July 28th, 2017
The Tie Cars...
The last, but extremely important part of any TRT, are the Tie Supply Cars. With the help of the Gantry Cranes, these cars supply the second element required, for a successful track renewal project. The cars are pre-loaded and than staged, for later pickup by the TRT train set. Each car will hold, between 168 to 216 concrete ties and 30 of these cars are usually enough to meet the requirements of a TRT for one working day. With the coordinated work of the Gantry Cranes, the cars are allowed to do double-duty. As they are unloaded of their cargo of new ties. They now, become the storage areas for the newly-reclaimed (usually wooden) ties that are the spoils of the renewal process.
So, by the end of a working day. You have almost Two (2) miles of new right-of-way and a train full of old ties, ready for disposal...
The Model...
The process of re-creating the Tie Cars was the simplest part of the whole train.
After, some experimentation on trying to create, reasonably looking, "Concrete" ties, from styrene stock. I found my solution, in the 3D printing process offered on Shapeways. Two, "stacked tie" sets were offered, one in a 60 foot length and another in a 50 foot length. Since, I DID have 50 foot, Atlas flatcar body shells on hand. The choice of size was pretty simple. And an added convenience of these sets, was the fact that they came with "End Bracing" as part of the mold. So, I ordered six sets.
When they arrived, I gave them a bath to "Clean" them, of any manufacturing process residue and they then got their first coat of paint, "primer". After, my usual practice of a "two day" drying time. I applied, two coats of "Reefer" white, to help them look the part. I then, "Hand-painted" the End Bracing, "GTW" Orange to match the color of the flatcars.
As for the flatcars, the only required details, were the "Side-mounted" Rails that the Gantry Cranes travel on. It was a matter of simply adding, "C- Channel" styrene dimensional stock, to the car sides. An additional section of the same stock, vertically-mounted, was used to replicate the "Bridge-type connectors". These are used span the physical gaps that exist between cars. The Cars, were then given a shot of primer and later painted, "GGX" (GTW - Morency Orange). The usual decals were applied after a good application of "Glosscote". When I was satisfied with the way the cars looked, I finished them off with a final coat of "Dullcote" to seal the deal.
Unpainted, Tie "Set" with molded-on End Bracing.
The Four completed, Cars.
With the last of the trains' equipment done. I looked at their "Seating" arrangements. Since, I have become fond of the "Kato-style" (bookcase) of car/train storage. I decided to limit (for now) the number of cars in the TRT set, to just four (4) Tie Supply Cars. This allowed me to use the largest case available, an 8-spot book.
Last Up... In Review...
Jerry G.
