Building a Kitsap Caboose: Difference between revisions
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by [[Daris A Nevil]] | by [[Daris A Nevil]] | ||
== Tools and Supplies == | |||
* Low-cost wire welder (110 Volt AC) from Harbor Freight | |||
* Lincoln "tombstone" welder (220 Volt AC) | |||
* Lincoln Innershield NR-211-MP flux core welding wire, 0.035 inch | |||
* Harbor Freight drill pres/mill | |||
* Welding rods | |||
* Self etching primer | |||
* Rustoleum ComfortGrip spray can handle and trigger | |||
== Build Gallery == | == Build Gallery == |
Revision as of 20:08, 13 September 2015
Tools and Supplies
- Low-cost wire welder (110 Volt AC) from Harbor Freight
- Lincoln "tombstone" welder (220 Volt AC)
- Lincoln Innershield NR-211-MP flux core welding wire, 0.035 inch
- Harbor Freight drill pres/mill
- Welding rods
- Self etching primer
- Rustoleum ComfortGrip spray can handle and trigger
Build Gallery
Frame
Laying out the base and other parts for the Kitsap Live Steamers caboose kit. Photo by Daris A Nevil, April 2015.
Bottom view of the floor shows stitch welds. These welds were made using a red Lincoln "tombstone" welder (seen under the table) with 1/8 inch 6011 rods. You must be very careful to prevent warping during welding, even with this thicker material. By careful I mean make short stitch welds (1/4 inch) and allow to cool between welds (10-15 seconds). Use lots of C-clamps to hold materials tightly together during welding.
The four sides have been welded together and to the floor. Be sure to use a square to align the sides. Note the angle iron on the upper edge was welded in sections. This was a grave mistake on my part, as it causes severe warping of the sides. I later removed these and replaced with one long piece as the instructions suggest.
Body
A box full of detail parts from Precision Steel Car.
The instructions suggested clamping the steps to a section 1x1 inch angle aluminum. I chose instead to use magnetic holders, which worked quite well. In the background you can see where I blew a hole in the side of the caboose while welding. This was easily fixed later by filling in with a wire welder.
Battery Box
I decided to model the caboose after the Santa Fe caboose #999187 located at the Comanche & Indian Gap Railroad railroad. I needed a battery box in place of the tool cellar. Here my nephew Stephen is setting up to weld the box together. Note that this battery box was built from scratch, and is not part of the Kitsap Live Steamer's kit.
The dimensions of the box is 6-1/2 inches deep, 4-1/2 inches deep, and 3-3/4 inches high. After installation on the chassis the box looked a bit over-sized, so you may need to adjust for your taste. The battery box is large enough to hold a standard gel-cell battery. The battery will power the lights on the caboose. The two front braces were cut from 1/2 inch square steel tubing. It is cut down to about 1/8 inch high, so that the side ribs show prominently like the prototype.