01-02-2011, 01:34 PM
Sorry about the poor quality of the rack photos, Matt. My camera fell off the tripod a little while back, and while it still works, the lense needs to be aligned manually. For close-ups, where I focus through my Opti-Visor or, for extreme close-ups, through a loupe, any contact moves the camera's lense, resulting in poor focus.
The frames were constructed from Evergreen styrene shapes and were a "make-it-up-as-you-build" kind of project. I used a photo from Page 102 of the December 2005 issue of RMC as a guide. The sides are somewhat skewed "A"s, with the flanges turned towards the middle of the car, and riveted plates holding the components together. Fabricated crossmembers, composed of angles and channels, plus riveted plate or sheet steel tie the two sides together. The bottom ends of the automobile frames sit within (between) the bottoms of one of the vertical members comprising the "A" frame, while the upper ends are supported by a substantial steel channel, which connects the tops of the two "A" frames. The flanges of the channel face the load, and there's a heavy plank installed between them, upon which the upper ends of the auto frames rest. This channel is backed-up by more structural steel on the outside face (car end) of the assembly, with two heavy-duty angle iron braces extending from the interior area of the upper cross-ties down to the top chord of the gondola's end. I terminated these with some angle iron cemented atop a length of channel, with the open-side of the channel fitting over the car's end.
After the two "A" frames have been constructed and connected, the rest of the bracing is added with the support frame sitting in the car. It might be easier if you build the rack as a non-removeable assembly - these cars were normally in dedicated service, with the racks permanently installed.
To save all the hassle, American Model Builders also offer a kit for the rack - scroll to the bottom of the linked page to see it. It does appear to be a simplified version of the prototype's arrangement, but mine's probably not 100% accurate, either.
If you have the JJM Enterprises frame load, but have not yet assembled it, the "wood" blocking within the load is easiest to install after assembly. Their instruction sheet was a bit confusing, as what they outline doesn't match the photo in RMC. I used strip styrene instead of real wood - I think it looks more convincing and it's certainly easier to work with.
Wayne
The frames were constructed from Evergreen styrene shapes and were a "make-it-up-as-you-build" kind of project. I used a photo from Page 102 of the December 2005 issue of RMC as a guide. The sides are somewhat skewed "A"s, with the flanges turned towards the middle of the car, and riveted plates holding the components together. Fabricated crossmembers, composed of angles and channels, plus riveted plate or sheet steel tie the two sides together. The bottom ends of the automobile frames sit within (between) the bottoms of one of the vertical members comprising the "A" frame, while the upper ends are supported by a substantial steel channel, which connects the tops of the two "A" frames. The flanges of the channel face the load, and there's a heavy plank installed between them, upon which the upper ends of the auto frames rest. This channel is backed-up by more structural steel on the outside face (car end) of the assembly, with two heavy-duty angle iron braces extending from the interior area of the upper cross-ties down to the top chord of the gondola's end. I terminated these with some angle iron cemented atop a length of channel, with the open-side of the channel fitting over the car's end.
After the two "A" frames have been constructed and connected, the rest of the bracing is added with the support frame sitting in the car. It might be easier if you build the rack as a non-removeable assembly - these cars were normally in dedicated service, with the racks permanently installed.
To save all the hassle, American Model Builders also offer a kit for the rack - scroll to the bottom of the linked page to see it. It does appear to be a simplified version of the prototype's arrangement, but mine's probably not 100% accurate, either.
If you have the JJM Enterprises frame load, but have not yet assembled it, the "wood" blocking within the load is easiest to install after assembly. Their instruction sheet was a bit confusing, as what they outline doesn't match the photo in RMC. I used strip styrene instead of real wood - I think it looks more convincing and it's certainly easier to work with.
Wayne
