Flat Car Plans

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eastsidebuzz
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Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2019 10:36 pm

Flat Car Plans

Post by eastsidebuzz »

HI fellow Railroaders,

New to all this and want to build a 7.5 flat car. Anyone have any plans for sale or willing to share. Just want to start on something small.

Any Pointers?

Thanks you in advance for all your help.
Glenn Brooks
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Location: Woodinville, Washington

Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Flat cars are pretty easy to free lance. All you really need are the general dimensions. Here’s a couple of construction photos for my 2.5” scale (12” ga) flat car build - based on a 40’ flat car this came out to 8’ x 32”. Same basic thing as 7.5” gauge. Just half again bigger.

Note: in 7.5” ga, this car would be 5’ long x 16” wide. you could build any length in 1/8 scale up to say 8’ representing a 60’ loa frame, or longer.your choice basically.

Glenn
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Moderator - Grand Scale Forum

Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
rkcarguy
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Location: Wa State

Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by rkcarguy »

What do you have to work with for tools and equipment?
I've seen everything from wood frame bolt together kits to fully fabricated steel frames like Glenn and I have both built.
Discover Live Steam's site also has a buy and sell section that has some flat car offerings as well as frames already built with plywood tops that you add your own trucks and couplers too.
eastsidebuzz
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Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2019 10:36 pm

Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by eastsidebuzz »

Glenn Brooks wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:21 am Flat cars are pretty easy to free lance. All you really need are the general dimensions. Here’s a couple of construction photos for my 2.5” scale (12” ga) flat car build - based on a 40’ flat car this came out to 8’ x 32”. Same basic thing as 7.5” gauge. Just half again bigger.
Glenn
I am a total Newbie. I just looked up 2.5 scale and that is what train mountain is. https://sites.google.com/site/adobney/2 ... lerailroad and that is what I am looking for. 32 inch wide car is perfect for one of my ideas since the freight I want to haul on it is 33 inches wide. I thought that was 7.5 that is why I was looking for a set of plans. I am going to get involved with Kitsap Live steamers when the weather turns nicer here in WA. I thought that they were 7.5 but, looking at the track again maybe not. I am a bit confused about the 7.5 and 2.5. I need to see live stuff to get a better idea. I have always wanted a train and I just bought 20 acres and having a loop though my forest would be awesome. I have real practical working uses for the railroad on my property so I want to use it to haul stuff. Thank you for the dimensions glenn.
eastsidebuzz
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Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by eastsidebuzz »

rkcarguy wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:23 am What do you have to work with for tools and equipment?
I've seen everything from wood frame bolt together kits to fully fabricated steel frames like Glenn and I have both built.
Discover Live Steam's site also has a buy and sell section that has some flat car offerings as well as frames already built with plywood tops that you add your own trucks and couplers too.
I have every tool from SawStops to Welders and everything in the HF store for sure. I am a Sideliner beekeeper and I was thinking of doing my new bee yard out of rails and putting my pallets on Rail cars. So they sit up off the ground and are moveable 33x46 each. When I work in the bee yard I can take the train out to the yard on the back of the property with a tanker of syrup and equipment in the cars that I need and then just roll the whole thing back into the barn when I am done. It will be so much neater then carrying it piece by piece. Property is 20 acres so I want to loop the forest with a train to ride on also. Childhood dream. So I am learning and this is like my 3rd post. I am reading everything I can get my hands on. Since I found this stuff I am so jazzed. Wife is not and that is going to be a real hurdle. She is seeing time and money pit. :) But, life is short and this is something I am passionate about.
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NP317
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Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by NP317 »

A quick lesson:
Track GAUGE is the width between the rails, and generally specified as 7.5" wide, 7.25" wide, 5" wide, 4.75" wide, and 3.5" wide.

SCALE can vary for each gauge, depending on what is being modeled: Standard gauge or a narrow gauge.

So 7.5" and 7.25" gauge can support 1.5"/ft. scale, and larger all the way up to 2.5"/ft ++.
Tracks supporting the larger narrow-gauge scales will be required to support much more weight than standard gauge 1.5"'ft. scale, because larger SCALES are far heavier.

Kitsap Live Steamers is 7.5" GAUGE with primarily 1.5"/ft. SCALE trains, and also 1.6"'ft. and larger SCALES of trains. KLS is presently replacing old track with much stronger construction using plastic ties and steel rail.
Train Mountain Railroad is like KLS: 7.5" GAUGE track, with robust track construction capable of supporting larger SCALES.

KLS is an excellent group to be established with. Very welcoming and willing to help you. I've remain a member after nearly 20 years, even after moving out of Washington State!
RussN
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Very interesting that you plan to build your RR as a working road. Working roads often changes the dimension of what you do and how you build your equipment. One issue with gauge is there are some limits to how wide you can built with each different gauge. Build to wide a car and it tips over and spills it load quite easily. This relates to balancing the load on the widths of the rails. General rule of thumb: Max car width = 2.2 times the gauge.

BTW, A group of us here in the PNW are working on building a 15” ga live steam club on the Eastside. We’re doing a steam up tomorrow (Saturday) in Woodinville. Your welcome to attend if you wish. I sent you a PM with details.

Glenn
Moderator - Grand Scale Forum

Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
eastsidebuzz
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Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2019 10:36 pm

Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by eastsidebuzz »

Thanks I will come by. Very interesting.

Yes. I want to have the cars used for hauling feeders, frames, parts and pieces. I want a working tanker. Either one that looks like a tanker of a flat car with a tank on it like this. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools ... _200644146. You could also use a smaller tank as a sprayer around the yard for weeds etc along the tracks. Lots of ideas.

So yes balance on the tracks is important. I wonder if a 3rd rail is an option. Drives up the cost by 1/3 for the steel.
rkcarguy
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Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by rkcarguy »

Train mountain and Kitsap both are 7.5" gage rails. They operate 1.5" scale (1/8 scale), and also narrow gage which is 2.5" scale on the same tracks. I am in the process of working on a 2" scale RR on 12" gage, to also "work" on my property taking the trash and recycling up a long driveway and transporting firewood from the far corner to the home. I choose this un-prototypical scale/size to suit hauling heavy loads, and not being tippy as I saw some Youtube videos with riders tipping over 7.5" gage trains. Yet in 2" scale most 4 axle loco's and 40' rolling stock will still fit in a long bed pickup. 2.5" scale just got to be too big.
My "working railroad" thread is here in the grand scale section, as is Glenn's, both of ours are 12" gage.
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Erskine Tramway
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Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by Erskine Tramway »

Hi buzz...

You can do what you are talking about on 7-1/2" gauge, as long as you can keep the center of gravity of your loads low. There is a fellow in Vermont who moves pallets on his line, using 1-1/2" scale flatcars. Your tank might require a dedicated car with a drop center to keep the CG low, especially when it's full of liquid. If you can't manage that, a wider gauge might be more practical.

My 7-1/2" gauge railway has freight cars that are 20" wide, and locos and passenger cars that are 25" wide. A few of them are 'scale' models, but most of my equipment is 'full size for the gauge'. Here's a picture of one of my firewood trains when I was still using the passenger car chassis to haul wood.
10-16-15 first train.jpg
I've since built some more freight cars, and don't use the passenger car for wood anymore. Here's a couple of the new bulkhead flats with "Sparky" my battery-electric.
10-18-18 two loads.jpg
For scale...here's a picture of Sparky and I, with one of my half-size "Heywood" 15" gauge wagons, hauling my track surfacing car, before I put the roof on.
10-1-14 The Driver.jpg
Your wife s only partly correct, a railway doesn't have to be a money pit :D If you can do things for yourself, and scrounge materials, the cost doesn't have to be high. It will be time consuming though. I've built cars out of salvaged wood, and aside from the required dirt work, my only costs have been for materials. I've been plugging away on my 845-foot long railway off and on for about 16 years. But, there were years when, because of weather, or not being home enough between trips on the big railroad, where not much got done. Here's what the North end looks like this year, out in our 'North 20'.
10-17-19 overall.jpg
Enjoy...

Mike
Former Locomotive Engineer and Designer, Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, Inc. and Riverside & Great Northern Railway 1962-77
BN RR Locomotive Engineer 1977-2014, Retired
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dnevil
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Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by dnevil »

You can find photos, drawings and assembly instructions for a D&RGW flat/gondola car in 1.5 inch scale here:

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?tit ... latcar_Kit

Plans for 3/4 inch scale flatcars are here:

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?tit ... e_Flat_Car

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?tit ... ith_Brakes

Links to more drawings can be found here, including a flat car by Tom Artzberger:

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?tit ... r_projects

Regards,
Daris
Daris Nevil
IBLS Secretary
North American Region
http://www.ibls.org
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dnevil
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Re: Flat Car Plans

Post by dnevil »

And this is a great frame for most freight cars:

http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?tit ... _Car_Frame

Daris
Daris Nevil
IBLS Secretary
North American Region
http://www.ibls.org
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