On the first weekend in October much of the welding on the ends of the cars was completed. The "X" braces were welded in place with the upper ends welded to the plate above and the lower ends to the angle piece fastened to the end sill. The welds were ground smooth so the sheathing can be placed over the steel.
The large angle pieces that are fastened along the inner sills will be tied to the angle steel on the end sills by a plate and spacer as shown in the photo on the right. They will be welded in place under the end sill and inner sill, as well as bolted through the end sill.
Here I am drilling to accommodate the bolts holding the steel pieces to the wooden sill. More on this next time.
Lenny cut a notch in the spacers for placement of a thick steel plate between the steel on the inner sills, below the pivot blocks on each end of the car. This will provide reinforcement at the attachment point of the trucks.
Here is another look after he finished cutting the notches.
Finally, this is the plate to be placed between the sills. There is some drilling to be done as well.
And yes, there is wood. Craig has made the letterboards that go along the side of the car above the windows. There is a groove below (seen on the right in this photo) for the windows and a curve above (on the left) to fit the pitch of the roof. The grooves along the upper side of the board in the photo fit around the verticals on the side of the car.
Here Craig and Bob are cutting the grooves with a router and guides that Craig made.
In this photo they are fitting and hanging one of the letterboards. The grooves fit the vertical posts in front of Craig and to his right.
Several boards are in place in this photo. Note the overlap cut into the near end.
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