By 2006 one half of the lower body of 696 was nearing completion. Two end stiffeners, two upper bolsters and the riveting still remained to be done. The lower body consisted of wood ribs fish-plated with 1/4 inch steel, two upper bolsters and the two stiffeners, one at each end of the car body. These three components kept the two sides of the car equal distance from each other along the length of the car body.
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| In the beginning(2004)...the frame is laid out. Photo: Barry Thomas Collection |
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Each side is made up of an angle iron as a foundation, one 1/4 inch plate, a rub rail then a 1/16 inch plate.(yet to be added ) |
This was a new type of car construction (circa 1912); the car weight was reduced but its strength was retained. The weight was important factor since the track infrastructure was not ideal.
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| Building a 40 seat car by this method reduced the weight from 53,000 lbs to 44,000 lbs a difference of 4 1/2 tons. |
The stiffeners or end pieces complete the car body box. They were the first pieces we started to rivet. This was a good place to start because if they did not turn out perfectly, no problem they will not show when the car is complete. These parts became the practice pieces for the next project, the upper bolsters.
The sides are up. (2006) Photo: Barry Thomas Collection
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