I have a 40’ HO flat car that I want to mount a crane on and use in a
small team track area. I want to take about 10’ out of it. Would I be
better off taking it from the middle or take 5’ off each end? I don’t
want to mess up the structural integrity of the car in the process. Any
thoughts or ideas on this will be appreciated. Bob
Do you have a prototype you are following? 30’ seems like a short car for any era since 1910 or so-- unless we are talking narrow gauge.
Anyway, look at your prototype and see how you would have to modify your flat car to resemble it. Most of my experience is in splicing cars to make them longer, such as building a 60’ equipment flat from 2 50’ flatcars very commonly available in N scale.
I cut near the middle to use slightly more than half of each 50’ flat to make a 60’ car. I was cutting a fishbelly flat-- thicker on the side sill at the middle than on the ends, and I wanted to make sure the slope from the thinner sill to the thicker sill was a mirror image from end to end. If you are using a straight-sill flat, you might not have that consideration. But you would still want to make sure your truck bolsters were at the same distance from each end-- unless you are modeling a fairly eccentric prototype.
Short steel frame flatcars were built and used during WWI to transport heavy gun barrels for the US Navy. They were used in pairs. These cars probably saw service during WWII, and sold off as surplus could be easily justified showing up in work train service many years later.
If your working in HO, MDC offered a kit for these cars for many years. Shouldn’t be too hard to find on ebay or at a swap meet. Would save the work of a chop job.
If you’re going to splice, cut a section out of the middle of the car. It will leave the bolster spacing correct as well as not messing up the coupler pockets. I assume you’re working with a styrene placstic car, so any good liquid cement will weld it up pretty well. Hide the splice under a deck made of individual wood planks and it will look great. Don’t forget to weather the deck to reflect the beating that old work train cars have taken over the years.
Back in the 70’s CB&Q had an old flat they used as a boom idler for a self propelled crane. That car had seen a lot of service. It was equiped with one bettendorf truck and one andrews truck. Brake wheel was knocked down in it’s socket so it was just about level with the deck.
hope this helps,
JB
Thanks for the replies guys. Gives me a lot to work with. I don’t
have a prototype to work from but saw a short flat with a crane on it
on a TV show not too long ago. The car is plastic. I am modeling the
50’s. I know that 30’ may seem to be rather short by any standard but I
need the reduced size for my term track area. My layout will be of the
switching variety. I have a track plan which I posted here sometime
ago. I am now in the process of tweeking it.
Thanks again-Bob
Atheran released the MDC 30’ flat within the last 2 years. Should be easy to find. Good trucks and metal wheel sets. Check the Athearn site for more info.