After finishing “Rosy,” my sugar cane train saddle tank engine, I decided to kitbash large-scale sugar cane cars.
I started with Hartland Locomotive Works (HLW, now out of business—Ed.) flatcars and added solid square posts (Evergreen Styrene #196) into the holes in the car. I also added a small piece .10” flat styrene into the hole to make the posts fit tightly. For the bulkhead, I added a piece of “V” groove siding (Evergreen #4250) to the front of the post at both ends. I didn’t worry about detailing the inside because the sugar cane load would cover it.
Next, I used a small chain to hold the canes in place and secured the chain’s ends with a piece of paper clip at the top of the post. Do this in small increments. I almost went stir crazy counting the links! (Opening those small links with shaky hands is a sight to behold.) I secured the chains to the bottom of the car with small cotterpins.
Now I needed something to replicate the sugar cane loads. I first looked at broom straw but found it difficult to find a natural straw broom. Instead, I found bamboo kitchen skewers that were about the right size, but I needed to bend them a little because they were too straight. I soaked them in water overnight and put them in a jig for a day to dry.
Once dry, I cut them to length and started putting them in the car. They just didn’t look right, but I finished the load and put them in the car. Took some pictures and sent them to Eric Mueller for critique. He’s a garden railroader who lives in Hawaii, so who better to ask? He agreed that the pieces were too uniform.
Back to the drawing board. After searching in craft stores, I discovered raffia straw from palm trees. For less than $4, I have enough straw to fit 20 or 30 cars. After some experimenting, I found it easier to secure the straw to the foam with rubber bands first and then glue. I brush painted using acrylic paints and finished with a coat of Krylon spray matte finish.
I plan to finish 3-4 cars plus a caboose. Now I have an entire sugar cane train for my railway!
Supply list:
- Hartland Locomotive Works flatcar
- Evergreen Styrene #196
- Evergreen #4250
- Evergreen .10” flat styrene
- Cotterpins
- Chain
- Straw raffia
- Rubber bands
- Glue
- Styrofoam/foam scraps
- Acrylic paints
Nice job there, and yes I do miss HLW for their inexpensive kit bashable small cars.
I just acquired a new Accucraft 13 ton 2 cylinder Shay live steam locomotive. It is based on an Australian sugar cane engine prototype. While it appears the AU cars are a bit different, this is a well timed article for me to base my attempts for a cane train on.
Excellent, I enjoy using Hartland locos and cars in various ways, sorry they are out of production and prices are rising, when you can find them!