SS Ltd Timber Gantry

O

ocalicreek

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May 4, 2005
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Puyallup, WA
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Has anybody here built the Scale Structures Limited Timber Gantry?

I had started it a few years ago then put it away. Installing all those nbw castings was getting really tiring. The result looks fantastic, but it's kinda boring after a while. I'm considering pulling it back out and working on it...and wondering if anyone had any advice or experience from their effort.

Yes, I know I said in my blog I was taking the summer off from modeling...but I didn't say I wouldn't work on a project from time to time...:rolleyes:
 
Work in Progress

Alrighty...after my rant/blog entry about Craftsman Kits, I decided to go ahead and pull out the Timber Gantry and work on it. We'll see how far I get. Here's a picture of my portable workbench on the dining room table.

portabench.JPG

It's a 2'x2' project panel - precut, good quality plywood, with a cull lumber 1x2 fence along the back and part way down the sides. The whole thing is nailed together and the top coated with a urethane varnish to seal and smoothe the surface. It's about time to sand it down and seal it again.

More photos as the project progresses.
 
Work was progressing up until a couple days ago when family came in for a visit. I enjoy visiting with them so it's on hold while they're here and we work on various other projects around the house and yard.

So far the work has been installing the remaining nbw castings in the bents and frames. This is tedious work but as I mentioned before the finished product looks quite complex and just fantastic.

The next major step will be to construct a base for the scene. I plan on using a rectangle of lauan ply, framed with some sort of strip...1x2 maybe? We'll see. On the ply will be some thicker, softer material, like homasote or celotex.

The rods for lighting run up the inside of one vertical member of the bent/brace assembly and need a corresponding hole/tube in the base. I'd like the whole gantry to be removable to change the bulbs if needed...that is, if I don't purchase LEDs from ngineering first. We'll see. The other side of the circuit will be visible rod, painted to resemble steel conduit attached to the timbers, but will likewise have a connection that runs beneath the base.
 
I've only done one craftsman kit in my life....I guess thats why I only work in plastic.
Don't feel bad about putting something away to finish later. I have shelves of scratchbuilding and kitbashes that aren't finished, either because I got bored with the project, had an idea for another one in the middle of another project(which in some cases, ended up on the shelf), or I'm waiting for something I ordered that was back ordered.
Its the way of model railroading life..
 
88fan1...likewise, I have 'a few' kits in various stages of completion set on the shelves. Which crafstman kit did you build and how did it come out?

Speaking of back ordered, when I began work on this kit I noticed it was missing one part but had one too many of another...it was a simple mistake to make I suppose as one was a mirror image of the other. Also a couple strips of wood were missing.

Anyway, I called Jaks, who sells current SS Ltd kits, and they were very helpful in sending out the part even though I bought the kit on ebay. They replaced it free of charge, as it states in the instructions.

Work has been sidelined lately due to a bumper crop of blackberries out back and other yard/garden projects. So much to do when the weather is beautiful...and when it's beautiful up here it's paradise! Perhaps I'll get back to work tonight...we'll see.
 
Galen, I haven't built the "Timber Gantry" but I have put together several other logging type kits. ie: debarking mill, rail loader, truck loader, etc. Some of that can be seen on my thread "pics of Equity Junction" currently on this forum. I know what you mean about that area being "paradise" when it's just right in the summer. I grew up across the river and lived there my first 20 years. Enjoy, it goes by quick. Best, Bob
 
Bob - thanks for your comments! I did indeed track down the thread with the 'Equity Junction' pics - nice work!

I'm not sure how I'll use the gantry on a layout...probably just as a team track structure. But I have contemplated other settings, like a stone quarry, transferring blocks from 18" gauge trams to standard gauge cars or something similar where a heavy product emerges from a mill or factory and is transfered to standard gauge flats/gons. We'll see.
 
ocalicreek said:
Alrighty...after my rant/blog entry about Craftsman Kits, I decided to go ahead and pull out the Timber Gantry and work on it. We'll see how far I get. Here's a picture of my portable workbench on the dining room table.

View attachment 55949

It's a 2'x2' project panel - precut, good quality plywood, with a cull lumber 1x2 fence along the back and part way down the sides. The whole thing is nailed together and the top coated with a urethane varnish to seal and smoothe the surface. It's about time to sand it down and seal it again.

More photos as the project progresses.
Click to expand...

Or cover it with a thin sheet of melamine and never have to sand it again! :thumb:
 
Now that's a good idea, Mountain Man! I've been using a pane of glass as a super-flat and smooth surface when I've needed one, but I suppose if the melamine were adhered absolutely level then it could serve the same purpose.

Also I've been using a worn cutting board inherited from my wife. She'd been using a rotary cutter to cut fabric (quilting squares, mostly) on the board but it's plenty fine for my cutting-intensive projects.
 
Has it really been a couple months since I last posted? Funny how "I oughta work on that some time" gets repeated over and over until the time just slips away. Well, now that the rainy weather has come in full force, and many of the inside jobs are winding down, I may make more time for this again.

On a unrelated note, I did get the timesaver running again and have been switching with my boy. He makes a great brakeman for a three year old. Has no trouble with caboose ground throws. He is even learning hand signals for moving the train.
 
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