Advice on shaping a Walthers Monitor roof

Wood rasp, then file or coarse sandpaper, then 120 grit, then as smooth as you want.  Sneak up on it - lots easier to remove than to add.

Don’t forget the sanding sealer.

Thank you.  I realize this is probably a stupid question, but do you leave the roof on the car as you sand it?  As I look at it, leaving it in place seems like the only way to get the edge lined up.

@bob2 posted:

Wood rasp, then file or coarse sandpaper, then 120 grit, then as smooth as you want.  Sneak up on it - lots easier to remove than to add.

Don’t forget the sanding sealer.

For the wood rasp I suggest using a smaller 4-in-hand time (1" wide) which has 2 grades of roughness.  Using the smaller version will also let you shape the side roof sections of a monitor or clerestory roof.

I do not do this with the roof on the car since I do not trust myself to not damage the car body during shaping process.  I do very regularly however test fit and check the shaping contour.

Hi,  Have built many over the years. 

Are you using the Walthers style, cast soft metal moldings that form the raised edge along the side of the center section of the roof?  I found it easier to glue them in place and use them as a guide while shaping the roof ends.

I shaped the roof while it was off the car but had the car at hand to test fit as I went along.

Also, someone mentioned sealing the wood.  It is good to seal the underside too to lesson the chance of warping.

As a matter of interest, attached photos are of the wonderfully original Frisco coach 1062 at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, AL, near Birmingham.   This NRHS chapter actually received this car as a donation from the Frisco RR in 1968.   The form of the roof at the ends is actually quite angular, not smooth as you would expect.

Tony

@tonymarchiando posted:

As a matter of interest, attached photos are of the wonderfully original Frisco coach 1062 at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, AL, near Birmingham.   This NRHS chapter actually received this car as a donation from the Frisco RR in 1968.   The form of the roof at the ends is actually quite angular, not smooth as you would expect.

Tony

Thank you for posting.  Those are great pictures and different from the other Frisco cars I've seen in pictures.

@astarr posted:

Hi,  Have built many over the years.

Are you using the Walthers style, cast soft metal moldings that form the raised edge along the side of the center section of the roof?  I found it easier to glue them in place and use them as a guide while shaping the roof ends.

I shaped the roof while it was off the car but had the car at hand to test fit as I went along.

I've used the metal castings on the other roof style and those work perfectly as a guide.  My question was for the monitor style roof and really concerned how to get the length and corners sanded correctly.

Update on the coach roof, finally.

I spend way too much time on some projects and as a result they tend to just sit.  I finally got the nerve to start sanding on the roof of the car.  As was suggested I went slowly and used 120 grit and mostly 220 grit sandpaper.  I didn't try the wood rasp.  I did need to keep the roof on the car while I sanded, I covered the metal ends with masking tape but that probably wasn't necessary.

The pictures almost make it look like there is a stepped transition, but I think that's the grain, it's really quite a smooth curve.  I wiped the roof with a slightly damp rag to raise the grain, then sanded again after an hour.  It's very smooth now so next step will be to start priming and sanding.

I have a second kit, I'm going to try to shape the roof more like it the picture of the prototype car in this thread.  From the books and online pictures I've seen on the Frisco cars some appear to be more rounded than the 1062 in the pictures.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

Slow and steady!  The roof is a pain, but really makes the car if you take your time