Cupola Caboose Rebuild

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ccvstmr
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Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild cont'd...it's all in the detail!

Truer words were never spoken. It's the details that make a model "stand out". Problem is...a nice looking caboose looks nice because of the details. Interior decorations are not needed, but what goes on the exterior can really make a model stand out! This is also one of the reason why model cabooses are the some of the more expensive pieces of rolling stock. If not the material cost...it's the time involved to develop and fabricate the various details.

One of the first details addressed was a new end beam. The old end beam was more or less a freight car end sill...that would not do this time around. I started by sitting down with a CAD program to draw a new end beam. Actually, several different versions were drawn up...different angles were examined. But more important, I had to have a "backing plate" to mount the safety chain hooks as well as fasten the striker plate. So the end beam assembly ended up being a sandwich of various parts. Here's the CAD design that was used...you'll note there's two tapers on the ends. Eventually, the outboard end of the end beam would be rounded.
xend sill double taper.JPG
Three end sills were fabricated from white oak. The two best pieces would ultimately be used on the caboose. Here's a trial fit to see how the striker plate would be affixed over the end beam. The top of the end beam had to be even with the end platform planks. The bottom of the end beam had to clear the coupler. Wasn't easy to hold the various pieces with one hand while the other hand snapped the pix.
xIMG_5228.JPG
To ensure the end beam did not stick out from the end platform, a recess was milled in the back of the beam for an 1/8" thick plate for the safety chain mounts. The safety chain eye bolts would thread thru the plate and be captured by angle brackets that are also used to hold the corner steps. One other item...had to leave space for another bracket to hold the Clippard air brake fitting.

In the next photo, you'll see the pieces that make up the end beam assembly. An aluminum block was hollowed out (after the photo) to make a spacer to go between the striker plate and the safety chain mounting plate.
xIMG_5545.JPG
Next, we have a face and bottom side view of the end beam assembly.
xIMG_5552.JPG
Finally, the parts and pieces were drilled and tapped as needed for mounting. The entire assembly was painted satin canyon black to match the underside and end platform paint color.
xIMG_5585.JPG
But wait...we're not done with the end beams. There's still more "things" to add. There's the end railings and end beam grab irons. Stay tuned. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild con't...it's the end railings.

As long as we're working on the end beams...there's a few details needed to finish this end of the caboose up. One of the details that caught my attention on the real Rutland caboose at Steamtown RR Museum, were the end railings. I had never seen this type of railing posts....they were tapered. Thought that would make a good addition to the model caboose rebuild.

As before, I sat down with a CAD program and started to draw something up. Had to determine the railing height, distance between posts, how the top part of the railing would be fabricated AND attached and of course...how much taper would be needed. Here's what I came up with.

I started using a piece of 1/4" diameter steel rod. The bottom was drilled and taped for a 10-32 piece of thread rod. The thread rod would slide thru a hole in the wood end beam to be secured on the bottom side. A small brass fitting would be used to make the post base. This was made with 3/8" diameter brass rod. The top of the post would be threaded 6-32. A die holder was used in the lathe tailstock to make the threaded end straight. However, I didn't want an overly large 6-32 square nut sitting on top of the railing. So...I downsized. Or should I say...I took a square 4-40 nut and drilled/tapped that for 6-32. Voila...a smaller square nut to dress the top of the railing.
xIMG_5571.JPG
Six short posts and four long posts for the ends were needed. The longer end posts would be heated and curved around a 1" diameter piece of steel.

Some might be thinking...how was the taper made? Well, I can tell you I didn't want to take the time to set the tail stock over and then dial it back in for the next operation. Instead, I cut several shoulders, about .200" long in some .050" to .060" decreasing diameters. A large flat file was then used to remove the offending shoulders and make a smooth transition. Sanding paper finished rounding the top and bottom edges. This method surprisingly didn't take very long. Started with the smallest diameter and kept moving the post out away from the chuck until I could spin the post between the chuck and a live center for the final file contouring. Here's the collection of short posts.
xIMG_5577.JPG
After all the posts were completed, it was time to fabricate the flat bar used for the top railing. This would also join the (3) posts on either side of the center walkway. The flat bar was slotted on the outboard end to mate with the small diameter stud on the end of the curved end post. With all the posts and top rail in the "extra" end beam...the flat bar was silver soldered to the curved end post. The 10-32 thread rod pieces were cut to length and deburred.
xIMG_5582.JPG
Here's a close up view of the top railing and the "re-purposed" 4-40 square nuts to hold the top rail to the posts.
xIMG_5596.JPG
On the underside of the beam, 10-32 square nuts and flat washers were used to hold the railings in the end beam. At this point, I didn't worry about the flat washer resting on an angled surface.
xIMG_5595.JPG
That pretty much takes care of the end railings. Next time, I show how I formed the end grab irons. Stay tuned. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild con't...grab it!

The next piece of detail work to add...is the drop down grab irons that mount on the end beam. For these, I used 1/8" steel rod. The "die set" was made from some leftover chunks of steel in the scrap box. I probably ran a 5/32" square end mill across the top of the bottom die block...one to the front, the other to the rear. The top part of the die block set had corresponding grooves cut on the bottom. Even mill recesses in the vertical faces of both blocks for clearance.

The steel wire was set in the grooves and the top piece set in the middle. I used a hydraulic press to push (2) grab irons at one time. Could probably just as easily do this in a good bench vise.
xIMG_5599.JPG
When the wires come out of the die blocks, they were not exactly square. They were given a slight "attitude adjustment" in the vise with a small hammer.
xIMG_5604.JPG
If you're looking to make a "straight grab iron"...you're done with the forming part. But the grab irons I needed had a drop down in them. So, there was one more step to do. To continue, the grab iron was clamped in the vise with a 3/8" spacer under the grab.
xIMG_5605.JPG
The spacer was removed and then used a steel block or piece of hardwood to bend the grab iron over. Start by hammering horizontally to push the steel wire over to the rear. Note the aluminum angles used in the vise jaws. Those are a little more forgiving that pounding the wire across the vise jaws along.
xIMG_5606.JPG
The grab iron forming part of this project is completed. But there's still one more fixture to make to complete the grab iron.
xIMG_5608.JPG
We'll get to the mounting tabs in the next installment. Stay tuned. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild con't...grab on tight

Now that the wire forming is done, I wanted to add mounting tabs. Even though the wire ends will be left long and holes drilled for the extra length steel rod, I wanted tabs for hex head screws. Wasn't sure if the hex head screw alone would be able to hold the grab iron in the event of abuse (I really don't like having to go back and do something over and over).

While helping a friend build a railroad on the back of his property, he opted to punch his rail ends with a 3/16" x 7/16" slot to allow for rail expansion/contraction. Turned out...if I used the same punch set up to punch some thick brass sheet metal, I'd have the material needed for the mounting tabs. A little dab of silver soldering...and I'll have a grab iron ready for blasting, priming and painting. One night, I stood there and punch out a bunch of brass ovals. I suspect I'll be using these for future projects. Punching the brass sure beat filing, belt sanding or other methods to round over the ends. Still had to use the belt sander to remove brass burrs on the back side.
xIMG_5613.JPG
Holes were drilled (used a pair of vise grips to hold these in the drill press). Don't remember the exact hole dimensions. The hole for the 1/8" steel wire may have been drilled 9/64". The screw mounting hole was drilled for a #2 brass screw.
xIMG_5614.JPG
Next I needed a fixture to hold the grab iron and brass mounting tabs in position for silver soldering. The following fixture was rigged up. The support "stands" for the mounting tabs was kept to a minimum to keep from drawing the heat away during the solder process. Parts were small enough that a hardware store propane torch provided enough heat to get the flux and silver solder to flow. Here we have a grab iron and mounting tabs all fluxed up and ready for the heat.
xIMG_5616.JPG
Finally, here are the (4) grab irons needed. The two on the left just off the soldering fixture. The two on the right already had a close encounter with the sand blast media and are ready for priming (self etch primer) and painting. These would be painted yellow. Even with a "neutral primer color"...yellows will take at least 2 coats. The same would be true for whites and light oranges.
xIMG_5618.JPG
And that completes the fabrication of the end beam grab irons. Next time, we'll show how the poling pockets were made. Stay tuned...more details to come. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
Rwilliams
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Location: Central California

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by Rwilliams »

Nice job with the caboose rebuild effort. I can certainly appreciate all of the specialty detail items that are only found on a caboose. I too, am working on some more cool details for my C-30 build.

The tapered posts for the end platform railings are a luxury item that was part of the wood caboose era. The SP used the tapered posts on the C-30 caboose until they were rebuilt with steel end sills and straight posts after that point in time.

Re-purposing of the 4-40 square nuts is a nice touch but in the past, I did the same thing but used a 6-40 thread which looks a bit more scale. If one does not have the 6-40 tap and die, the 6-32 will work well.

Curious as to what your are going to do with the marker lamps?

Robert
ccvstmr
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Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Hello Robert...1st, thanks for the compliments. 2nd, I'd have to say my 'boose wouldn't "hold a train crew" compared to the work you're doing (and sharing) on your SP C-30 caboose. All I can say...there's a few contributors on this board that have FAR MORE patience than a saint...and it shows when craftsmanship and level of detail is achieved. My hat is off to people like that. I strive for that. Will I ever get there? We'll see.

Tapered end posts...there's no doubt in the "old days"...appearance carried as much if not more weight than functionality. Hence, the gingerbread that went on locomotives and passenger car "varnish". Yes, those were the glory days...spit-shined brass trim, pin stripping...the kinds of things that make the equipment stand out.

Never gave any thought to using a finer thread screw on the posts. The 6-32 studs on top of the end railing...most of that was cut off. Almost flush to the top of the nut. So you don't see excess thread. The 10-32 mounting studs that hold the end railing posts to the end beam...most of the excess was cut off as well. Used a Dremel tool cutting disk to zip off the excess.

Marker lights...I'll probably disappoint you. The original 'boose had Cannonball marker lights. Contacted them while the rebuild was in process to get replacement lenses. Nope...didn't have any for sale and they were holding whatever stock they had on hand. Put a request out here on Chaski for lenses. Someone pointed me to electrical supply indicator lamp lenses. Cut those to fit on the lathe and glued them in place. Problem solved. The marker lamps were cleaned, blasted, primed and painted and I put a small 12 volt incandescent bulb inside leftover from my HO railroading days.

The "issue" I had with the marker lights...the caboose was built using 1/2" plywood around a 1 x 1.5" pine frame. Strong. Therefore, I had a chunk of wood in the corner that prevented me from mounting the marker light on the exterior corner. Had to move it towards the center of the car to clear the corner structure. And if that wasn't enough, the marker light has a "cast-on" 1/4" hollow mounting stud that wasn't long enough to go thru all the interior wood work. That's when I made a mounting plate for the marker light to go on the outside of the cabin body. If you go back and look at the photos when the caboose was stripped, you'll see (2) large holes on the cabin sides towards the "B" end. That was done for the 1/4" nut that hold the marker light to the mounting plate. Believe this time around, I used brass #2 hex head lag screws to hold the marker light and mounting plate to the car side. Here's a few photos.
xIMG_5756.JPG
xIMG_5757.JPG
I should point out...the marker lamps serve two purposes. If/when I'm running at night, I turn the marker lights on for and "end of train" indication and the lamps are plugged into a battery and switch in the caboose. However, if I'm out doing a card order switching operation (usually during daytime hours)...the marker lights are plugged into the remote brake unit in the caboose. When the brakes are activated, the marker lights are illuminated. It's easier for the engineer to turn around to see if the brakeman released the rear end brakes before trying to pull the train out of town. Switching at night? Not sure I'd want to do that. You never know what lurks in the shadows of the railroad!

So...does that cover everything for you? If not, shoot me another message. In the meantime, there's more detail work coming up. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild cont'd...head to the poles

The next item I'll cover is the poling pockets. While some RR's might have put poling pockets on the end beam...I suspect that practice was few and far between. The poling pocket was located on the lower corners of the cabin. Something a little more substantial than a wood end beam.

To make the pockets. I started with some 7/8" diameter brass rod. Used a rounded end cutter in the lathe to hollow out the center of the rod end. Used the same tool to make a similar contour on the outside. The recesses were approx. .125" deep...the pocket was parted off leaving a "button" .200" thick. I made (5) pieces so there was at least one spare.
xIMG_5562.JPG
xIMG_5568.JPG
I had some sheet brass laying around. Cut up (5) pieces for the backing plate. These were bent on a brake (easier to bend the brass BEFORE the pockets were attached). Mounting holes...those could be drill later.
xIMG_5569.JPG
Here's what the pockets looked like after silver soldering. From here, they take a trip thru the sand blast cabinet. This cleans off the flux, roughens up the surface in preparation for self-etching primer and eventually...painting and mounting.
xIMG_5574.JPG
Lastly, had to have a trial "fitting" to see what this looked like. Thought the size was "just right" for this model. Not as large as some plastic injection molded freight car poling pockets and not so small as a 1" scale poling pocket (yes, I did consider something from another scale).
xIMG_5589.JPG
Next, I'll get into some of the larger grab iron fabrication. Stay tuned. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild con't...more grabbing

Grab irons are an important safety device on any piece of RR equipment. They're meant to provide a easy way to hold on or grab hold of something when needed. If you ever get hold of a Kalmbach Loco/Car Builders Cyclopedia...you'll find several requirements that were established for consistency across all railroad operators as well as railroad equipment/appliance builders.

This time, we'll look at the curved grab irons located on the lower outside corners of the caboose cabin near the corner steps. These were intended for a train crew member to grab hold and swing himself up/on to the corner steps of a slow moving train. One of the characteristics I noted when looking at the Rutland caboose photos from Steamtown RR Museum, was the curved grab irons were slightly larger in diameter than other grab irons by the platform and on the end beam. It was decided to use some 5/32" steel wire for these.

One of the important criteria for grab iron fabrication is...repeatability! The grab irons not only had to look identical (or nearly), but they also had to hit mounting holes having the same horizontal and vertical placement on the car sides. Else, additional wire bending would be needed. To accomplish this, I realized (3) types of fixtures would be needed: 1st...a fixture to locate the drilled holes on the side of the cabin, 2nd...a wire forming fixture and 3rd...a mounting tab soldering fixture. In the next photo, scrap metal was used for make the hole locating fixture. This fixture was configured to be used for either left hand or right hand positioning. In other words, in had to be reversible and use the same reference edges no matter which corner of the cabin was being worked on, to determine distance in from the end of the cabin and distance above a lower edge. For this caboose, the aluminum trim that ran along the bottom cabin edge as the lower reference.
xIMG_5634.JPG
I had an idea how much the radius was going to be, I found an old (small) motor that I could use to wrap the steel wire around. After the wire was roughly formed, the rest of the curvature would have to be massaged by hand.

The wiring forming fixture in the case was needed for nothing else than to determine where to make the 90 deg wire bend for the other wire leg. In the next photo, a 1/4" thick piece of steel was used to slide the grab iron into place, line it up and bend the wire over the steel plate edge...leaving enough wire for the mounting pad and wire that would penetrate the wood sided cabin. A rubber head mallet was used to bend the wire for this bend.
xIMG_5640.JPG
Next we move to the soldering fixture. Using the 1st hole locating fixture, mounting hole locations were transfer to the steel plate. Risers were made with a milled slot on the top where the brass mounting pad would sit during the soldering process. Additional risers were made to support the wire. The additional risers were 3/8" longer. Why 3/8"? Believe RR rules stipulate a minimum hand clearance between the grab iron and the car body as 3". In 1.5" scale...that's 3/8". In case you're wondering what the vise grip is holding...I needed a counterweight while the curved grab iron was in the fixture to keep it from cocking. All the risers were held in place by screws from the underside of the steel plate.
xIMG_5643.JPG
Lastly, here's the (4) curved grab irons ready for finishing...sitting on the dual function fixture (forming and soldering). Notice how the silver soldering leaves a nice fillet between the mounting tab and the wire.
xIMG_5644.JPG
That's it. Next time, we'll fabricate the right angle grab irons that are located on the platform end walls of the cabin. Stay tuned. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild cont'd...still more grabbing to do

Now, with two types of grab irons behind, the right angle grab irons on the end platforms followed a similar methodology. In fact, the same forming and soldering fixture steel plate was used to make these grab irons (used the opposite corner). A separate hole locating fixture was prepared. For all three operations this time, provisions had to be made for left hand or right hand orientation grab irons.

Using 1/8" steel wire once again, we'll see in the next photo a formed right angle grab iron in the soldering fixture. Some of you may be wondering how the middle leg was made. I took some 1/8" brazing rod and ground away half the diameter to make a short section of "half-round" wire. The half round was then wrapped around the steel wire grab iron as far as possible...the excess was cut off. During the solder process, the "third leg" would become a solid part of the grab iron.
xIMG_5656.JPG
Here's the (4) right angle grab irons formed and silver soldered. They're ready for cleaning and finishing.
xIMG_5658.JPG
Lastly, here's the (4) right angle grab irons painted: 2 left-hand, 2 right-hand versions. Yes, it took 2 or 3 coats of paint to adequately cover the gray self-etch primer. For these and most other caboose grab irons, I used Rustoleum Painter's Touch...Marigold yellow. This yellow has a little orange in it instead of other yellows I thought were too light. Some railroads used to paint their grab irons white.
xIMG_5659.JPG
There's only (1) other grab iron that hasn't been covered...and those are the (4) cupola roof grab irons that were seen in previous photos. The same 3 fixture process was used to create those as already explained...using the same 3rd leg attachment method method described here.

Next time around, I'll show how I made the mounting brackets for the air reservoir. Check back soon. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild cont'd...ladders and up

From the original caboose build, I had one-piece ladders at both ends of the cabin. Problem was trying to align the (4) ladder ends (two on top, two on the bottom) each time the roof was removed and replaced. It got to the point where I simply left the ladders off. This time, I wanted a split ladder...something that was separated at the roof line...no fumbling around trying to re-insert the ladders. Furthermore, I wanted some kind of mechanism to lock the two parts of the ladder together when the roof was in place. Once again, decided to use 1/4" wide brass flat stock for the ladder rails and 1/8" brazing rod for the ladder rungs.

As before, making fixtures for fabricating parts and pieces as well as assembly would be used. The nice thing about the fixtures...they can be set aside and used again in the future. That's assuming you remember where you stored them. Worse yet, once you find the fixtures...you have to remember how to use them. Think I took enough photos of all the fixtures during fabrication that I just have to go back and review the photo archives.

Let's get started. The first fixture needed was to locate the rung holes in the ladder rails. Once again, back to the scrap box to find materials to hold the brass strips flat and securely so the ladder rung holes would be "spotted" with a center drill, index the mill table, spot the next hole, etc. The bottom of the ladder rail had a 3/8" long "foot" bent at a right angle. This not only created a reference point for spot drilling, but also provided a location to anchor the bottom of the ladder. After all the holes had been spotted, the brass strip was removed and the process repeated with the next brass strip.
xIMG_5727.JPG
Here was the end result of (4) ladder rails needed. It was nice having all the rung holes lined up for operations to follow.
xIMG_5730.JPG
In the top of the next photo, you'll see one of the original caboose build ladders. It's now hanging in the shop off a shelf edge. It was made by soft soldering (2) 12" long pieces of brass strip together. The round hoops at the top of the ladder were made by wrapping the brass strip around a form I made...to bend the brass edgewise.

In the bottom part of the photo, this is the soldering fixture that was created. Slots were milled across the steel bar at the appropriate locations to hold the ladder rungs. Half round openings were milled in the sides of the steel soldering fixture where the rungs were located to allow the application of flux and solder on the inside of the ladder rails. The 1/8" brazing rod pieces were already cut to length and sanded to a point on a belt sander. Those points would be inserted in the center drilled ladder rail holes. Several small brass model making clamps were used to hold the assembly together for soldering.
xIMG_5731.JPG
Here's a close up view of the ladder rails and rungs. Yes, the points from the ladder rungs stuck thru the ladder sides. Not much, but I left that as is.
xIMG_5733.JPG
Finally, here's the (2) lower ladder sections soldered and ready for other fittings.
xIMG_5734.JPG
The upper ladder sections were fabricated as described from the original caboose build. Bending a 3/8" wide mounting foot and then wrapping the brass strip around the form edgewise...were done in the same manner this time around. The only difference...after the hoops were bent, I had to spot drill a couple holes for the upper section ladder rungs. Once again, the rung drilling fixture was used after it was determined where the next rung up from the lower ladder section would be located.

Next installment, we'll bring the two ladder sections together. Stay tuned. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild cont'd...still climbing the ladder

This time around, we'll bring the upper and lower parts of the ladder together. Since the caboose refurbishing was conducted at a remote shop, the detail fabrication and ladder fabrication were done in the basement shop. To avoid running back and forth between shops, I built a mockup of the caboose end. I took measurements of the necessary horizontal and vertical distances and recreated the caboose end with platform, end wall and roof overhang...without all the details the real model had. Would have been easier if the entire caboose was in the home shop, but then...not sure I would have wanted to be soldering parts together on the model. The mockup was the next best thing.
xIMG_6048.JPG
In the next view is a close up of where the upper and lower ladder section are joined. The lower ladder section had a slot cut in the top end of the ladder rails. The upper ladder section had a locating pin/screw used to slide into the lower ladder rail section slots. You can start to see the mounts for the ladder sections where the roof separates. In the real Rutland caboose...there were braces at the roof end. With the split ladder, I had to create something to secure the lower ladder section.
xIMG_6052.JPG
Here then is the lower ladder section attachment brace and method in which the ladder was held in location to mate with the upper ladder section that was mounted on the roof. Some more brass strips were used and a wide cross brace between the two brass strips. Didn't want the ladders to be moving around if that could be avoided.
xIMG_6054.JPG
Lastly, I needed a couple more brass strips to secure the top ladder section to the roof walks. 4-40 screws were soldered to the underside of the brass strip to create a mounting stud. A similar method was used for the lower ladder section as well.
xIMG_6056.JPG
In the next installment, we'll finish the ladders and get them mounted on the end of the caboose. Stay tuned. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: Cupola Caboose Rebuild

Post by ccvstmr »

Caboose Rebuild cont'd...we're climbing to the roof

Now that all the ladder fabricating was completed...the various parts and pieces had a date in the sand blast cabinet. Clean off the flux, rough up the metal surface and then spray with self-etch primer. When the primer was dry, 2 to 3 coats of Rustoleum Marigold Yellow were needed to get a nice even paint finish. After that, it was time to mate the ladders with the caboose model.
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In the next photo, you'll see how the lower end of the ladders were secured to the caboose end beam. The real Rutland caboose had bars that extended over the edge of the end beam...easy enough to do in the model. 4-40 square nuts were used to secure the ladder in place. Would have been nice if a square nut driver were available for small parts like this.
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Same for the top end of the ladder...the 4-40 nuts were secured using a needle nose plies. btw....those are #2 brass hex head lag screws that hold the upper ladder section mounting strips to the roof walk. Those hex head screws were used often around the model to secure various parts.
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And lastly, here's the ladder joint. The caboose roof does have about 1/8" play side to side...and end to end...so minor positioning is needed when the roof is set back in place on the cabin. It may look "ugly"...but it was functional and accomplished the criteria set at the start for a split ladder. Such a splice could be avoided if one wasn't concerned about ladder end misalignment.
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That concludes the ladder fabrication and installation. There's still a few more details that were one the caboose. I'll get to those in the next installment. Stay tuned. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
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