The Home Machinist!

This page never disappoints, always guys willing to give good information/feedback and I really appreciate it. I'll try and answer some of the questions that were asked above.

1. Location- The entire trip will be done in the state of Nebraska
2. I've got plenty of ratchet straps and plan to use them.
3. I'm doing a local rental to help save money. Hauling the trailer from here to the pickup location and back.
4. I will be inspecting the trailer this weekend to get measurements, check tie downs, etc...'
5. My family has used a "bar" system before, not necessary through the spokes but across the frame and then bolted down to keep it secure. This is done on one of our trailers that is used for permanent hauling. Also, this trailer is not available as it's currently loaded with a 4-8-4 and 4-6-4 locomotive.
6. I only plan on renting a trailer this one time. I'll be purchasing a 7x14 enclosed trailer this summer for a permanent hauler, but would like to get to work on it before then.

If the trailer has a wooden floor and you are allowed to attach things to it, I have used 2x4's many times to make a set of "rails" and attach various tie down loops or brackets as a temporary transport. I have also made sets with wood that are not attached to the trailer or truck bed, but still use the permanent tie down locations on the bed to secure the entire load. I once put an Allen 10-wheeler, tender and PRR cabin car in the back of a Honda Odyssey. I used the folding rear seat locking points as tie downs. It's scary enough with equipment on a trailer, put it in the back seat pointing at you!
You can never have too many ratchet straps!

Peter

Bill Shields wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2019 9:38 pm dare I ask the question: what happens if you get in a front end accident or roll the vehicle over?...and you have 1/2 ton of metal flying around the inside of the vehicle?

all this being anchored to a board is nice...but what is the BOARD anchored to????

I say this because I had (emphasis HAD) a friend who got into a roll-over accident and was hit in the head by an oscilloscope (about the size of a small toolbox...

My straps and braces all go through the floor of the van and are anchored to the frame of the truck..

Yes, my loco hauling board is bolted to the truck bed, and ratchet straps additionally secure the loco (front and rear) to mounting locations on the truck itself.
~RN

If this is a 1 1/2" Scale locomotive, I'd suggest that you get a 16' trailer instead of a 14' trailer. A typical steam era freight car in 1 1/2" scale is 4 1/2 to 5 feet long. With a 16 foot trailer you can usually get 3 cars end-to-end in one row of the trailer without having to do stuff like take out the couplers or anything like that. With a 14' trailer, you're usually going to be about 18" short. If I were going to get a shorter/smaller trailer, then I'd drop back to a 12' one. Just thinking out-loud here.

Just be sure that between there the board is mounted to the truck and where the loco is anchored to the board, you are not relying on 'board strength' to link the two together.

The math of a the energy in fast stop of a can be frightening indeed,

"it is never the things we think about that kill us -> it is the things we DON'T think about".

getting mashed between an air bag in the front and a smokebox cover from behind...

Why not off-load the 4-6-4 or 4-8-4 into the rented trailer for a day or two and use the trailer set-up for train hauling to make the pick-up?

Remember, for each freight car in your trailer add 6 inches per car for couplers.
Example; I've got a 12 ft long trailer and I can not put 2 - 6 ft. cars on a track because they are 13 ft. long. (2 cars at 6ft. 6in. long each)
So I alternate a 5 ft. car with a 6 ft. car on each track which just fits. (5 1/2 ft. car and a 6 1/2 ft. car = 12 ft.)
I favor shorty Beercan Tank cars and 2 bay covered hoppers to mate up with longer cars.

The problem with shorter trailers is the Modern freight cars that are 7 ft to 10 ft long.

Also, instead of rails that 3/16" flanges can easily hop off of, I use wood "furring strips" that are 1/2" thick and screw them into the floor on the outside of the wheels. The wheels ride on the floor between the furring strips, and it takes a LOT to bounce over that 1/2" furring strip.

jabsteam wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:02 pm instead of rails that 3/16" flanges can easily hop off of, I use wood "furring strips" that are 1/2" thick and screw them into the floor on the outside of the wheels. The wheels ride on the floor between the furring strips, and it takes a LOT to bounce over that 1/2" furring strip.

Do I understand you correctly, that the cars/tender/engine all sit on the flanges when being transported?

H

I do the same...the loco sits on the flanges on a board...sinks in and stays put.

I use a single guide board that is the width of the back - to - back dimension of the drivers...

this makes it easy (for me) to load...

I do the same...the loco sits on the flanges on a board...sinks in and stays put.

I use a single guide board that is the width of the back - to - back dimension of the drivers...

this makes it easy (for me) to load...

Morning,
I figured i would share with the setup i designed and built last year,
the problem i had to solve was hauling the train set and able to pull the portable condo.
the "track" solution i went with is 1 inch angle with .5 tube welded in, it keeps the flange off the steel and captures the back to back of the wheels
everything had redundant connection points.

Fortunately, Chris's train has brakes as good as his truck does...
~RN