Coal Car Progress

Despite all the 3D printing, there is a satisfying amount of traditional modelling in these coal cars. I elected to use cast acetal plastic corner steps (Grandt Line) and air hoses (Detail Associates) along with brass truss rods and cut levers to avoid crunching these exposed parts. The ladders and corner grabs will also be […]

Coal Cars Enter the Modelling Phase

With only about six weeks to go until the Railway Modellers’ Meet of BC, the coal cars I want to display there have finally breached the walls of the computer and started to become real. They’re a long way from done, but it should be straightforward from here on out.

Second Coal Car Print

The second printed coal car (actually, technically the third but who’s counting?) came off the printer in two parts over the past 24 hours. I’m still getting some sagging at the ends but this version is one I think I can work with. The key outstanding modification will be a reversal of the door closing […]

Enough with the Coal Car Brakes

After at least four iterations, I’m getting pretty slick at drawing brake brackets, levers and rods. Along the way, I’ve reviewed countless drawings for brake gear and learned so much about the KC brake system, some other memories must have had to pop out the other side. I’ve finally arrived at a version with which […]

Coal Car Control Quandary Continues

At Friday’s modelling night, I collared Rob Kirkham for a discussion about the coal car brakes. He is a bit of a kindred spirit in that he models a time before the transition era, and he’s a bit of a stickler for details. I shared my concern that the outboard position of the brake cylinder […]

Revised Coal Car

With two weeks away from the modelling desk, hobby time went virtual. Rather than try to modify the first version of the coal car, I started from scratch to build a car that is more hopper-like, with the brake cylinder mounted beneath the side sill. Wooden hoppers had their stakes spaced closer together where the […]

Painting Wheels and Assembling Trucks

With the perfect weather for model railroading this weekend, the coal car trucks have cleared the workbench. Some loco-building supplies have arrived, and I’m going to return to locomotive work for the next little while – except for a couple of weeks of travel that are coming up this month. With the success of the […]

Painting Trucks

Uncharacteristically for me, the scissor-like contraption I designed for holding and masking trucks worked on the first try. Being made from exactly the same 3D model as the trucks themselves, it was all-but guaranteed to fit. However, there are many questions of tolerance when it comes to the FDM printer. The key question was the […]

Coal Car Trucks Ready to Paint

After redesigning the trucks with inside brakes, I printed a test copy. It worked fine the first time, but I noticed the axles could be a little tighter in the bearings. This should assist with getting the ride height of the cars correct. A pair of .005″ shims inserted after the wheels seems to keep […]

The Wrong Coal Cars?

Have I been drawing the wrong coal cars? This is a question that has been bothering me for some time. Basically, ever since I couldn’t get the side stakes to match the varying spacing on the lone photo I have of Canada Atlantic coal cars. This spacing could indicate the presence of slope sheets, meaning […]