Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

[kcameron]

I recall the article had a glue up of a couple pieces of trim that made one 'very long' bench. Then he cut that into the right lengths for the seats. It took three pieces of wood I think. One wide (tall) piece for the back of the seat. Next was a short (deep) piece for the seat cushion area. Last was a short for the leg. Same method could be taken a step farther and make chairs by cutting the lower back and front to leave legs. But for in a coach the tops, backs, and seat parts are mostly what you see.

[DianneB]

@Robert - Sanding belt would probably have worked to but may have required more support. The thing I like about the rolled roofing is that it is quite stiff when cold and pliable when hot so it worked well and holds its shape.

@kcameron - There will be a lot of seats to be made....

Interior

... but I probably wont get the interior done this winter. I have a lot of windows to make first and the trolley pole, and the two bi-fold doors. I will be happy to simply get it "buttoned up" this year and get the engineer's car made so it is presentable and runnable for next summer.

[kcameron]

The idea on building the seats was making lengths say 4 to 8 foot long of the shape and then just cutting them down for the size bench you need. From your photo I'd say you could do fine with just scoring the backs to make the 'slats' if the idea is just what you can see from the windows. If you were planning to have the top removable for shows or something, then you might have a lot more work to do.

[DianneB]

The roof of the streetcar has been coming nicely but I was undecided how to make the sides for the cupola. Each side has 10 windows and it would be a challenge to cut all 20 with a chisel without splintering something. Then I though about my brand new Grizzly mill - not really designed for the job but maybe I could do a neat job with it so I set about abusing my new mill

Milling windows

It worked pretty good.

Finished

I added a wiring channel down the centre of the cupola roof for the lights and am still waiting for my grain of wheat bulbs to come in.

[DianneB]

Got the interior lights installed (damned PITA job!) and the cupola roof on.

Lighted interior

(Excuse the construction debris inside the car! LOL!)

[Jerry_H]

That's a beautiful job Dianne. That pic and your modeling makes it look like the full scale item.

Great work!

Jerry

[Hudson Honey]

Sweet

[Rwilliams]

Dianne,

Nothing wrong with using the vertical mill as a heavy duty overhead router. I have used both router bits in a mill collet and new sharp end mills for wood working in my mill. The wood chips seem to absorb most of the oil on the machine and clean it up almost like spreading saw dust on the floor of an automobile shop. Never had a problem with wood chips giving trouble at any time. The clean up task is a bit more time consuming. The end result has always been worth the effort when working with wood.

Robert

[Harold_V]

I agree, assuming the wood is dry. It can be troublesome if it is not. It's a good idea to not let a pile of "chips" sit on the machine for a prolonged period of time unless you don't mind rust spots.

I've used my machines numerous times for wood, as I have almost no wood working tools.

Harold

[Dick_Morris]

Dianne,

Love the lighted view of the interior!

Nothing wrong with using the mill for wood, but some woods (e.g., oak) can cause the surfaces to rust so cleaning is important.

Another method to make openings is to use a router with a ball bearing on the bit and a template. Just like Norm does on "This Old House." That's how I put window and door openings into the walls of a caboose. (I made the template on the mill.)

[steamin10]

Not to be picky, but isnt that a Clerestory roof? The elegance of natrual light from above and the airy look.

A cupola usually refers to a Bump that is occupied, where clerestory is a structural feature developed for passenger cars, originally for Natural Lighting, and eventually to hide heating venting and airconditioning. Oil lanterns provided the first hanging lighting in the Clerestory.

I love the Grain Of Wheat lighting. I would ask that you watch the temperatures, or provide a dropping resistor to lower light output somwhat, to control the heating of these lamps. They get quite hot at full voltage.

I watch with intereset as your ideas take shape.

[DianneB]

Yes, cupola may not be the right term for it but it is the only one I could think of and I knew everybody here would know what it meant.

The propulsion system for the streetcar is 24 volts and the lights are only 6.3 volts so I will have to provide a regulator anyway so I can make the output to the lights anything I want. I will probably run them at reduced voltage anyway to get long life. Changing a bulb would mean removing the cupola/clerestory roof which is a P.I.T.A. The lights wouldn't be visible in direct sunlight so I expect they will only get used on static display so they may be on for very long periods of time.

As soon as I was done the milling, I vacuumed the mill really well but thanks for the warning.

Also thank you for all the nice comments!