3" Scale Narrow Gauge Combine

Where users can chronicle their builds. Start one thread and continue to add on to it.

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Glenn Brooks
Posts: 2930
Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:39 pm
Location: Woodinville, Washington

Re: 3" Scale Narrow Gauge Combine

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Hi Mike,

Just getting around to reviewing your thread after working on one of the Oahu RRwy Passenger cars on Oahu. I was thinking of epoxy to strengthen the joints to achieve a higher tensile strength bond, but also keeping the dowling for rigidity. In the boat joinery I’ve done in the past, I’ve found marine epoxy usually is stronger than the adhesion of the grain of wood next to the joint. - often when edge gluing pieces of teak or mahogany , the actual wood would split before the glued edge would fail. Amazing actually.

When I got home, I decided to build a couple of passenger cars for my 12” ga RR, based on Oahu Railway rolling stock. After re reading your thread, I can see Iam really going to have to up my game, now that I see the incredible joinery work you’ve done on your combine. This winter I worked on an OR&L RRy Passenger Car 57 rebuild in Eva Beach backstops, so got some exposure to the framing methods and inverted side truss design that lays inside the inner and outer siding. The car on Oahu is similar, but a little newer design to your combine. However, I notice the end framing, platform, and frame structure are almost identical with your model. car 57 was built in the Oahu shops in 1922, but the original OR&L combine, passenger cars, and James Dilngham parlour Car were build prior to 1890, if I remember correctly. So not much changed in Wooden car design for a long time. You’ve done a beautiful job! Somewhere I have a complete set of photos of the car components, taken as the original was stripped down and documented for,themrbuild. Be happy to share them if you need any further particular detail. Here’s a couple of pics of what the Oahu Railway presently has restored. There’s a few more pics in the Museum thread.

These mostly show the end framing/door sill and the inverted truss structure around the deck. The vertical window posts will get set into the sill and bolted to the truss plate showing in the photo, for rigidity.
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Here’s a couple of shots of the Dillingham parlor car - same as your combine, except the rear is an open platform with wicker chairs for passengers. Interestingly, the truck frames are original, made of oak.
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I can see your thread being incredibly useful when we get to the part about erecting the side framing and roof structure on the prototype. I hope you can keep us all updated as you finish out your build.

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....
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