I need to document how I build a car, mostly so I don't need to remember it. The first thing is to assemble the frame. The frames for the 30-foot cars are all the same. I have made some jigs that allow assembly of the beams and also the floor boards. I cut the frame parts to fit the jig. This view is of the top of the frame, before installation of the floor boards.
This time, I also modified the jig to allow for installation of the train pipe for the brake system. It is difficult to put this pipe in after the frame is glued because it needs to go through the floor beams. Some people make it in two parts and install it after the frame is assembled, but I don't like the look of this.The pipe is .020 piano wire which works out to about 1.75in in HO scale. The ends of the pipe are bent to clear the frame end caps and the jig is relieved to accept this; the ends will be bent again after assembly to make the brake hoses at each end of the car.
This shows the installation of the floor boards over the frame and train pipe. I use Elmer's glue to put these together. A minimum of glue should be applied to avoid squeeze-out; the paint or stain doesn't stick well to the glue and it is hard to sand off after the fact.
This is the frame with added wood for some of the hardware. The beams for the queen posts and brake levers are 6 x 6 scale lumber; the mounting pad for the brake valve/cylinder is about 2 x 10.
I paint the frame at this point. It is much easier to do now than after the hardware is in place. I use water-based acrylic paints with a stain additive to keep the wood from warping. There may be an actual stain out there that I could use, but I haven't seen one in the color I want. I want the frame to look like weathered wood, which I think should be a gray-tan. I use Light Mocha and Raw Umber with a hint of black all mixed with the stain additive. I usually powder the finished frame with black pastel chalk to give it that road worn look, but that is much later in the process. This is also a good time to paint the train pipe with enamel; I like gunmetal, but use Black Chrome Model Master and a little Testor's Rust.I haven't installed the truck bolsters, because I want to add the truss rods first. It is difficult to thread them under and around everything if the bolsters are in place. I will install the bolsters, fit the trucks and couplers, then finish the painting of the underside of the frame. After that, I attach the brake hardware. I may make the car body before all this as it is nice to have a bare frame to use as a fitting jig while the walls and roof are drying.
Here I have painted the the wood and installed the truss rods and truck bolsters. I use cyanoacrylate glue to locate the metal parts. At this point I can do the brake system and locate the trucks and couplers.
This is the a view with all the hardware installed. The brake systems are always interesting. Almost all cars of this era used the Westinghouse K air brake system, but the arrangement of the components varied considerably. I have a number of books for various Colorado railroads with drawings of rolling stock. It seems that each railroad had its own way of mounting the pneumatics and running linkages. I am somewhat constrained by the parts included in the Tichy brake set. I have seen some arrangements where the tank and valve are at the outside of the frame. There is also a Split-K system where the tank and valve are separated, allowing more freedom in the placement of parts.
Here is a view with the trucks installed. I'm still not sure what I am going to turn this into, but the frame is essentially complete at this point. If I make a flat car or gondola, it will require stake pockets; a boxcar or stock car needs walls and a roof.
