flyboy2610
Loveably weird
I was looking at my ever-growing stash of plastic wheelsets, and decided to make a flatcar load out of them. I see wheelsets on flat cars often on the BNSF mainline through north Lincoln. I went looking for ideas on the net and found this:
http://zennmaster.com/trains/flatcar-loads-wheelsets
I like this approach, so I 'borrowed' it. The only difference is that I plan to spray paint the wheelsets after they are glued together in larger chunks. I will need to get some styrene angle, as well. I do have some 1/8" square tube I could use to build a retainer out of, but I think the angle stock looks better.
This is my stash of wheels divided into types. All plastic on the left, then plastic with steel axles, then plastic with brass axles. Above those are the six wheelsets that came off a Rivarossi UP observation car, then behind those are some sintered steel Athearn locomotive half axle wheels, and some Athearn sintered steel locomotive drive axle sets. The locomotive axles will be kept as they are. Ya never know........
The Great Northern flat car came with a Bachmann train set, which is where I got my greyhound scheme 4-8-4, the #806. The 806 has the inglorious distinction of being the first FEF scrapped by the UP.
The flat car will be weathered before being loaded.
I am gluing wheelsets of like axle type together, because the paint may look a bit different on different materials, and hopefully this way it won't be so noticeable. I first glued two wheelsets together, using some cheap CA from Menards.
Then I glued them together in groups of three wheelsets.
I realized at this point that my plastic wheels have two different flange diameters. I'll need to go through and sort them by size.
Here are two groups of three lying next to each other. They are not glued together. I think I'll keep the chunks a maximum of six wheelsets each.
That flat car is just WAY too shiny! Gonna have to do something about that!
http://zennmaster.com/trains/flatcar-loads-wheelsets
I like this approach, so I 'borrowed' it. The only difference is that I plan to spray paint the wheelsets after they are glued together in larger chunks. I will need to get some styrene angle, as well. I do have some 1/8" square tube I could use to build a retainer out of, but I think the angle stock looks better.
This is my stash of wheels divided into types. All plastic on the left, then plastic with steel axles, then plastic with brass axles. Above those are the six wheelsets that came off a Rivarossi UP observation car, then behind those are some sintered steel Athearn locomotive half axle wheels, and some Athearn sintered steel locomotive drive axle sets. The locomotive axles will be kept as they are. Ya never know........
The Great Northern flat car came with a Bachmann train set, which is where I got my greyhound scheme 4-8-4, the #806. The 806 has the inglorious distinction of being the first FEF scrapped by the UP.
The flat car will be weathered before being loaded.
I am gluing wheelsets of like axle type together, because the paint may look a bit different on different materials, and hopefully this way it won't be so noticeable. I first glued two wheelsets together, using some cheap CA from Menards.
Then I glued them together in groups of three wheelsets.
I realized at this point that my plastic wheels have two different flange diameters. I'll need to go through and sort them by size.
Here are two groups of three lying next to each other. They are not glued together. I think I'll keep the chunks a maximum of six wheelsets each.
That flat car is just WAY too shiny! Gonna have to do something about that!