Ron Wallman
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French ore carThe Ore car is a five inch gauge interpretation of the Bachmann G scale model. I made several design changes and I am preparing parts to replace the centre rib and couplings to a different design. This was principally an exercise in casting to see what my limit was using just a ladle and blowtorch. The wagon is 440 mm long, 310 mm wide and 290 mm high. It weighs about 9 kg and uses about forty (40) aluminium alloy castings. It is more of a toy based only on general ideas from genuine wagons but with the idea of being cute. The doors open when the wagon tips. The label Vexin is the ancient name for the area we live in and the national park. I thought the sides looked nude and this embossing does the trick as well as making the locals smile. I have included a shot of the unpainted wagon posed in discharge position. This wagon was finished a year ago.
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James
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They a great Ron-just out of wonder, how long does each take to make?
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Ron Wallman
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French ore carAh, a difficult question! I started with a Ø80 steel bar from a scrap yard and coming home on Europe’s most heavily used railway I came in with commuter rage and blew the energy machining something.( RER line A really does have a ten car double deck train pulling out of an underground station with the next coming into the same platform! It works until something goes wrong and then it is hell. These trains have magnetic slipper brakes on every bogie and when they have to stop in a hurry they stop! Loaded train capacity is about 2300 and in rush hour they are packed. Train frequency is every three minutes.) I would say about eight months to make an ore car. I am working on more but after three months I had other jobs in the way so these are waiting.
I have a shot of the unfinished ore cars but it might be better to wait until I have shown other finished wagons.
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James
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Re: French ore car | Ron Wallman wrote: | | RER line A really does have a ten car double deck train pulling out of an underground station with the next coming into the same platform! It works until something goes wrong and then it is hell. These trains have magnetic slipper brakes on every bogie and when they have to stop in a hurry they stop! Loaded train capacity is about 2300 and in rush hour they are packed. Train frequency is every three minutes.) |
Wow, that is high frequency-I guess they are automatic though unlike the London Underground so there is less room for error.
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5inchgaugetrains
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Nice wagon Ron-I bet its helpful when sorting out the garden for putting leaves in etc.
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Ron Wallman
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French ore carNar! I’ve got a wagon more than five times the capacity for garden waste!
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James
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 I guess it makes it a lot harder loading it up and then unloading it 20m later!
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Ron Wallman
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French ore carNope, but it nearly kills me getting the darned thing out of our cellar and up a flight of stairs to get the 50 kg monster onto the track. It is going to be the next riding trolley designed to carry an old age pensioner-me!
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James
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 - i think an engine shed is on the agenda!!!
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