Grrrrrrrr

I'm always on the lookout for new loads for cars to deliver to my team track. For instance, a couple of days ago I made a gravel load for a hopper car out of ballast and a styrene base and it turned out pretty good. I thought I might like a load of cars (as in automobiles), but the auto carriers are just too new for my era.

I did some research and found out before the era of auto racks some railroads, notably the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, delivered cars on truck trailers by way of TOFC loads. They did so by using 85 foot flat cars, which is way too big for my railroad, but one truck trailer will fit on a 40 foot flat car, so that's what I am going to do.

But to unload this flat car requires a ramp that the car can be pushed up against so that a tractor can hook up to the trailer and pull it off the flatcar. I didn't have a ramp...but I had a pile of stripwood.

Two hours later I had a frame for a ramp. All I needed was decking. I had some wooden coffee stirrers somewhere, so I went to try to locate them. When I came back, I found the dog had eaten my newly constructed ramp.

To say I was discombobulated is putting it mildly.

I never did find the coffee stirrers, but when the wife got home I handed the dog watching duties over to her and built another ramp. The decking is sheet basswood that I have scribed decking lines into. It is safely installed on my layout now, far away from chomping doggie jaws, and I think it will look pretty good after some weathering.

Shapeways has truck trailer auto carriers. They also have autos to put on them. Additionally, they have tractors to put on flatcars, and since I now have a ramp to unload them...

 

My team track has never been busier.