Depressed riding car construction

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Rmackelvey
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2023 10:13 am

Depressed riding car construction

Post by Rmackelvey »

I am starting to design a depressed flat car off a PRR design. This car will be a one inch scale and I am going back and fourth with metal thickness. My thought is to use my plasma cutter
And cut the parts out interlocking and weld them similar to pacific designs 1 1/2 inch cars. What gauge can I use I was thinking of 16 gauge interlocking frame and 19 gauge for top and bottom sheeting.Any advice would be helpful.
JasonA
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2021 7:44 pm

Re: Depressed riding car construction

Post by JasonA »

Go with 14 gauge. It's thick enough you can MIG weld fairly easily without burning through. 19 would need some reinforcement. My thoughts, no one can see the bottom of the car while it's in use, so the extra work and detail really isn't worth it.

Jason
Glenn Brooks
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Location: Woodinville, Washington

Re: Depressed riding car construction

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Cool idea. My (12” ga ) drop flat car was made from 3” rectangular wall tube. With 1” square tube as lateral reinforcing. Rectangular tubing gives you high inherent strength at the corners and joints.

I would think the biggest question with using 19 ga material is: how proficient are you welding sheet metal. Thinner material can require a fair bit of sheet metal welding skill. Might be a lot easier to just build it out of 3/4” or 1” channel or tubing. Also, you could use 1/2” hardware flooring for the decking. Just run it through a planer to achieve your desired thickness.

Here are a couple of pics showing framing ideas. This is 3” scale, but you could just use smaller material for 1” scale.

(Note: Only one pic is a drop flat frame, the others are built with the same material, similar design.)
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SPSteam2491
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Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2017 2:30 pm
Location: Mukwonago, WI

Re: Depressed riding car construction

Post by SPSteam2491 »

Thanks for the shoutout!

For the main frame sections, I would not recommend going under 11 gauge steel for the following reasons:
  • Easy to weld due to the increased thickness (less chance of blowing through material)
  • Provides good thickness for tab & slotting (easier to keep them tight to prevent slop when welding together)
  • Provides additional weight when running light
For the rest of the parts, would recommend the minimum thickness of 16 gauge steel. If you have a TIG welder, you can get away with thinner material, but 16 gauge is about the thinnest you want to go if welding with MIG to prevent blowing through the material all the time.

As an example, our 41' SP Flat Car uses that construction for both 1½" & 1" scale versions and is a sturdy car in both scales. The "thicker" parts for the 1" scale model is not noticeable at all and the car still looks proportionally correct.

I have thought heavily about making our depressed car in 1" scale to go behind my wife's train. The Buckeye trucks from Despatch have great detail and would look really cool under that car. Would love to see your finished product.
Thanks
John LaFavor
Pacific Design Shops
Rmackelvey
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2023 10:13 am

Re: Depressed riding car construction

Post by Rmackelvey »

Thank you for all your input this was really helpful.
Rmackelvey
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2023 10:13 am

Re: Depressed riding car construction

Post by Rmackelvey »

SPSteam2491 wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:23 pm Thanks for the shoutout!

For the main frame sections, I would not recommend going under 11 gauge steel for the following reasons:
  • Easy to weld due to the increased thickness (less chance of blowing through material)
  • Provides good thickness for tab & slotting (easier to keep them tight to prevent slop when welding together)
  • Provides additional weight when running light
For the rest of the parts, would recommend the minimum thickness of 16 gauge steel. If you have a TIG welder, you can get away with thinner material, but 16 gauge is about the thinnest you want to go if welding with MIG to prevent blowing through the material all the time.

As an example, our 41' SP Flat Car uses that construction for both 1½" & 1" scale versions and is a sturdy car in both scales. The "thicker" parts for the 1" scale model is not noticeable at all and the car still looks proportionally correct.

I have thought heavily about making our depressed car in 1" scale to go behind my wife's train. The Buckeye trucks from Despatch have great detail and would look really cool under that car. Would love to see your finished product.
John,
I will send you pics as I complete the project. I really like the work you guys have done and if you do a gp9 kit ever in one inch I would be very interested or even a depressed flat car. I love to build and having an a quality would always be better for me although it is a bit its hard to find. The guys in our club have bought you larger scale flat cars and have nothing but great things about your construction. So if you plan on a 1” depressed flat cars i will but the kit from you and buckeye trucks sound awesome. Thank you again for your input.
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