Overhead Line Repair Car
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Beginning with a Hartland Overhead Line
Car or Work Car.
Concept
The project involves converting this into
a more appropriate type or style of over headline repair car.
One thing you’ll want to do is consult your files for
line cars and work cars, and see what it is you will enjoy
seeing operating on your layout.
This car will be a combination of cars: A
work car from the Boston + Worcester St. Railway (#4, Motor
flat) formerly of Massachusetts, and adding to it, the overhead
line repair equipment. An LGB repair tower car was purchased and will
be used for the tower. You can fabricate your own tower, but
this
is simpler and quicker.
Products used:
Hartland Line car
LGB # 45300 Catenary Repair Tower Car
Various bits and pieces of wood + styrene
Disassembly
First, remove the front steps, trolley
pole & tool box. Loosen cab from frame (securement screws
are underneath), two other screw secure weights, remove these
also. Take roof off of the car body (this is held in place by
the headlight lenses that protrude into the car shell.) Remove
the window materials.
Next, carefully cut the front headlight
ring from the upper part of the shell + save it. Sand the
headlight ring flat on the backside, and glue it, centered
(side to side) over the car numbers. Some thin pieces of wood
were added along the lower portion of the doors and left side
front window to raise these edges of sash so they will now line
up. Also added, was a short piece of thin styrene to the cab,
covering over the hole where the headlight fixture was
originally mounted.
Using the rear of the present line car as
a template, outline the curve portion of this, and draw this
onto a small piece of wood (1/2" X 1/2" X 4").
Shape this wood and attach it to the front of the model. Once
it’s fitted properly, it is then glued onto the front of
the car and the Hedley
Anticlimber LRP #001 was installed. (Be sure to drill out the
holes in the anticlimber first, for the tow pin), prior to
attaching to the car frame.
The tower from the LGB model was
removed and set onto the rear deck of the model for viewing.
This is just temporary. The tower appears tall and may get cut
down a little.
This was accomplished in a relatively
short amount of time.
May 2003
The next process involved the roof, truck
modification and further cab modifications.
Roof: The
roof’s center hole was first filled in and made smooth,
by gluing a small piece of plastic styrene to the cab ceiling,
and then using modeling putty to fill in the roof surface. The
hole for the trolley pole was first drilled, then trolley
boards and cleats were fabricated. The hook was then glued onto
the cleats.
Truck: The
truck modification is an effort to make a very low cost,
streetcar or interurban Brill style truck. First the lower
heavy plastic bar that connected the two pedestals was removed.
Also removed from each side, was the outer spring equalizer
bar. The corners were rounded by filing. New brass strap
hangers (2 each side)were fabricated from brass strips. In
reality, these go over the top as shown and hang equally down
on the back side to hold the lower parts into place. In the
model, only what would show was added. A bar was also added
around each end of the truck, and this would support the
braking equipment to be added later. A piece of round bar stock
was used to replace the heavy plastic
square bar.
Cab: For
the cab, some “V” grooved wood siding was added
onto the lower parts of the cab to make this look like tongue
and groove boards. This was done on only three sides (two
facing outside and the rear surface only). The front will
retain the “new” steel sheeting (original finish).
Pieces of wood were added to make the lower window sash line up
across the front and rear of the cab. They were smoothed over
to look like the windows were always the same size.
The rear side boards have been marked up
to look weathered, (cut and marked up with saw teeth, x-acto
knife marks and cuts etc...) Be careful you do not cut
your self in this process !
The model is in the process of being
painted a medium shade of green.
Next Stages
Complete the truck modifications,
painting of the deck, arrange the back deck, removal of
the wire reel, gather appropriate overhead line repair
materials (Block + tackle, tool boxes, span wires, etc...
Add the Eclipse
Fender LRP #003 on the front and St. Louis
Coupler LRP #002 on the rear.
Click the forward icon below to continue
with the Linecar model.
This is a Hartland
Overhead Line Car
out of the box.
This is model with the new wooden bumper
and Hedley Anticlimber. Cab windows modified and headlight moved.
LGB Catenary Repair Tower temporarily placed till final position is
determined.
Cab roof with trolley boards and cleats
with mounted trolley base and trolley hook.
Power truck modified by removing both the
lower plastic tie bar and the outer spring support bar. The
brass pieces shown are the new spring support bar, the lower
equalizing bar and end radius bars. This is done to look more
like a streetcar truck. More items will be added to it.
First coat of green paint. LRP Trolley
Base and Trolley Hook installed. Front truck modification in
progress.
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