# LTC Bunk Cars



## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

I have begun building bunk cars for my soon-to-be logging railroad, the Leona Timber Company. There has been a great deal of time spent researching these items, and I found that pretty much anything goes when it came to these. I have decided that my cars will be built on trucks and kept on a temporary siding built at the camp, so they can be moved when needed with minimal effort. They would also be similar in width and height to a standard narrow gauge box car. This would allow them to moved anywhere on the railroad without clearance issues. I will be building 2 lengths of cars built to 1:20.3 scale, some will be approx 40' (24" +/-) and the others will be 30' (18" +/-)

After many hours of design drawings I came up with a basic plan for my cars. Several discussions with a GREAT MAN, Dennis Rayon, on Chat led me to get a pair 'core' kits cut for the longer cars on his laser. First I will assemble the frames and floors. Then move on to the bodies. I plan to detail the interiors, so the roof will be removable. Also, I will be adding lighting to the cars which will probably be powered by an on-board battery in each car.


Frame part as cut:










Dry Fit, they came out GREAT, Dennis really knows his laser.











I decided to paint these cars gray instead of my normal red. They will be better maintained than the revenue cars, but the frame will still show some wear. I painted them gray, sanded some of the paint back off to expose the wood, and then gave them a thin brown wash prior to assembling the frame.











The frame is fully assembled and glue is drying.












After the glue dries, I will sand the top of the frame clean of paint and flat, then add the deck/floor.

Chris


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Chris keep the pictures coming, you might explain a little more detail of what you are building 
Dennis


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

The cars I am building are places for the logging camp workers to live and sleep when they are not cutting the big timber. These cars made up a virtual city on wheels, and included most essentials you would find in a small town. This kept the loggers on-site, instead of having to move them back and forth each day.


I cut the boards for the deck on my car. There will actually be 2 layers, this is the lower one. These are 1/16x3/8 strips cut just slightly wider than the car. I used the Chopper 3 with a stop set up to make the pile.












I then laid them out and gave them a light dusting of the gray I am using. I didn't shake the can to well as I didn't want full coverage so it looks a little worn.











The deck has been glued using Titebond 2. Once it dries I will sand it flat and even with the frame sides.











Chris


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

After the deck dried and was sanded, i turned the car upside down and drilled for the NBW and queenpost castings. I did this using my Dremel Tool set up in the Workstation, using it as a drill press. The holes for the NBWs are slightly over-sized so I can reposition then to get them exactly where I want. 










Afterwards, I turned the car over and added the floor comprised of 1/16x3/8 Strips. I made it so the floor board had separated over time due to movement of the cars, and jacking them at camp sites. I hand sanded the floor fairly smooth, then stained it with 2 coats of brown wash. After that dried I gave it a light sanding and added a light coat of gray wash to give it a weathered look. I picked certain areas and boards and gave them more of a gray tint. My washes are simply highly thinned craft paint you can buy at Wal-Mart I had a couple of spots that the glue didn't get all the way sanded off, but afterwards I decided to leave them because it gave a look that something was spilled there at one time. 



















Next, I will cover the floor and add the under body details. Which I need to order some castings for. 

Hope you enjoy, comments and questions always welcome. 

Chris


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

keep us informed Chris, IMHO your title is not a catchy title to draw more people, what is the reason for the double flooring. Looking forward to see your progress 
Dennis


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

Double flooring is because I thought it looked good? I just figured it would be done that way for insulating purposes. Lower Deck Boards would actually be heavier in real life. 

Chris


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

Well, I have ordered the castings I need for the frame of the car, so while waiting on them i chose to start planking the walls. I started with the interior first, marking out door and window locations and cutting them prior to adding the planks. Originally on the the storage end I had 2 large doors, but after the planking was done, I didn't like it, so I replaced the backside door with a window. Afterwards I sanded and stained the planks with the same brown was I used on the floor. At first I had a gap in the planks for the divider wall to lock into, but this wasn't going to work, so i filled it in with a small strip, this won't be seen once the interior is finished. 










Next will be horizontal planking on the exterior. 

Chris


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## Matt Vogt (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks great, Chris! Thanks for sharing this. 

Take care, 
Matt


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## Matt Vogt (Jan 2, 2008)

Oops... double posted. Any way to delete a post yet?


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

Work has been slowly progressing on the bunk car, need to pick the pace up a bit. I have added the horizontal planking and most of the outside bracing to the sides. Then ends have received their exterior planking and some minor bracing. Next is to trim out the windows, and then assemble the walls to the frame, once that happens the bracing can be finished and the car fully painted. 










Chris


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## rdamurphy (Jan 3, 2008)

Logging railroads didn't have clearance issues. They had chainsaws. 

Robert


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