylon bearings. Test the truck for smooth operation. Fine tune the bearing surfaces if necessary. Mount the trucks to your car using a #0-48 screws and washers. When mounting to this kit the shims (A5) included in this kit will give proper coupler height with one washer between the truck and body. Coupler Assembly Glue two halves of coupler so that the engraved

2 area faces inward to create the link pocket. Sand the coupler face smooth, and radius the corners as shown. Make pins and links out of inch brass rod. While these couplers will function, they are intended primarily for display and not for layout operation. Set these aside to work on the car body. Step 1 Body Assembly Step 1. Glue the side walls to the main frame. Add the end walls. Note that the tab on the center of the end wall. It fits in the slot on the main frame. The engraved lines on the walls face the inside of the car. Step 2. Insert car deck into body assembly. The protruding section of the deck shold extend through the door openings. If you want to paint the deck a different color from the body, do so before you install the deck. Then mask it when you paint the rest of the car. Step 3. Glue the roof rafters to the side frames. The rafters should align with the vertical beams on the side frames. The notches cut in the rafters should fit snuggly over the side frames. Step 3 Step 2

3 Step 4 Step 4. Glue the car sides and ends to the frames. Test fit the parts to familiarize yourself with the proper alignment. Then use white glue to secure the parts. The joints should fit tightly at the corners. Once the glue is dry, add the door tracks and guides. You will note that the outlines of these parts are engraved on the car sides. These will help you with getting the proper placement for the parts. Add the fascia boards along the roof lines. Pay particular attention to the corners to make sure you have snug fitting joints. You may have to trim a part slightly to get a snug joint. You may also use small amounts of wood putty to fill any gaps. Step 5 Step 5. Assemble the doors as shown in figure Step 5. The doors are made by laminating two piece of laser cut Bristol Board. Glue the parts with white glue. Install the doors on the car. They can be installed open closed or any combination. Glue the bumpers to the car ends. The car end sides have engraved lines to show where these parts go. The laser cut holes in the bumpers should face out.

4 Step 6 Note brake stand bracket For some of the grabs you have have to open the grab iron holes on the inside of the car frame. You will also have to drill holes for the stirrups. Use a number 80 drill to open these holes. Use the predrilled holes as a guide. Step 6. Add the roof. The roof must be pre-curved before installing. To curve the roof, soak it in water for about 5 minutes. Remove the roof part from the water. Gently bend the roof part and use rubber bands to temporarily secure the roof part to a can of spray paint or other curved object with a diameter of 3 or 4 inches. Make sure the engraved lines face in. These will act like kerf lines to assist the bend. Let the part dry. Remove the part and test fit against the car. If the part is not curved enough, try again with a little more curve. Make sure you line the brake stand bracket on the roof with the end of the car that has the brake stand bracket on the car frame. Step 7. Add the detail parts. Grab Irons: The are 14 grab irons that are to be installed on the car. The earlier versions of the car did not include stirrups. The later versions do. If you are modeling the latter version, add two more grab irons Insert the grabs in the holes to the proper depth so they protrude about.040 inches. Insert a piece of scrap.040 styrene between the grab iron and the car side to help you achieve the proper depth. Add nut and washer bolts to the holes alongside the grab iron as shown in figure Step 7. Ue the photos and drawings to guide you in placing the grab irons. Use CAA to secure them inplace. Add the engraved paper bolt details to the car bumpers. Add the laser cut Bristol Board door details. See the photos for placement. Add trucks using screw and or shims to adjust height. The last step is to add the brake stand and brake wheel. Use CAA glue for these parts. Step 8. Paint the car. Decals for the Illinois Central version of this car are available separately from Alkem Scale Models. End Door Details Step 7: Grab Iron Detail for the stirrups. The holes for the grab irons and the accompanying nut bolt washers are precut in the siding and roof. Bumper Details

5 Door Details Painted car with Illinois Central markings.

6 Drawings of car from White s Book, The American Freigth Car showing the car in its early configuration. Combination Box Car parked in a yard in Chattanooga during the American Civil War, This car appears to have a roof walk. This photo shows the car in the 1890s near the end of its service life. Note that grilled doors have been removed. The car rides on arch bar trucks, but still employs link and pin couplers.