Howdy, I’m currently awaiting delivery of a Walthers heavy flat kit and tomorrow I’m ordering the “load” for it, a inline check valve.
I’m wanting to start gathering the supplies for making tarps, the rope/chain tie downs, and the wood rigging to keep it in place.
How would you guys go about this?
There are a couple good articles from past MR on securing loads; you can order reprints from Kambach Customer Service
MR June 2005 “Chains, Chocks and Shackles” describes loads for flats and gons - Cat scraper on flat, large pipe in gon, tanks on flat, etc.
MR July 2002 "Flatcar Full of Tractors’ 6 Farmalls on 53’ flat
MR July 2008 “Simple Tarp Covered Loads” describes Loads from wood blocks or shapes covered with plastic
I made these HOn30 loads based on the above
I was trying for the sail canvas look. Basically, it’s a worn (thin) piece of cotton handkerchief glued down with white glue, trimmed with a razor blade when dry, and brush painted with cheap beige paint just enough to disguise the over scale warp and weft of the cloth.
The tie downs, which are the same as in the original prototype photo, are made from .0125” phosphor bronze rod.
The base of the blocking is 1/8” MDF, the rest, styrene sheet of different thicknesses.
[/url]on Flickr
on Flickr
Cheers, the Bear.
The wooden blocks beneath a load are called “cribbing” in the trucking industry.
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There are DOT requirements for how oddly shaped loads need to be cribbed for safe transportation.
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The chains are called “load binders”, and again, the trucking industry has tons of information on load binding on line. The attachment points and angles of the chains are all important. Nearly all models, including the ones I build, have the chain binding wrong.
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If you google search it is easy to find DOT acceptable ways to crib and bind loads onto trailers, and all of this is similar enough to train cars to meet out modelling needs. The research is easier for trailers, so that makes life easier.
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Tarps are a whole different issue. If your load is tarped the cribbing and binders will be hidden, but tarps are very hard to model convincingly. The distintinctive patterns of fold, tight spots, and loose spots are not easy to replicate.
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-Kevin
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The inspiration load is covered by a tarp and then has the cribbing on top of the tarp.
Cribbing is the word I was looking for.
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Please post a picture. That makes no sense to me.
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-Kevin
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This is kinda what I’m going for.
There is a guy I bump into at PWRS and he usually has a booth at the local shows. He tapes Saran Wrap to a sheet of paper and runs it through the printer to make wrap for lumber loads, and other things. He puts whatever logo he needs on them. He also makes awnings and hanging window drapes using the same process. It might be worth taking a crack at it, I would think a little trial and error will be involved.
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That piece on top is not cribbing. It looks like it is there to protect the load from tree branches or anything else. Just like the wood around the ends. That is all for damage protection.
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-Kevin
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But my point is the tarp is taught around the entire object. So some Ceran wrap and primer whamo a tarp, I’m going to try that…
That may work just fine. If you want a logo that says “General Electric” or something on it, then it is the printer.
Several years ago or longer, someone mentioned on this forum that the US Army had load securing specifications for rail transport, which makes sense as they do have a lot of irregularly-configured loads on flatcars. I believe it was searchable online. Perhaps one of the MR articles mentioned above includes a reference to this.
Cedarwoodron
this might be too old school but in the past i have used silkspan( flying model air plane covering) to make tarped loads.
Jr. At the club suggested using a plastic shopping bag as a tarp, of course it would need a coat of paint.
OK guys I came up with a technique for making canvas style tarpaulins.
What I did was a two phase process. Here it is.
I took a shopping bag, use whatever you’ve got around, try to find a blank spot on the bag. Using double sided tape package the load and cradle/cribbing with the bag.
Once the bag is completely wrapped around the load and is secured with tape, use more tape and a facial tissue to wrap the load again, get it as close as to what you want.
Take Elmers glue (I used another Elmers product, it’s got a similar consistency and it’s what I had on hand.) Dilute it with water.
Take some alcohol, is used 91%, and a eye dropper to soak the tissue.
Now take the glue and drop it onto the tissue, keep a small soft tip brush handy to smooth out the tissue a little.
When the glue goes into the tissue it will scrunch up the tissue a little, use the brush to smooth them slightly.
Let dry and that’s it!
At least for now, I’m waiting for mine to dry to see if I gotta add another tissue.
Also it’ll need painting, I suggest a Desert sand color in a flat finish.
Sounds great, I look forward to pictures!
Thats a link to the imgur album with the pictures.
I redid the tie downs to make them tighter they’re a little better now than in this pictures.
I’d post the pictures directly but my Internet data is out on my phone (my only Internet access) and everything loads slower than dial up.
Looks nice! Gives the definite impression of “I don’t know what it is, but it must be heavy!”
That’s what I was going for!