jlancasterd Posted July 25, 2006 Share #1 Posted July 25, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Someone commented a few days ago that the Ffestiniog Railway workshops at Boston Lodge produce some remarkable work. Some of you might therefore appreciate this series of photos covering the building (in 2004, for a private customer* who will run it on his garden railway!) of a 2-foot gauge parlor car based on the design of the Sandy River RR car 'Rangeley' - still extant up in Maine. Unfortunately I don't have any shots of the underframe being built as the welding bay is very inconveniently laid out and the welders don't welcome interruptions. Everything shown, except the wheelsets, was built in-house. All of the construction photos were taken with a Digilux 2. The two of the finished car, included for completeness sake, were done with a Fuji S3 which was bought as a stop-gap and traded in on my DMR... Incidentally, the car has dual air and vacuum brakes and a full kitchen including microwave oven, ceramic hob, wine store and fridge... Under test on the FR it proved perfectly possible to serve a full 4-course meal for 8 people whilst on the move... *The CEO of Chiltern Railways - who started his railway career as a volunteer on the FR. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/2183-building-a-parlor-car/?do=findComment&comment=19477'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 25, 2006 Posted July 25, 2006 Hi jlancasterd, Take a look here Building a Parlor Car. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jmr Posted July 25, 2006 Share #2 Posted July 25, 2006 John, so, I guess the chap has a decent sized garden. Very nice documentary series. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted July 25, 2006 Share #3 Posted July 25, 2006 John - Very nice series, all well expsoed with proper DOF and solid composition. Please ask the owner if he'd like to adopt me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlancasterd Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share #4 Posted July 26, 2006 Hi John Yes, he does! The line has some very sharp curves but he's able to run this parlor car with a former Darjeeling Himalayan 'B'-type 0-4-0T that he obtained from a fellow in Texas(!) and two replica Darjeeling Himalayan steel carriages also built at Boston Lodge. I gather that it's not unknown for Chiltern Railways board meetings to be held in 'Carrabasset'. John John, so, I guess the chap has a decent sized garden. Very nice documentary series. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted July 29, 2006 Share #5 Posted July 29, 2006 John this is a fine and interesting series of pictures. What a project! Do they still construct wooden framed vehicles at the workshops? David Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oculus_ny Posted July 30, 2006 Share #6 Posted July 30, 2006 Fascinating and well-shot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted July 30, 2006 Share #7 Posted July 30, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Really good series. Do post more! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hm1912 Posted July 30, 2006 Share #8 Posted July 30, 2006 Great series. I can't believe that this is for someone's private garden. Talk about disposable income.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlancasterd Posted July 30, 2006 Author Share #9 Posted July 30, 2006 John this is a fine and interesting series of pictures. What a project! Do they still construct wooden framed vehicles at the workshops? David Yes they do - The FR did construct a series of all-metal passenger cars in the 1970s, with bodies jig-formed and welded up from sheet steel. However they found that these bodies corroded fairly quickly in the sea air - the first mile of the line is along a causeway with the sea on one side and the carriage shed is almost on the beach. They have therefore gone back to an earlier design consisting of a hardwood-framed wooden body mounted on a sturdy, welded steel underframe. These bodies are easier to construct, easier to repair, easier to modify if requirements change, and last longer. It's also possible to use a proportion of recycled timber in constructing the framework - you'd be surprised how much good timber (including valuable stuff like well-seasoned teak four by eights!) gets thrown into skips or burned on demolition sites in this country because redevelopers can't be bothered trying to sell it. Members of the FR Society have become adept at reacting to offers like 'if you can get a lorry here in 24 hours to take it away you can have it free of charge...' Needless to say this also helps to keep costs down, but cars are still costing from £60k to £80 these days depending on type. The car in the background of the first shot is a standard FR saloon carriage under construction, and now in service. We have built two new first class observation cars since then and a new service car (brake/luggage/toilet/kitchen) is currently being built, to be followed by two saloons for the Welsh Highland Railway. It's said (not entirely in jest!) that Boston Lodge is the second busiest carriage builder in the UK these days - after Bombardier Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvergull Posted August 1, 2006 Share #10 Posted August 1, 2006 What a great series. What great vehicles. As a wooden boat nut, I really appreciate the craftsmanship going into those coaches. Kudos for mentioning the valuable resource that reclaimed wood can be. Nice photography, too! Cheers, Jim Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlancasterd Posted August 1, 2006 Author Share #11 Posted August 1, 2006 What a great series. What great vehicles. As a wooden boat nut, I really appreciate the craftsmanship going into those coaches. Kudos for mentioning the valuable resource that reclaimed wood can be. Nice photography, too! Cheers, Jim Thanks Jim If you appreciate the craftsmanship deployed on 'Carrabasset' you might like to look at the series 'Here's one we prepared earlier' that I'm just about to post... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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