# Making more Truss Rod flatcars



## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Snow is forecast, so layout is vacumned, ready to go, and decided that I needed more single truss rod flat cars..
My layout era is around 1890, so a length of under 28 feet should look okay .. I did make these before, by gluing the frame up, and waiting for glue to dry .. now that I have my micro cnc mill, I did the cad file and code to cut these out of Walmart paint stir sticks.. the frame itself takes only two minutes to cut out ..
I will probably still use sliced up coffee stir sticks for the deck, my preference is still wood for these .. a little weight, archbar trucks, and a brake staff, no under body detail ..
I should be able to make quite a few of these as cost is basically trucks, wheel sets, and couplers .. pretty low ..


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Sounds like a great project! Post some pics when you have some done!


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Don't wait until you're done, post progress pics so we can see how you're making them!


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

More important is your crop in?


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

The jig was made a couple of years ago, stock length was marked right on it.. paint stir sticks run through a small band saw gave me 0.0625x 0.140 strips, pretty close to scale 6x12 main beams...

As this is a short light duty flat car, only four beams underneath, and single centered truss rod support beam [light HO tie, scale 7x9"








First style main frame glued together .








Laying deck down with CA, coffee stick sticks sawn in half








CNC routed main frame with integral coupler pockets


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## jlc41 (Feb 16, 2016)

Looks good, but I don't see how you get such a smooth surface after using the cnc. Or am I thinking the frame with the slots attached gets put on the the piece you milled??


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

jlc41 said:


> Looks good, but I don't see how you get such a smooth surface after using the cnc. Or am I thinking the frame with the slots attached gets put on the the piece you milled??


the frame in the bottom image in post#5 is milled on the slots and short ends only, top / bottom, and long sides are the pre finished paint stir stick ..and is the right thickness and width already
I leave 0.005 on the slots, and 0.020 on the end cuts to keep things from flying around loose ...
a quick slice with a razor knife and a sanding pad clean those up quickly ..
I pocket route the holes for the coupler screws only 0.100 deep, could go full depth as they would be hidden by the decking applied after, on the older glue together frames the coupler pocket needed to be glued in as well, and then drilled ..
The frame milling portion takes 1:38 according to the screen display, running at 20 inches per minute, pass depth of 0.035 maximum.. I tried single pass cuts of 0.130 but the table vibrates a bit and buzzes, and it chipped a bit of the 0.0625 end bits of wood ..
a stir stick makes two frame units


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Looking good so far! I'm going to have to try scratch-building some flat cars one day. My steamers will look a lot better with some 30' flats, and basswood is so easy to work with. Wish I had a CNC to play with though.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

In the post 5 picture was the CNC router only used to route the groves that become waste when you cut out the 3 parts (one appears to already be removed) leaving what you had with the glued up version? What did you mean "a stir stick makes 2 frame units"?


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Lemonhawk said:


> In the post 5 picture was the CNC router only used to route the groves that become waste when you cut out the 3 parts (one appears to already be removed) leaving what you had with the glued up version? What did you mean "a stir stick makes 2 frame units"?


Exactly, rather than eight seperate pieces, just one, and it's square . 
The walmart wooden paint stir sticks are long enough to route out two of the frame units


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I was thinking of coffee stirrers, not the big paint can stirrer. Now it all makes sense! No, glue, a little cutting and trimming and your ready for the floor (coffee stirrers?). Great idea.


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## jlc41 (Feb 16, 2016)

Lemonhawk said:


> I was thinking of coffee stirrers, not the big paint can stirrer. Now it all makes sense! No, glue, a little cutting and trimming and your ready for the floor (coffee stirrers?). Great idea.


Now it makes sense.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

A little bit of progress tonight, most of the deck boards in place, wound up with four old style frames, and four new style one piece frames, total of eight flats ..
Needed to surface the coupler mount pockets on the four old style, just used a dremel in one of those small drill press holders and a 3/8 grinding stone ..
Just waiting for pricing from MakingTracks, ten pack of Tichy archbar trucks, and brake staffs, 50 pack of Intermountain 33" wheels in 088 semi scale width, and Kadee 148 couplers .. might add stake pockets and short slab sides to a few of them for hauling gravel refuse from the mine for use as ballast repair ..


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

Really cool! I would love to see a video of your mini CNC machine in action.

Mark


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Mark VerMurlen said:


> Really cool! I would love to see a video of your mini CNC machine in action.
> 
> Mark


Sure, here is a YouTube link of the little critter cutting a PCB


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Didn't get much done tonight, just added one layer of lead shot to the center channel, #7 1/2, about 100 pellets, maybe 1/3 of an ounce or so, but will help tracking ..
It's one way to use it up, at one time I borrowed the local trap clubs shot maker and still have maybe 900 lbs pf chilled shot left over .. hardly ever shoot shotguns any more


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I was wondering what you were going to do for weight. You could also mill out some steel plate that fits into the grooves you routed. These things must be really light. Now you have be thinking of trying an old Taurus Products 20 ft wood ore car kit I have.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

small progress report ..
single rung steel foot stirrups installed, truck bolsters, center supports and truss rods on some ...
waiting for parts quote yet


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## jlc41 (Feb 16, 2016)

Looking good, it's fun when things come together and you get a nice finished product. I like it.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Do you have a particular set of blueprints you work from, or do you just wing it? My 50' flat car seems out of place next to the 35' coal cars, so I've been wanting to put together a 30-40' flat, but the only thing I can find historically is in narrow gauge (D&RGW 6000 series). The structure of the car you're building looks like that was pretty much the standard around that time period, but it still doesn't tell me things like what size of timbers were used to build up the frame.

By the way, in case you're interested, I've noticed Tichy sells detail parts like the turnbuckles and stake pockets. They also have sets for different types of brake systems.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

in my case, the paint stir sticks are 0.135 to 0.140" thick, and I cut them to just over 1/16" wide, scale 6x12 ...for light duty flats, four long length stringers, for heavy duty, six ..same size for ends ..
from tichy I get the archbar trucks, from intermountain the semi scale wheel sets ... no visible brake gear underneath these, only some with through deck mount brake staffs ..
this batch of truss rods are run from end beam to end beam, first batch was bolster to bolster ..just black thread ..
costs are only trucks, wheels, and couplers, the rest is basically zero cost


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

a batch of eight truss rod flat cars, waiting for trucks, wheels, couplers ..cost to this point basically zero


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Man those look great and you can't beat the price.

Magic


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

If I ever get a CNC router working, I may want to borrow that g-code file! Those look like what an old logging RR would put together to haul equipment and supplies up and down the mountain!


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Lemonhawk said:


> If I ever get a CNC router working, I may want to borrow that g-code file! Those look like what an old logging RR would put together to haul equipment and supplies up and down the mountain!


Yep, my layout is 1890 mountain logging / mining .. a good fit


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## santafealltheway (Nov 27, 2012)

Nice work! Those look great!

Cant wait to see em pulling some cargo!


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Lemonhawk said:


> If I ever get a CNC router working, I may want to borrow that g-code file! Those look like what an old logging RR would put together to haul equipment and supplies up and down the mountain!


here's the nc code, feed is 20ipm I think

View attachment flatcar1.nc.txt


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