Entry posted by Jongudmund
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I have put a load of posts up on here about this MOC car transporter wagon, but in the last couple of months I have been tweaking it and it's now quite a different animal. I have also ordered my first ever parts off Bricklink, a very useful Lego website. I'm quite pleased now with the finished (ha ha ha) result. This is a collection of 20 photos to show the end stages of the project. (I've put the photos on quite small. If you want to see a bigger version just message me.)
First off, the top deck. This was based on the car transporter lorry I bought earlier this year and was too heavy with Lego plates under the ladders that were being used for ramps.
I stripped all the plates back to produce a framework only top deck that looked a lot lighter, more prototypical and could still carry cars. It's a little bit flimsier but I just need to be careful.
I then decided to work on the ramps.
They looked blocky and didn't line up well.
I also decided I didn't like the chassis. The long Technic beams with stud-holes worked but they lacked finesse. They also made the wagon taller than I felt it needed to be.
I decided to experiment and see what I could come up with instead.
I'd also been working on the loading dock that I mentioned a few posts ago. I used the office building from the crane I got in my original train set and mounted it next to the ramp. I really liked the barrier so kept it.
I also added some buffer stops. (These have now changed.)
On Bricklink I found some moulded ramps I never knew existed. I ordered four. When they arrived I realised they were huge and I would only need two. I also ordered a load of other bits that I thought might be helpful and/or fun.
I tried the new ramps on 'outward'.
That didn't work. I reversed them.
The problem was the moulded angle in the ramp was too steep to drive a car over. I switched to some of the other pieces I'd ordered.
These fitted and with a little tweak were the perfect height for the loading dock.
Cars could be driven on quite easily now.
Right up on to the top deck.
I now had a new worry - clearances. I felt the buffers needed to be clear of the ramps. I extended them by inserting a 1x6 Technic beam into the bogie between the buffers and the wheels. This actually give the buffers a bit more depth.
I made a few more orders from Bricklink. I had a number of different colours on the wagon. I'd changed the red connectors for yellow, but I still had some green hinges on the ramps. Those parts were available in yellow for pennies on Bricklink, so I swapped them out. I also ordered a control panel for the side, which the freight yard staff could use to raise the top deck. (The arrow is pointing at it.) Again this cost a few pence. I've seen it as a remote control for a small submersible in a deep sea diving set.
I still wasn't happy though. The undercarriage now looked a bit odd and I didn't like the way the control panel extruded from the side of the wagon (you can't really see it in this pictures but it bugged me).
Time for a change, and off came the undercarriage.
I attached an angle bracket in the undercarriage cavity in such away that the control panel, wagonworks logo and pressure gauge now sit flush with the edge. They are also at a much more convenient height for the staff!
I think this looks pretty good and I'm very happy with it.
And that is it. I think this is pretty much unrecognisable from the original boring wagon I started with. At some point I may take some more photos of it being used to move some cars around. But I think it's time I moved on from this project and I'm sure you all agree.
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