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The most difficult part of this
model is the clestory roof built from solid roof stock so let’s start there
first. What we need is a nice rounded end with the top roof rounding down
to meet the lower roof at the end.
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This stripwood shape has been
available for forty years or more and while its popularity has declined it is
still quite available today. The grove near the top is where the windows
will be formed
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We will begin by trimming away the
uppermost edge to where the formed end will eventually cut away. This will
be at the end of the last clestory window. The lower roof is rounded as
required. Note that several rounding schemes were used between different
railroad companies but once you decide on the desired curve it should be
duplicated on all four corners of the car.
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You can make your own templates
for rounding the roof curves or Labelle (now with a new owner) makes a
laser-cut aid for the curved roof trim. Note that this one sheet provides
trim pieces for (2) cars. You can also purchase one template and copy as
many trim pieces as you need
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The most critical part of forming
the roof edge is the matching the two ends of the trim piece to the curve
of the roofs. Get the underside right and the rest will be easy. The
bottom of the trim must align with the underside lip of the top roof edge and
come in contact with the lower roof curve. The top roof is then sanded to
keep a constant thickness on the trim piece.
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The Completed end is now cut off
at the end of the trim and used to complete the roof and we are ready to
start on the roof proper
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Make a horizontal cut through the
Clestory window section. Don’t worry about being precise as it is easy to
sand the separated pieces to size. All you need just a slight step on the
top-most section of the roof
Next make (2) vertical cut to
remove the center part of the lower roof. The center part will be
discarded. The outside bottom pieces should be long enough to extend under
the window section.
Be careful not to damage the
grooving at the bottom outside edge of the side pieces.
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I used the 3-in-one fixture to
align the lower roof pieces first, then the upper roof. The center portion
is used to build the side panels of the car including the windows. This
side shows the lower roof and panel side; the bottom has the guides for the
upper roof.
The body is a piece of scrap
lathboard and the rest was scraps of unused strip-wood pieces.
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This is where the two end pieces
are glued to the two lower roof sides. The fixture insures the critical surfaces
are held in alignment. The inner corners of the outer two sides hold the
roof pieces both horizontally and vertically in place. This jig is also
handy for holding the roof for detail work and protecting the bearing
surfaces.
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This is the other side of the same
fixture used to glue the upper roof piece in place between the ends. Note
that in the picture to the right both the upper roof overhang and the lower
roof bottom are in perfect alignment
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This jig is used to make both the
larger baggage door and the two smaller end doors. The vertical [muntin] boards
laid in place first, then the remaining pieces are laid in place in the
gaps provided, pushed to the left against the spacers, and glued in place.
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Make sure all pieces are firmly
glued in place when making the jig, then use Vaseline or some type of
petroleum product to seal the porous wood surface. This allows the
finished part to be easily removed. Powdered Graphite or Teflon may be
used and rubbed into the wood instead buy they can be a bit messy. Be sure
to replenish the barrier at first sign of the parts sticking
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There are many advantages of mass
producing more doors and windows than you need for a project. First, you
can pick and choose the best to use to complete your model. Another reason
is to fill your parts box with ammunition for your next project. The best
reason is that quite often the first part or two that you make may not be
the best. It is also much easier to keep everything square and held in
place by longer pieces during the construction.
Note the two different types of
clestory windows, the baggage doors, and the different styles of end doors.
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