Been working on a set of 5, MW flats for hauling the tie gang around. 4 Red Caboose 42'6" flats, and one custom 40' car. Kind of a never ending process of decaling, doing a little weathering, some more decals and seal it up. Some of these take 3 cycles to get where I want them. Need to weather up the wheels and trucks now, figure out how to attach some rails to the deck. Anyway still a ways to go. These cars sure got used, and never cleaned one time, just paint a patch, re-stencil and away you go. A couple progress photos, Hope these come thru.
Nice job of making all the details stand out. It's like High Definition TV! Thanks for posting and keep those progress photos coming.
Thanks Jim. I appreciate the input. William, Did they use gauge bars between the rails on these cars? Looks like I may see evidence of them being used on a photo or two. That may go a long way in helping me attach the rails to these cars. Don't want to just superglue them I don't think it would look right nor would it be robust. And unless I can find some really small spikes (N scale??) I don't know maybe soldier some spikes to the rails drill out the floor and mount them that way, hhhmmm. Any ideas out there?
They generally used about 4 gage rods per car. These were not like the ones used on track. They drilled holes in the rail, incerted a rod, through a pipe. Then run a nut and washer on the outside. The pipe held gage. Then about every 6 Ft., drove a spike through the deck, One opposite each other, 6 Ft apart. A piece of brass rod, works, with a archer rivet on the outside. Might even use them to simulate spikes. Every machine had its own place on the cars. There was wheel stops bolted through the rail, against all 4 wheels, then chain through the stake pockets with a boomer on, all 4 corners. The wheel stops were only 2 inches high above the rail, they just left them on, and drove the machine over it, then finished up with the chains. These cars didn't ever go through interchange, so AAR blocking did not apply. Sometimes I don't explain this stuff very well, so ask or PM me Tom
Thanks William Thats great info. Another question. Did a typical small tie gang use more than one tie shear? I would think not, as it seem to me from what you have said that one shear could do plenty to keep folks busy LOL. Trying to fugure what should go where and how many. I guess your post explains the stenciling (besides the lube and weight re-stenciling) marks on some of the flats as I bet they were marked for what went where.
Tom, the double gangs, didn't come into being, until about a year prior to the BN merger. Their was quite the race, to see who would keep positions and who would end up surplus. The Frisco could not afford a double gang, working year round. The cars that you are representing, the yellow, would have been cars just released from revenue service to MOW. Most just went in long enough to get rail put on them. Some were stenciled MW, a little smaller than the car numbers. The positions of the machines, was kept by the Foreman sometimes spray painted on the deck. The Frisco lineup was: 2 ea Spike Pullers, Shear, Tie Handler (throwing tie butts), Scrafier (rotary cleaning the hole out), Tie Crane (Sticking ties in the hole), MC-3 (cable tie incerter), Tamper Junior, Rail Lifter (for putting on tie plates), Push Cart (hauling spike kegs), Spike Master Driver. About 38 men. On double gangs, one Shear cut centers and the second one pushed the end butts out. The Shear cut 7 to 9 ties a minute. So your guess is right, the Shears, were shut down about 3 hours early, so the rear could work out. A single gang, 800 to 1500 ties a day, Double gangs, the record back then was about 5000, normally 3 to 4 thousand a day. Puff Puff ! The double gang daily, was a little too high, 2500 was a good day, although it depends a lot on the kinda time available. That's closer on the double gang record, sometimes I think they counted the holes in the count.
Wow! William, you should write all this great stuff on paper (or computer) and turn it into a book of sorts for Frisco buffs. This is the kind of info and tid bits that get lost over time.
I think your right Jim, We Are so lucky to have William to hear first hand information on this MofW stuff for sure, I try to soak the information up Had enough time tonight to get some trucks on these cars, and bring the 5 cars along a bit. I think I will leave a couple of these cars without the rails attached Along those line I got a set of rails attached to a car tonight. First I got a block of Balsa wood to spike the rail and solder the gauge bars on, then painted the rail set up a little, centered the rail set on the car, pre-drilled the holes for spikes, cut the spikes off really short, and attached to the car. Cool thing is the rails are not glued and can be removed. Weathered the rail a bit. And re-sealed the car again. Any idea where a guy can come up with chain boomers in HO scale? Got all this done and ready to mount the equipment and NO chain tie downs.
check these chain tie downs out, man what detail. They are a resin/paper composite. But kinda pricey if you want to do a bunch. http://www.pdc.ca/rr/catalog/1017/
Those cars look great Tom, Precision Scale has the chain and hooks. One or the other has the boomers (detail west) Nice that you put holes in the end of the rails, all those cars hooked togather, with short rail sections. They would line up the machines and cars, run them up a ramp. (A taper rail on one end and bolted to the last car) They built a (pig pen) out of ties and secured. Then they ran each machine up the ramp in sequence to their car and tied them down. That would really make a nice area for a unused team track, the string with flats, men scurrying around tieing down machines on cars. They could just be finished up, that way, the work extra could be ready to pull. Roadmaster climbing on ready for the move to the next location. Machines on the rear, for viewing from the caboose, bunks on the headend.
This is a really neat thread with photos, how-to descriptions, modeling information and prototype information all in one place. Thanks, Tom for the display of your excellent modeling skills, and Bill, for your fantastic prototype information.
Thanks Keith and everyone. I got some PDC chains and binders coming, and will load these critters and move this thread along a bit. I am called for 12:30 better get rolling here, you all have a good day.
Seeing these flat cars, reminds me when I went into HO modeling (From the Lionel days) about 1960, the only Frisco model available (other than kits) was Revell's yellow Frisco flat car. I was so proud of it. I didn't know of it was at all true to prototype. Just that it was yellow and lettered "SL-SF." It was a clunker, and rolled very poorly... Tom G.
Thanks guys, I managed to get some equipment tied down today. I like these laser cut paper chains, painted weathered for installation they come with shackles and hooks and just get them a little damp and bend them as you need. Need to get some photo floods for better lighting on these indoor photos.
Very nice on the tie downs, Two spike pullers then the Shear. Great Job. Those type tie downs, was also used on, track panel cars. At most big terminals, emergency panels was kept loaded. Three or four, panels per car. On flats like this, panels come off real nice with a Cat Sidewinder . Gondola cars are used, but the flats are much easier at the derailment. For those wanting to model, 24 ties per panel, joint bars on one end. The end ties on each end was spaced togather. That was so the bars could be installed w/o moving ties at the derailment site. Tye downs on each end over the top rails. Rail, rust color or gun metal blue for new rail. The biggest derailment for track panels, for me was White Salmon, Wa. 54 panels, concrete ties, not much can be done, just plow the damaged sections out. Funny, just had to mention, we started welding the chain on the cars, people would steal the chain and boomers right off the car.
Tom, These models are just fantastic. The tie downs add another dimension to the models represented. Excellent way to turn it up a notch! Keep em coming! John
Thanks guys for all the input and comments, Bringing this thread along a little bit, here are some more pictures. If I upload no more than 2 at a time it was easier for the system. I hope. Thanks for stopping by.
