Best Of Scratchbuild Project - Van Iron Woodchip Cars

[BCR 570]

Any idea why PGE/BCOL preferred 70-ton chip cars? 

Good question.  I cannot speak for other railways, but 100-Ton cars were comparatively rare on the BCR until 1980.  The BCIT 818000-818119 series 71'-0" bulkhead flatcars leased from 1973 to 1979 come to mind, as well as the Procor rotary gondolas.  The railway did not receive its first 100-Ton boxcars until 1980.

Tim

[nkalanaga]

As far as I know 100-ton boxcars weren't common until the 1980s.  Even most of the colorful IPD boxcars were still 70-ton cars.

100-ton hoppers and covered hoppers were common by the mid 1960s, and both regular and bulkhead flats in the 1970s.  But boxcars took a little longer, maybe because boxcars themselves were somewhat out of favor in the 70s?  Many of the traditional boxcar loads had already moved to newer car types.

[BCR 570]

The Home Stretch (Part 2)
The very last parts to go onto these cars are the air hoses, which have been left off until now to avoid snagging and damaging them.  I am using some brass hoses which I think are offered by Precision Scale Co.:




To paint them I remove one of the sprues.  I used some Vallejo paints (Black Grey for the rubber and Aluminium for the handle and tips):




Prior to installation I cleaned out the holes with a #76 drill bit to remove any paint which had gotten in there:




I then applied a dab of CA to the mounting pin and shoved them home on each end of the cars:




Here are two of the cars showing the air hose installation at the 'A' and 'B' ends:




And that it is; they are now finished!  I will push them around Chetwynd Yard a bit to see how they roll, and make sure I dont have any clearance issues with the hoses or trip pins.  I will then take some final shots to wrap up this thread, just in time before a long awaited trip back to the UK.

Tim

[Ike the BN Freak]

Tim, curious what that is you have the car inside while working on the ends. Kind of looks like a TP roll, but I'm not too sure

[MK]

Looks like a roll of paper towels.

[BCR 570]

Tim, curious what that is you have the car inside while working on the ends. Kind of looks like a TP roll, but I'm not too sure

Yes, it is a roll of toilet paper which I have used for thirty years or more so well past its intended life span!  Who knows, it might just be the oldest roll around.

It holds N Scale cars on end perfectly for detail installation or end decal application, and wont tip over.  For shorter cars I simply stuff some toilet paper inside the tube to raise the car up past the top of the roll.


Tim

[BCR 570]

The Home Stretch (Part 3)
Before declaring these cars finished I wanted to check for satisfactory operation.  The first step was to check coupler height against the Micro-Trains gauges:




Similarly, the trip pin height was checked for adequate clearance using the gauge:




The cars were then pulled/pushed along the track through turnouts and around a curve to check for satisfactory clearance and tracking.  They were pulled/pushed because my layout is not yet back up and running:






And they are done - last shot before departing the workbench for the photo booth:




Final photos to follow.

Tim

[BCR 570]

Finished!
I started building these six cars on May 5, 2020 and they were my "pandemic project" during the first phase when most other activities were shut down.  Two years and two months later they are finally complete.  I learned a lot building these cars and am happy with the results.  I am even happier that I am adding some unique cars to my fleet which will never be offered commercially, and they bring some interest and diversity to my chip car fleet.

The first car is PGE 9507 from the first series, modelled as it appeared in 1977 still in original paint and stencil but with reinforced top chords and removal of original dump door hardware.  This left oblique view shows the 'A' end with dump door:




The second car is PGE 9522 also from the first series, as 9507 but with the recent addition of shaker plates on each side which were painted in primer along with some touch-ups to the side posts.  This effect has been captured on the model.  This right side oblique view shows the 'B' end with high brake wheel and ladders retained:




The third car is BCOL 9590 which was repainted for British Columbia Railway in 1976.  At the time of repainting the brake wheel was lowered, crossover hand holds were installed and shaker plates were added.  This left oblique view shows the 'B' end with lowered brake wheel:




The fourth car is PGE 9683 which is identical to PGE 9507except for removal of the 'A' end ladder.  This right oblique view shows the 'A' end with dump door, and the ladder removed:




PGE 9696 is from the second series which had a different top chord arrangement, different internal bracing, grab irons in place of the side ladders, a low brake wheel, and a new design of door.  This left oblique view shows the 'A' end with the different door:




The final car of the six is PGE 9702 also from the second series.  Note the angle iron top chord with the centre twenty feet reinforced with a diagonal across the angle.  THis right oblique view shows the 'B' end with low brake wheel:




BCOL 9590 was upgraded with a more detailed underframe including floor stringers and full brake rigging in preparation for AP judging:




This top view of PGE 9683 shows the arrangement of the internal bracing on the first series cars:




And this top view of PGE 9702 shows the bracing arrangement for the second series, with diagonal braces at each end:




Final view of the four Series 1 cars:




And the two Series 2 cars:




Thank you to all those who have followed along, asked questions, or offered suggestions.

Tim

[nkalanaga]

Friction-bearing trucks?  Were the prototype fitted with roller-bearing adapters?

[BCR 570]

BCOL 9590 was re-equipped with roller bearing trucks when overhauled and repainted for BCR.  Most cars retained their National C-1 trucks until retirement.  These cars did not go offline so that may have been a contributing factor in the retention.


Tim

[sd45elect2000]

I’m delighted I was able to contribute in a small way to this fantastic project. Love the cars!

[craigolio1]

Well done Tim. They look outstanding.

Craig