Team Track Loading/Unloading Ramp


M

Mixed Freight

Well-Known Member
Hello Folks,

Thought I'd show you my latest project, a team track loading/unloading ramp. This will be going on a 3-rail, O-gauge switching layout that I have been working on for the past several months. And while maybe not a true-to-scale prototype, hopefully this ramp captures the flavor of one. For 3-rail trains though, it's good enough to satisfy me. :p

2182.JPG


2183.JPG


2184.JPG


The ramp was built with a very minimal list of wood sizes available at Hobby Lobby or other similar craft stores. 1/4" square pine sticks form the frame and legs. And oh yeah, one short piece of 1/4" x 1/2" pine stick which I already had. 3/8" wide and 1/4" wide craft sticks (AKA popsicle sticks) are used for the decking and bracing. I cut some groves in the ramp decking to provide some "traction-git" (or whatever you call it :D), so O-gauge vehicles don't slip & slide going up & down the ramp. ;)

The ramp is now ready for stain, paint, and weathering, which I hope to finish off by sometime this weekend. After that, it will get mounted to a 3/16" Lauan ply base, which will first be painted and scenic'd as appropriate. This will allow me to to remove the ramp from the portable layout to prevent damage to it.

2179.JPG


2180.JPG


Gotta' get this ramp along with a backdrop building ready for when I take the layout to another local train show coming up in a little over a month. Substantial work has also been progressing on the backdrop building, and I'm hoping to have some pictures of it within the next two or three weeks or so.

Hope you like. 👍
 
Mixed Freight said:
Hello Folks,

Thought I'd show you my latest project, a team track loading/unloading ramp. This will be going on a 3-rail, O-gauge switching layout that I have been working on for the past several months. And while maybe not a true-to-scale prototype, hopefully this ramp captures the flavor of one. For 3-rail trains though, it's good enough to satisfy me. :p

View attachment 160268

View attachment 160269

View attachment 160270

The ramp was built with a very minimal list of wood sizes available at Hobby Lobby or other similar craft stores. 1/4" square pine sticks form the frame and legs. And oh yeah, one short piece of 1/4" x 1/2" pine stick which I already had. 3/8" wide and 1/4" wide craft sticks (AKA popsicle sticks) are used for the decking and bracing. I cut some groves in the ramp decking to provide some "traction-git" (or whatever you call it :D), so O-gauge vehicles don't slip & slide going up & down the ramp. ;)

The ramp is now ready for stain, paint, and weathering, which I hope to finish off by sometime this weekend. After that, it will get mounted to a 3/16" Lauan ply base, which will first be painted and scenic'd as appropriate. This will allow me to to remove the ramp from the portable layout to prevent damage to it.

View attachment 160271

View attachment 160272

Gotta' get this ramp along with a backdrop building ready for when I take the layout to another local train show coming up in a little over a month. Substantial work has also been progressing on the backdrop building, and I'm hoping to have some pictures of it within the next two or three weeks or so.

Hope you like. 👍
Click to expand...
The ramp looks great, funny thing you posted this as earlier this week I was browsing old photographs and found one where they were unloading those massive old steam tractors from flat cars. Pic must have been taken around the turn of the century. They had the ramp on the end of the track where they could drive those behemoths straight off the back of the flat car.

I should have copied the pic, would have been nice to share.

Dave LASM
 
Well, I got the thing stained this past weekend. I'm going for the creosoted look, as this was almost universal for weather-proofing ramp wood for railroad ramps for a long time. At least, I'm pretty sure it was.

2185.JPG

First coat, a stain made from Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer thinned with Naptha. Hopefully to give it more of an oak look than pine. Hardwood would have been the choice for a such a structure, not soft pine.


2186.JPG

Second coat, another stain of Rustoleum Flat Black paint thinned with Naptha. This to give a creosoted look, of course.

I'm debating whether to give it one more black stain coat or not. Don't want to overdo it. And yet to come, maybe some weathering on top to represent the dirt and grime of vehicles using the ramp.

One way or another, there will be some more work done on it as I get a chance. Also working full steam on another project or two, so we'll have to see how it goes. ;)👍
 
Mixed Freight said:
Well, I got the thing stained this past weekend. I'm going for the creosoted look, as this was almost universal for weather-proofing ramp wood for railroad ramps for a long time. At least, I'm pretty sure it was.

View attachment 160501
First coat, a stain made from Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer thinned with Naptha. Hopefully to give it more of an oak look than pine. Hardwood would have been the choice for a such a structure, not soft pine.


View attachment 160502
Second coat, another stain of Rustoleum Flat Black paint thinned with Naptha. This to give a creosoted look, of course.

I'm debating whether to give it one more black stain coat or not. Don't want to overdo it. And yet to come, maybe some weathering on top to represent the dirt and grime of vehicles using the ramp.

One way or another, there will be some more work done on it as I get a chance. Also working full steam on another project or two, so we'll have to see how it goes. ;)👍
Click to expand...
Having built a few structures like this in my youth, that looks very close, it should look a very dark brown, another coat will most likely turn it black, so any weathering you want to add won't show up very well, unless it's all done in lighter shades.
 
Smudge617 said:
Having built a few structures like this in my youth, that looks very close, it should look a very dark brown, another coat will most likely turn it black, so any weathering you want to add won't show up very well, unless it's all done in lighter shades.
Click to expand...
Good idea. Maybe I could mix a little flat black with some rusty metal primer to make a dark brown. After that, I'd use lighter colored weathering anyway, so it will show up better. 👍
 
Mixed Freight said:
Good idea. Maybe I could mix a little flat black with some rusty metal primer to make a dark brown. After that, I'd use lighter colored weathering anyway, so it will show up better. 👍
Click to expand...
Thing is you'll need to show some form of dark tracks for wheeled vehicles, cart's or foot traffic which would show as being nearly black with dirt, rubber etc. so I'd leave the black out, at least for now, with what you have already I think it will come out about right. Try doing a small section that you won't see first as a test area.
 
Okay, here we go at last. Finally got some more substantial work done on the ramp project...................
2187.JPG

The ramp was mounted to a wooden base after applying some initial scenery to the base. Then, the ramp/base assembly was placed on the layout, and blended in with some more scenery. I lightly sanded the surface of the ramp then added some chalk to "mess" it up a little bit.


2188.JPG

Since the layout is meant to be portable in order to take to train shows, I wanted the ramp to be removable for protection from any potential damage during transportation, set up, and tear-down sequences. Therefore, the ramp just merely sits in place while the layout is up and running.

I still will add some more chalk powders, weeds and other scenic elements around the ramp, but for right now I'm considering it substantially finished. I'm working on another fun structure for this layout too. Should have something to show on it sometime this month. I'll start a new thread for it when the time comes.

Hope you like! :)👍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top