Dusting off the HOn30 stuff!

I've been away from HOn30 for awhile now. I still have the On3 boxcar I'm building as well as some HOn3 kits and parts that I've gathered as well. The On3 car will probably get finished and sold. The HOn3 stuff will go as well. Finding good power for them is hard and $$$. 

Which brings me back to HOn30. Besides being able to get N scale chassis that run good, I have a good supply of parts for more equipment. One thing I was thinking about when I set up the photo below is the length of equipment. 

That tank car is about 28 feet. The gons are around 25 feet, but that monster boxcar is 36 feet! On an 11 inch radius it looks like a whale! 

So, with this done, I've figured that 30 foot is really a good size for most cars. Since I plan to scratchbuild and cast my own cars based on steel prototypes, I can settle for what I want that will work. 

So here we go! Stay tuned for more! 

On3 Boxcar Pt3, The body

Boxcar body. 

Added grabs, interior boards and the roof walk. I didn't use the provided bending gauge, just measured and bent with needle nose pliers and a Sharpie to mark the bends. 

Next up is probably a primer and paint, then mount the floor inside. 

On3 Boxcar Pt2

 Finished the underframe.. 

First time doing truss rods. The warts are all mine. Next time, I may swap them for brass. 

Instructions are very simple. When I build another, I plan to take alot of notes. 

On3 Boxcar Pt1

It's always interesting to try different stuff. These are the trucks and underframe from a San Juan Car Company On3 DRGW boxcar. An interesting kit. Not for a first timer. 

The trucks are multiple pieces. Wheels roll freely. Regular MEK doesn't really work well with these, but Plastruct Bondene glues everything up wonderfully. 

 The underframe is going together. Need to bend the air lines and truss rods. 

This is a good view of all the parts for the kit. Upper left is a N scale Harriman baggage car for reference. 

Find them here at https://sanjuancarco.com/

New workspace.

Unit in and filled... lol. I wound up with casters under it and that was a great idea. I also installed locking hinges on the legs to hold it in place. It's worked great so far. 

 

New work area..

 

Gonna be grand! Stay tuned! 

The fuel dock