Wooden freight cars

[Spitfire2865]

Hello.

So the lego freight car. Almost every moc Ive seen is of a modern steel boxcar. But...

Ive been looking for designs for wooden boxcars and reefers and one of the main details is the wood panel sides. Now that is do-able with short European rolling stock, but American wooden cars are much longer. 40 feet long for those who dont know.

My problem is I do not know how I could build a car body with SNOT work to represent the wood, without allowing it to be horribly fragile, and to allow the corners to maintain a prototypical look.

Heres a picture to demonstrate the design.

So yes. I would also like to keep the cars at a reasonable weight, yet have the right look.

Does anyone have any idea on how to do it? Just writing this I have come up with some ideas, yet I dont know if they will actually work.

Ill try 'em, though if anyone knows any mocs anywhere with what Im looking for, please tell me.

On a side note, Its so hard to google "Lego wooden freight cars" without coming up with almost all pictures of wooden toy trains such as Thomas or Brio.

[Hey Joe]

Hey! Maybe MOCpages might have some good ideas?

This is the link for the MOCpages > Trains > Cargo & Freight section:

http://www.mocpages.com/directory.php/45?page=1&sort=most_popular&filter=moc

This link is an MOC of an old Fruit Growers Express reefer there that's similar to what you have in mind:

http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/90596

Hope that helps, Joe

[eurotrash]

Wooden sided rail cars? Is this what you mean?

http://railbricks.com/instructions/banana-wagon/

[Spitfire2865]

Hey! Maybe MOCpages might have some good ideas?

This is the link for the MOCpages > Trains > Cargo & Freight section:

http://www.mocpages....ular&filter=moc

This link is an MOC of an old Fruit Growers Express reefer there that's similar to what you have in mind:

http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/90596

Hope that helps, Joe

Yeah that fruit growers car has normal studs up design, not what Im looking for. And honestly Ive been through mocpages before, it doesnt really help. Though I might take a look again.

Wooden sided rail cars? Is this what you mean?

http://railbricks.co...s/banana-wagon/

Well yes but thats a short European car and doesnt really help me directly. Yes it has a design for the side walls (which I actually thought of before and was going to test), but the end walls are still a problem, as well as the corners.

[zephyr1934]

How about the wood sided boxcar first presented in Railbricks #5 REC and revealed in Railbricks #6? (note the tip on twisting the 1x1x5 bricks ever so slightly, the effect is evident in built photos from #5 but not the CAD renderings in #6)

[Spitfire2865]

How about the wood sided boxcar first presented in Railbricks #5 REC and revealed in Railbricks #6? (note the tip on twisting the 1x1x5 bricks ever so slightly, the effect is evident in built photos from #5 but not the CAD renderings in #6)

I thank you for the link but sadly that isn't exactly what I'm going for. I'm going for thin wood paneling, not as thick as a 1x1. But thanks anyway. I'll maybe post some pictures later of my design so far and add a link here to them.

My main problem currently is that the snot siding is 7 studs while the door is 6. The only way I've found so far to have everything line up correctly is to have the sides only 6 studs. I wish I could post a picture now to explain my problem, but I'm not at home and won't be for hours.

All I can really say is my design would look great with Cale's trucks.

Haha, speaking of, anyone know the link to the tutorial for those?

[Spitfire2865]

Here's a crude drawing of my idea because I can't explain things well.

And can someone explain how to add photos from Flickr into the post? It doesn't seem to work for me.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Spitfire2865

[UrbanErwin]

http://www.flickr.co...N05/9135418474/

Wooden Reefer design by Trevor B Young, on Flickr

Here's a crude drawing of my idea because I can't explain things well.

And can someone explain how to add photos from Flickr into the post? It doesn't seem to work for me.

deep linked it for you

Here is something I threw up

Might be a solution by UrbanErwin(EPJL), on Flickr

LDD on flickr

Here is a link on posting pictures.

Edited June 25, 2013 by UrbanErwin

[Spitfire2865]

Nice but 3 problems. I dont have that many headlight bricks in the needed color, the gaps are unappealing to me, and again, the panels are just too wide. My problem lies in the design limitations of Lego.

[keeganp1234]

Wow! That Fruit Growers Express Lego Boxcar is amazing!

[zephyr1934]

Oh, I thought you were concerned about weight. If staking plates is not too heavy then it is only a matter of figuring out the interior framework to make it solid. First off, let me point you at one of my favorite wooden cars (you'll have to scroll down to see the wooden car), though with the horizontal slats I doubt that meets your needs.

If you need 7 studs for the walls then I'd suggest using a 4 wide base for the interior of the car and let the extra stud hang over the side of the base. Then use mostly 1x plates for the walls, with the occasional 2x or nx6 to give you places to secure the sidewalls to the interior base. (I'm assuming you are building a 6 wide boxcar, if you are doing eight wide, then make that a 6 wide base and nx8 plates for the cross supports.

If weight truly means nothing to you, you could instead alternate 2x plates and 1x tiles for the snotted walls to accentuate the slats.

[Spitfire2865]

Actually, I have a frame already designed and built. I just have to figure out how to build the side walls in a way that they can work with normal studs up building. I should post a picture of the model so far. Maybe that would help.

[Spitfire2865]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89954298@N05/9149770394/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89954298@N05/9147541505/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89954298@N05/9147542849/

Forgive the cr@p photos, its past midnight here and Im too tired to get out my good camera.

So yes, the walls. I want them to be secured in a way like this. I just have to figure out how to attach the doors, ladders, grab irons, and how to design the ends of the car while maintaining the vertical wood design. Fun! My biggest problem right now is how I can attach the bits of wall above the doors. There is 1 stud of wall above the doors and the 2 sides dont want to line up properly.

If I cant figure this out Im going to have to give up and build studs up walls.

[Duq]

Spitfire, isn't this what train building in Lego is about? Figuring our solutions, making compromises...

As for your question about sharing pictures, on the bottom right of the Flickr page is an icon of a box with an arrow. Click it and select 'Grab the html/bbcode', then select 'Medium (500x...)' and select the bbcode radio button. Copy the code you see and paste it here. It'll look like this:

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/89954298@N05/9147542849/][img=http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/9147542849_b3a553a659.jpg][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/89954298@N05/9147542849/]Wooden Reefer wip test[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/89954298@N05/]Trevor B Young[/url], on Flickr

And the result is:

Wooden Reefer wip test by Trevor B Young, on Flickr

[Spitfire2865]

I actually did just that before, and the picture just came out as a link.

[zephyr1934]

Okay, so looking at your photos, you have an 8 wide base with the snot plates for the walls. Below the snot plates you have a red tile, white plate, blue plate, then two black plates, all studs up. I would suggest making those bottom studs up plates to be 6 wide and extend the snot plates all the way down. Otherwise, if you are happy with those plates/tiles at the bottom (e.g., because you need the horizontal stripes), it looks like you've already got your problem mostly solved. I can only see two possible questions that are lingering.

1) with an odd number of studs on your snotted walls, how do you attach the roof, with that stinkin 1/2 plate offset? Easy solution is that you don't, just let it float. If that doesn't work for you, there are many solutions that you could use. Use bricks with studs in the side to attach the roof to the snot side rather than the interior supports. Or you could use headlight bricks or brackets to get the half plate offset in height.

2) how in the heck do you securely attach the walls to the bottom. With five plates of depth below the snotted walls, the snotted walls probably only have to support themselves (not the draw bar force at the coupler). Right now you appear to be using receiver holes to push studs from the wall into. It would probably be easier to use one of the many brackets that have a half plate thickness and studs out to go into the underside of your snotted plates.

etc.

If none of the above applies, what are you asking for help with?

PS, the snotted plates should look good, but it will be heavy.

[UrbanErwin]

For Trevor by UrbanErwin(EPJL), on Flickr

Another attempt.

LDD in attachment

For Trevor.lxf

[Spitfire2865]

Okay, so looking at your photos, you have an 8 wide base with the snot plates for the walls. Below the snot plates you have a red tile, white plate, blue plate, then two black plates, all studs up. I would suggest making those bottom studs up plates to be 6 wide and extend the snot plates all the way down. Otherwise, if you are happy with those plates/tiles at the bottom (e.g., because you need the horizontal stripes), it looks like you've already got your problem mostly solved. I can only see two possible questions that are lingering.

1) with an odd number of studs on your snotted walls, how do you attach the roof, with that stinkin 1/2 plate offset? Easy solution is that you don't, just let it float. If that doesn't work for you, there are many solutions that you could use. Use bricks with studs in the side to attach the roof to the snot side rather than the interior supports. Or you could use headlight bricks or brackets to get the half plate offset in height.

2) how in the heck do you securely attach the walls to the bottom. With five plates of depth below the snotted walls, the snotted walls probably only have to support themselves (not the draw bar force at the coupler). Right now you appear to be using receiver holes to push studs from the wall into. It would probably be easier to use one of the many brackets that have a half plate thickness and studs out to go into the underside of your snotted plates.

etc.

If none of the above applies, what are you asking for help with?

PS, the snotted plates should look good, but it will be heavy.

I do need those 3 stripes down the sides as they are key for the look of the car I am modeling. (Its a white New York Central Merchants Dispatch reefer) I really just chose it because I have an N scale model of it and its white (a Lego color I have plently of)...yet somehow not enough plates to do the walls yet. Grr...

My main problem now isnt really the roof as I can have that floating, its the problem with the bit of wall above the 6 stud door. With the wall design I have, I cant manage to fill that gap properly without ugly spaces. Also, there is a little horizontal door frame above the doors and Im afraid I probably will have to leave that detail out.

Also, with snot walls, how exactly do I attach ladders and stuff? Those things would be easy with non snot walls.

Ill try using those brackets rather than the headlights, though I may need to do a bit more fiddling with the measurements again.

Yes I realize it will be heavy.

An XL motor should be able to pull it though. I dont have much rolling stock to pull now anyway and if I ever finish my Modern American, it should look nice behind it.

Thanks!

For Trevor by UrbanErwin(EPJL), on Flickr

Another attempt.

LDD in attachment

I never downloaded LDD...Probably should. Exactly how did you attach the wall bits above the door openings? And it looks as if you indented the doors. Not sure what youre doing there but Ill figure it out.

Yeahh...Thanks but the walls are 8 studs not 7. Im not sure if changing that will affect the dimensions and fitting but Ill try.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Spitfire2865

[Spitfire2865]

Whats funny is I just realized I built these cars to a 1 stud=1 foot scale. Haha, honestly didnt know that. Sorta guestimated at the time because Im using the frame from one of my flat cars for this reefer.

How do you delete posts?

Edited June 28, 2013 by Spitfire2865

[Spitfire2865]

Merchants Dispatch reefer WIP by Trevor B Young, on Flickr

Still trying to figure out doors. I want them flush with the walls and openable. Need hinges...

Merchants Dispatch reefer WIP by Trevor B Young, on Flickr

A relatively pointless detail but Im happy I could do it.

[davidzq]

As far as handrails, clip verticle combined with 3mm rigid hose should do nicely (though it can be somewhat pricey in white). For doors, a technique I've been over-using for several months now is to attach the doors to clips, with the clips attached to tiles, allowing them to slide out. Basicly, the door pulls out a stud, and then rotates. Example:

[Spitfire2865]

As far as handrails, clip verticle combined with 3mm rigid hose should do nicely (though it can be somewhat pricey in white). For doors, a technique I've been over-using for several months now is to attach the doors to clips, with the clips attached to tiles, allowing them to slide out. Basicly, the door pulls out a stud, and then rotates. Example: http://www.flickr.co...157632028118792

Yeah thanks but I dont think that would work well. I need the doors on an outside hinge, not an inside one. Im thinking of doing them with standard clips and stuff, I just have to figure out the spacing of all the parts. But thanks anyway. If all else fails, I have this to fall back on.

And as far as handrails, none on the car are white, so thats good. Though I did just order some white ladders. If I cant make ladders out of tubes, Ill use the pre formed ones.