Awesome Marty, I'll take a half dozen! How soon can you ship em"????

Well I figure I have about 10 - 12 hours in the first one.

If I mass produce the parts and only charge $5.00 an hour they would still be way too much money!

But, I'll gladly help you in your efforts to make your own.

I dont know when I'll even get to another one.

Thanks,

Mj

$5 an hour? Gee don't undersell yourself. Professional model railroad builders are getting anywhere from $45.00 to $100 an hour with the national average going rate at $50.00 an hour. If that seems high, then consider the vast majority of the guys charging those rates are swamped with work. If you can imagine charging $50 an hour for tossing together a very plain model with absolutely no detail, no weathering and mostly foam core, you'd be an architectral modeler in high demand. For marketing your models, consider this: Most retailers want a MAJOR discount off your suggested retail price and you have to literally beg them to stock your stuff. Let's say you have a car kit that would sell for $18.00 and with the usual 50% store sales discounted price, deduct your expenses. That would be all the added doodads, packaging, container and advertising costs to date. What that leaves you is a meager amount to divide by the total hours spent on each kit, giving you the total profits for all your effort. In the end, you'd be lucky to break even and then have to wait until somebody walked in to buy your stuff, want more and the store to order restock. It's a marketing quagmire. Now take the same $18.00 kit, list it for a quarter on Ebay, add on the shipping and let it rip. The price will go up from retail as the demand grows. More profit, less hassle and the shipping supplies are free from the post office's website... including the roll of tape! So hack up the parts, toss them into a box with a set of instructions and a finished photo, list them on Ebay and we'll all head over to bid against each other in the proper capitalist manner that made this country what it is today. I'll use my sniper software and come out with at least a half dozen for my own railroad. If you don't want to do it as a business, then be sure to label them as LIMITED EDITIONS and hand scribble some number on the box along with the words "Silver Edition" so we won't feel bad about spending $75 bucks a pop for them. The guys who don't have time to build the things can all call back (no collect calls please) for your professional building service that yes... charges a meager fee of $50 an hour (not including the purchase price of the kit). Ta daaaaa

Oh.... You want that lettered too?!!!!!!

Thats a great idea on30!

Really the time consuming part is assembly, making everything fit just right.

I have a really good set of plans and a material list.

Wouldnt take a whole lot to bag up the parts and write up some directions.

All the tools you need are basic.

I'll have to see what happens and give it a try.

If its a sucsess I'll send you a car after I make my first million!

(just kidding, if I can make a couple of bucks I'll take care of ya')

Thanks

-Mj

Looks cool. I'll bid on it.

Gawd , Marty , that is one neato looking b-car.The photo looks almost like an olive green although may be different in real life .It just has that ON30 'look ', doesn't it ? :up: :up:

TERRY

Marty did On30 talk you out of sharing the how to with us? I've been researching info to build my own cars and would love to see your steps. You mentoined the frame is the same but my memory doesn't remember another one what was it called? EXCELLENT MODEL well worth the extra time it took to build!!! Thanks Pat

Great looking boxcar, Marty.

Chuck

All of my cars have the same underpinnings.(flat shown)



(The caboose is 1/4" longer than the work cars).

Some tips before I start;

* Batch cut all parts that are the same length at the same time to ensure they are all the same.

* I use a piece of glass as an assembly table.

* I make jigs for repeated drilling operations(like the trucks & couplers).

* I also cut a rectangle of 1/4" lexan to keep the frame square while the glue dries (sits inside the frame, slightly smaller than the I.D.)

1. The perimiter rails are 1/8" by 1/4" walnut.

There is also a center rail of the same walnut (laid flat).

2. On either side of the center is two .125" square brass rods.

3. The truck bolsters are also 1/8" by 1/4".

4. A center "beam" of 1/8" walnut for looks rally.

5. The perimiter boards are joined with half-lap joints(look closely at the photo of the boxcar).

6. Then I use .125" by .250 styrene between the bolsters and the end, these are drilled and tapped for the coupler screws. The truck (I use Bachmann freight trucks) screws are self tapping.

7. Now its important NOT to attach the deck untill all the screws are in as the screws will ruin the deck! Put the screws in and then trim flush with the top of the frame.

8. The deck is coffee stir sticks.

9. Add a buffer around the coupler and some .100" by .100" by .100" cubes to either side of the buffer for strength.

10. Place some NBW's at the appropriate location, some steps &/or grab irons - Done......with a flat car.

Now you can begin making it into a ?

Hope this is good enough, if not feel free to contact me I'll help any way I can.

Thanks for all the kind words - Martyid="Comic Sans MS">id="size2">id="green">

Marty,

Thanks for the tutorial. An excellent example of craftsmanship on the boxcar. Thanks for sharing.

Jim

This is a great looking model. Thanks for the information on its construction.

Man do I have a lot to learn.

JIM

Thanks, Marty for the great info I wrote you an Email with a few other questions. Pat

Marty,

Thanks for the photos & info. Great looking boxcar.

paul

Marty! That is SWEET! Thanks for the instructions! KUDO's