Building a Kitsap Caboose

by Daris A Nevil

Build Gallery

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  Laying out the base and other parts for the Kitsap Live Steamers caboose kit. Photo by Daris A Nevil, April 2015.

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  The floor plats have been welded to the side beams. The center beam and bolster supports have been attached as well. The end beam has been welded to the end of the floor and the coupler pocket. The half rounds were previously brazed on the end beam.

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  Top view of floor plats showing "stitch" welds.

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  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 warpage 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.

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  Angle iron has been stitched onto the end wall, which is now positioned for test fitting. I used small brass hinges for the doors, and brazed them to the steel. In retrospect I wish I had used rivets.

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  Preparing for welding the four sides together. The clamps are from Harbor Freight, and were made for wood projects, but I found they worked quite well for this project (and I already had them).

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  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 warpage of the sides. I later removed these and replaced with one long piece as the instructions suggest.

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  Angle iron has been welded to the edges of the cupola front and back sections.

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  The cupola front and back have been welded to the cupola sides.