# South Australian Railways Narrow Gauge Wagon 2



## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Now that the Rn wagon is done I'm moving onto a new project, after much search and deliberation I have settled on making a ON series open wagon. This will lead onto a wide range of other wagons due to the number of rebuilds and common frames / components utilised throughout the SAR.

The ON series open wagon was made for the narrow gauge to update from the older 4 wheel wooden / steel wagons. Rated to 30 tons the all welded construction open bogie wagon was rebuilt quite a number of times. To the point where it no longer looked anything like the original item.

The model being made is the original 6000 series of which only 2 prototypes were built out of a projected mass order.


Attached is a line drawing of the wagon: 
http://www.minnipasiding.com.au/peninsula-pioneer/downloads/EPRPS_Plan_520.jpg


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Prior to construction I did do a fair bit of background research and drawings 2d / 3d to capture the look of the wagon. 

Builders photo showing end detail.

ON PH1 0 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Layout of body prior to build.

ON PH1 1 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Side view of wagon and floor

ON PH1 2 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Installed floor and addition of side support posts.

ON PH1 3 by taylorplains, on Flickr

End view showing underfloor are prior to marking out for installation of underframe.

ON PH1 4 by taylorplains, on Flickr


More to follow.


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, ci couldn't find your description of how you did the Rn wagon. Is this 3D printing or did you manually cut and shape? Either way BEAUTIFUL. LiG
EDIT: found your posting in BUILDINGS, are the cars made using the same material and procedure? thank you.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Nick - the Rn wagon was a 1mm balsa sheet laminated to a 3mm MDF sheet that was precut to size. I scribed the planks and the doors by hand. The only 3d printed parts were the couplers, coupler box, glad hands and air reservoir all else was hand formed plastic, brass and wire. The wheels are LGB and the axlebox / W iron assembly is a whitemetal casting using a 3d printed master.

The coaling gantry is all timber construction, with shaped styrene and metal. The only commercial items used was styrene corrugated sheeting and plastruc 1:24 ladder.

I've used a number of techiques and materials for each project. All of these have been pretty much made by hand.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Progress pics so far:

3D drawing showing sides and internal view

ON PH1 6 by taylorplains, on Flickr

3D drawing showing placement of underframe.

ON PH1 7 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Placement of bolsters.

ON PH1 8 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Internal view with top sill added.

ON PH1 9 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, being able to produce the fine creations with simple materials is magic to me, keep us posted on your builds. LiG


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Hi Scott, Nice work again. It looks as though the originals were of welded construction, this certainly helps as you won't need to install a million rivets. The builders photograph reminds me of the Melbourne trams in dead storage at Malvern depot. They are all on broad gauge track so only one side is actually on the rails! 
Keep up the good work, we're all looking forward to seeing more.
Cheers,


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Yes I've certainly moved forwards in timeframe with modelling. lol. Wait until you see phase 2 and 3 of the designs.

Harvey you'll love this - Melbourne Tramways has 134 surplus Trams in storage to give away. Yes! Give! Away! 
How does one convince their wife / significant other that these 1:1 scale treasures are up for grabs.


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, how telling her it can be a lawn ornament, WITH plants growing in it. I wish I could get a caboose to put on the front lawn. LiG


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Nick Jr said:


> Scott, how telling her it can be a lawn ornament, WITH plants growing in it. I wish I could get a caboose to put on the front lawn. LiG





http://www.sterlingrail.com/classifieds/classified.php?id=20697


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Update of the build so far.

Test fit of interior timber planking, plus filling and smoothing of rough spots.

ON PH1 10 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Fitting of interior supports shown widthways.

ON PH1 11 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Longview of underframe.

ON PH1 12 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Over view of bolsters.

ON PH1 13 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Cutting of the underframe supports all done. Now onto the ends, fitting of coupler pockets, fitting of bolster brackets.

I'm currently filling and smoothing the bodywork plus working on the doors. Once happy I'll undercoat the shell to locate any other missed spots to smooth out.


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, your detail is amazing, a true miniature of the real thing. LiG


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

It's been a while since I've posted, here's what I've done in the meantime. There's a fair bit going on.

The shell has been primed with a automotive aerosol spray putty filler, several light layers at a time then rubbed back with 1000 grit wet & dry paper. This way any scratches and imperfections are removed in preparation for painting. The first 2 pics show the exterior and interior.

ON PH1 14 by taylorplains, on Flickr

ON PH1 15 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Prior to undercoating the underframe I test fitted the bogies, then shaped the bogie bolster pads to size, I taped the area around the bolsters to prevent damaging the C channels.

ON PH1 16 by taylorplains, on Flickr

ON PH1 17 by taylorplains, on Flickr

The paint was evenly and lightly sprayed over the body allowing 48 hrs between the first painting and secondary painting. I used a spray can for the job bought at a discount store, the grey is quite similar to the SAR paint scheme. Doors were test fitted with minor adjustments made prior to painting. Shown are the interior view, side view with doors in place.

ON PH1 18 by taylorplains, on Flickr

ON PH1 19 by taylorplains, on Flickr

ON PH1 20 by taylorplains, on Flickr

On display at the MRSAC 2018 (Modelling South Australian Railways Convention) on display with the now completed Rn Wagon. I had some 3d prints made of the air brake assembly details, sadly they didn't arrive in time for the convention.

ON PH1 21 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, coming along just beautiful, BTW, I also use 1000 grit between coats, makes for a very nice smooth finish. LiG


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Here are the 3D prints I had made for the ON wagon.

This is of the underframe and detail parts.

ON PH1 22 by taylorplains, on Flickr

The underframe has 2 different bolster designs, no stubbers and attachment points for details as I thought it best to do a test print to test integrity and to see if there was any warping or flaws. Surprisingly it printed very well and with minimal warping. From here I'll work out the attachment points for details for future prints.

Also I had printed a Brake Cylinder, Air Reservoir, Triple Valve, Dirt Filter and Ratchet type brake lever assembly.

This is a comparison of my scratchbuilt model with a 3D printed underframe. The printed underframe has much finer details and is closer scaled to the prototype.

ON PH1 23 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, they both look great to me, but I can understand your desire to be closer to scale. LiG


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

I've discovered a flaw in my scratchbuild shell of the ON wagon much to my annoyance. The shell is a scale foot lower than it should be, so now the scratchbuild will be used to test fit details, decals, etc and the 3D print will become the finished model. I've made all the neccessary adjustments with the grab irons, doors, top capping etc. Neccessary adjustments also factored in printabilty and placement spots for attaching details.








[/url]ON PH1 24 by taylorplains, on Flickr[/IMG]








[/url]ON PH1 25 by taylorplains, on Flickr[/IMG]


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

I hate when that happens! You should see my drawer of shame for 3D parts. I figure half of the money I spent so far on filament is in that drawer for one reason or another.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

So here is my progression so far:

I reworked the 3D files for the wagon and also the coupler assembly. Once happy with the files, I used Facfox to print the shells and Shapeways for the metal castings of the chopper couplers.

I've reviewed the prints and made notes about improvements for future prints.

I dry fitted the parts to check clearances and make the neccessary adjustments prior to gluing together. Also I drilled the holes through the walls to give extra holding to the fittings.

The printed wagon shell components.
ON PH1 26 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Chopper coupler components.
ON PH1 27 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Assembled shell, side angle to view the details.
ON PH1 28 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Overhead view showing wagon insides.
ON PH1 29 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Closer angle view showing the B end and coupler.
ON PH1 30 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

I've done a fair bit of work in the meantime on the ON wagon to get it to the finished stage before the Modelling Railways of South Australia Convention recently. I took any opportunity I could to make, paint, and fit items.

Brake connecting rods, fulcrum bar and retaining brackets.

ON PH1 31 by taylorplains, on Flickr


Laid out on the builders plans with the brake piston.

ON PH1 32 by taylorplains 


Test fitting of the Brake system panel and air lines.

ON PH1 33 by taylorplains


Layout of the air reservoir (left), triple valve (centre) and brake piston (right) with air lines.

ON PH1 34 by taylorplains

Painted shell, with components for installation.

ON PH1 35 by taylorplains


Test fitting of the brake ratchet lever.

ON PH1 36 by taylorplains


Decal sheet for ON wagon.

ON PH1 37 by taylorplains


Almost complete model as shown at the Modelling Railways of South Australia Convention 2019 with some of the 3d print parts.

ON PH1 38 by taylorplains

I've still got a few more detail parts to make and fit. The bogies and wheels are currently being worked on for 3d printing.


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, I'm always in awe of the amazing detail that you add to your creations. Truly inspiring. LiG


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks mate.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Some updates to the ongoing build.

This is a earlier pic of the body buffers. 

ON PH1 39 by taylorplains, on Flickr

I had to reposition the air hose line as I mistakenly placed it opposite to where it should be. The joy of interpreting a plan that is looking down through the floor instead of looking up from below.

ON PH1 40 by taylorplains, on Flickr

The brake chain assembly. The hooked end will be attached to the ratchet bar, wound over and passed through
the chain guide to the brake pull bar and then fixed to the body with the U clip.

ON PH1 41 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Scratchbuilt brass fittings ready to be painted.

ON PH1 42 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Adding the grab handles for the sliding door.

ON PH1 43 by taylorplains, on Flickr

More to follow.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

A little while ago I got my wheels and bogies 3d printed. Using the plans I made them to scale as much as possible and made adjustments for ease of printing. I was happy with the wheels, but the bogies didn't print out as I planned. then there was the axles, the centre was too narrow and the ends too thick as I had failed to correct a mistake and so being tight with funds had to look for a alternative. 

I've got galvanised fencing wire which is perfect for axle ends diameter wise, it's hard and won't corrode - it''s also hi tensile so straightening it with a drill and vice took slight effort. Looking about I discovered at a hardware store some 3.6 mm aluminium rod for the axles as they did not have metal tubing to fit. Not being a machinist and I don't possess a lathe so I used my drill press to bore a hole down the centre of 3.6 mm aluminium rod cut to size to be the main body of the axle. Thinned the ends to accept the wheels to 3 mm diameter and create a shoulder to keep the wheels in gauge. I then filed the holes to accept the wire without forcing it in or being too sloppy to move about.

ON PH1 44 by taylorplains, on Flickr

I tested as I went to make sure I didn't overdo the tolerances. Test fitting in the sideframes and comparing the results to a MDC bogies shows the scale differences but also how big they looked on a small open wagon.

ON PH1 45 by taylorplains, on Flickr

I still have to make the adjustments to the axles to be in gauge and fit the wheels comfortably.

More to follow


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, now that's what I call DETAIL. beautiful work. LiG


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## Peter Watson (Jan 7, 2020)

Scott what scale and gauge are you working in? I've also modelled a couple of SAR 3'6" wagons (old fashioned low-tech modelling though) in 1:32 scale for 32 mm gauge. Not many of us working in that combination - I'm wondering if you may be another?!


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Peter, I work in 1:24 or half inch scale and use 45mm trackage for the SAR narrow gauge. I use a combination of old school and new school technology to make my models. I do apologise in replying as my other work has had its workload go up quite a notch leaving little time for modelling.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

I know it's been a couple of months, here is where I'm at:

I've built the brake chain assembly and then fixed that to the body. I had to run the chain into the ratchet lever roll and secure the end first before passing the chain through the chain guide then the brake chain bar and then fix the end of the chain to the fixing mount about the guide. Fiddly work in deed causing some invective and a calming scotch to be issued lol. Once that was done I fitted the anti-drag chain midway along the length of shell and crossing the centre to the other side sill like the prototype.

During this process I laid the shell upside down on the plans to orientate when the details get fixed.

ON PH1 46 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Close up of the anti-drag chain assembly.

ON PH1 47 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Parts of the chain brake guide: left to right - Chainbrake bar with roller guide, U pin, Body mounting clasp with swing lever, Chain brake guide, Anti-drag chain fixing mounts, 4 x side door rollers. All scratchbuilt in brass.

ON PH1 48 by taylorplains, on Flickr

I sanded the wheels and bogie frames then used a automotive spray primer and filler following by wet'n'dry sandpapering to smooth things ready for painting. I also did a dry test fit and checked my clearances, then made the necessary modifications to the axle pins as they were too long, as well as the axles which would rub or bind preventing smooth operation. There needed to be work done on the bar frames in that some parts need milling out to accept the pins and be glued together. Once done I dry fitted again to find any thing needing attention.

ON PH1 49 by taylorplains, on Flickr

ON PH1 50 by taylorplains, on Flickr

This is the comparison between the 1:29 scale MDC and my 1:24 bogies. My ones are a scale 5'3" and they do look bigger than the 1:29 standard gauge.

ON PH1 51 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Side profile view with the brake rigging and bogies.

ON PH1 52 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Brake end angle view

ON PH1 53 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, haven't seen ya in a while, glad to see you back. Amazing work as always. LiG


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Scott,
Very nice modelling, well done.
So, are you planning on making a train of say 20 or 30???
Or has the one been quite enough?
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

David. I won't be making a train of these, but I'll make others for those who want one. 

However I'll be making a number of the other prototypes OMN / OBN namely to make up consists. This is a good test piece and a number of items will be used on other rolling stock.


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Great work Scott, well done. The detail you've put into this is just amazing.
Next time I'm down your way I expect to see this and many others running.
Super project and your workmanship certainly provides an inspiration to us all.
Thank you for sharing.
Cheers.


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## seca92 (May 20, 2020)

Hi can I ask were you got the bogies from


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Seca. I ended up making my own as the MDC ones just didn't look right. I worked from the actual plans and designed with a 3D modelling program before having them printed. Good thing now is I can have the right bogies and wheels that matches my equipment.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

It's taken some time for me to get back on here and update my progress. The underframe is complete, another fiddly task done and that really tested my patience. I thought HO scale was fiddly asf! 

ON PH1 54 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Remember - in larger scale, counting the rivets is easy--it's getting them the right size and shape that's the bugger. 

Car looks great!

Later,

K


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Oh for sure with the detail, I'm enjoying the next level I can add. Although there is a trade off at times with accuracy and durability lol.


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