Anyone Seen These In N Scale?

[BCR 570]

In this photograph of BCOL 6506 . . .



you can see two inverted J-shaped vents on the roof.  I am wondering if anyone has seen something like this available in N Scale?  I have gone through all my detail parts including the American Limited kit and can't find anything remotely close.  I tried bending some from strip styrene but that is not going to work.

Unfortunately I do not know any dimensions for them.  I can only compare them to the smoke jacks, for which I can shorten and use the Eric CNR ones.


Any help/ideas appreciated,

Tim

[Ian MacMillan]

Not that small.

Best way to do it I would suggest would to take some square styrene stock the size you need and then heat it to bend it into shape.

[LV LOU]

In this photograph of BCOL 6506 . . .



you can see two inverted J-shaped vents on the roof.  I am wondering if anyone has seen something like this available in N Scale?  I have gone through all my detail parts including the American Limited kit and can't find anything remotely close.  I tried bending some from strip styrene but that is not going to work.

Unfortunately I do not know any dimensions for them.  I can only compare them to the smoke jacks, for which I can shorten and use the Eric CNR ones.


Any help/ideas appreciated,

Tim

Tim,why not just fire up the Dremel,and carve it out of 1/4 inch sheet..

[nkalanaga]

Or maybe brass bar bent around a spring steel post.  It would be harder to bend than heated styrene, but much more durable.

[Norway2112]

Or maybe brass bar bent around a spring steel post.  It would be harder to bend than heated styrene, but much more durable.

I would use the brass myself...you can bend it without heat and it won't snap in two like the styrene will if not heated enough.  If heated too much you can't get the smooth curve you want, it just folds over on itself.  Just my two cents....

[peteski]

I would use the brass myself...you can bend it without heat and it won't snap in two like the styrene will if not heated enough.  If heated too much you can't get the smooth curve you want, it just folds over on itself.  Just my two cents....

+1
Or take a piece of 14 gauge solid copper wire, file it to square shape, then bend it to look like that vent. Copper will be much easier to bend than brass.

[wcfn100]

I guess I'm more of a Styrene guy.




Jason

[up1950s]

Chunk of plastic about 3x's the total width of all together . Dremel , file , etc till the cross section is done . Then slice the off like bread with a saw or Dremel w a diamond cutoff wheel . Finish filing till the width is correct .

[Puddington]

I think the styrene method would work best for me but you're fairly talented with brass too so you've options Tim. Regardless, I see one of Geoff's CPR RPO's being highly modified in the near future....

[Bob Bufkin]

Got any styrene sprues laying around that would work?  Easier to bend and depending on the model it came from, some almost match what you're looking for.

[mark.hinds]

Or maybe brass bar bent around a spring steel post.  It would be harder to bend than heated styrene, but much more durable.

FYI, brass is easy to form to taste if you anneal it first (heat to cherry red and let cool slowly).  Then when you have the shape you like, temper it for durability.

MH

[Pathtimber]

I like what wcfn100 shows, but I would start with drilling a hole for the underside of the vent and cut from there.

[DKS]

Or take a piece of 14 gauge solid copper wire, file it to square shape, then bend it to look like that vent. Copper will be much easier to bend than brass.

I think the copper will distort rather badly on a bend that tight. Cutting/carving from sheet material seems like the way to go.

Anyone have dimensions? This seems like "low hanging fruit" to me.

[BCR 570]

Thank you all for your replies.  As mentioned in my original post, I tried bending strip styrene without success. 

Jason:  Shaping them from a solid block might be possible so I will try that - thank you for your post.

The cross-section profile seems rectangular rather than square to me.  I do not have any dimensions - wish I did.

Regardless, I see one of Geoff's CPR RPO's being highly modified in the near future....

Pud: 

That was my Plan A, which would have required some messy splicing of doors and windows on a resin shell, and two additional donor cars.

Plan B was to convince Geoff to produce a kit for the CPR mail cars, which were converted from the Express-RPOs and would have got me a lot closer.

Plan C was Geoff surprising me with a one-off styrene body with all of the required door and window modifications, to which I now only need to add the detail parts.

I have sourced the GSC trucks, couplers, sill steps, grab irons, smoke jacks and decals; these roof vents are the only parts I have been unable to procure so far.  It should be an interesting and colourful car once finished.  Wish me luck!


Tim

[nkalanaga]

For plastic I'd use three pieces and make a sandwich.  One wide strip, as wide as the vent is tall, for the leg, one narrow strip for the middle, and one medium width strip for the bent-over part.  Make each strip as thick as needed.  File the resulting sandwich round at the top and you have perfectly straight edges.  Then just cut as many pieces off as you need.