is 1:200 close enough

ULie wrote:

Hello John,
TailUK wrote:

The Boeing trains have always interested me so I've been collecting pics of them...

I was very astonished when I first saw pictures of those trains. Mainly becaue I thought that it must be awfully expensive to transport half finished planes from one factory to another. Especially considering the way Airbus does this with bigger planes, and now even with special ships for the parts of the Airbus 380 between Hamburg and France. I never thought that Boeing does the same just with trains. Is there any place where I can find more about this part of the building process? Like which type and parts of planes (do they also transport halffinished 747s this way) and from where to where?

It's plane fuselages we see around here (Seattle) - no wings or tail sections that I have seen. A bicycle path I take frequently that skirts the "Interbay" yard frequently has one or more of these fuselages waiting for transport, seemingly to the Everett plant (about 30 miles north of the Interbay yard). Given the direction they must eventually go (to Everett), I am guessing there is some work done at the Kent plant. The 747 fuselages are unmistakable, even to my untrained eye, and I don't recall ever having seen any on rails.

When I took the Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver two Fridays back (August 14), the conductor pointed out the spur line turning east off of the main (BNSF) line leading to the Everett Boeing plant.

These are only my ill-informed impressions (but then again, I am a local - which makes me an *expert* on Boeing planes ).

Mike (from Seattle, where every Boeing engineer of the right vintage "designed the 747 rest rooms" )

ULie wrote:

Hello John,
TailUK wrote:

The Boeing trains have always interested me so I've been collecting pics of them...

I was very astonished when I first saw pictures of those trains. Mainly becaue I thought that it must be awfully expensive to transport half finished planes from one factory to another. Especially considering the way Airbus does this with bigger planes, and now even with special ships for the parts of the Airbus 380 between Hamburg and France. I never thought that Boeing does the same just with trains. Is there any place where I can find more about this part of the building process? Like which type and parts of planes (do they also transport halffinished 747s this way) and from where to where?

To the best of my knowledge the only aeroplane so transported is the 737 series. All the picss I've collected are 737s

ULie wrote:
(do they also transport halffinished 747s this way) ?[/quote]

I don't think so as 747s' fuselage's diameter is not far from 7 meters, far too broad even for comfortable US railroads' gauge.

Dom

From what I've seen, the 747 is assemble and finished in Everett. I know some parts are made all over the world, but only small parts are shipped like elevators, slats, and fins. I have a model of a Beluga that I built couple years ago, but it's in 1/144.

Hello Mke,
GNFan wrote:

...I am a local - which makes me an *expert* on Boeing planes ).

Mike (from Seattle, where every Boeing engineer of the right vintage "designed the 747 rest rooms" )

hhmmmmm...
...I've seen the Boeing Field King County International while passing on the I5, and I've visited the Red Barn back in 1994...

...and I visited the Airbus plant in Hamburg in the summer of 2005 on the Airbus Familyday when the A 380 did his first fly over in Hamburg...
...I got the tickets for this event from my cousins daughter who works as a secretary in that plant...


@John aka shamoo737 (where does this nick comes from?):
the Beluga is an Airbus plane, created when the Super Guppy proved to be to small. Until that time every Airbus was delivered on the wings of a Boeing...

...but back to trains...

...it would be a interessing item to have if someone could make those cars for the fuselage transport. Especially if it is possible to find a Z-scale 737 model somwhere too. Besides... according to the pictures John did show us, those trains seems not only to ride between Everett, Renton and the Boeing Field. Or am I wrong on this detail?

Ulie, my nickname comes from this aircraft. www.flickr.com/photos/southerncalifornian/1736621861/

The only other airplane that I think it could me transported by train was the 757, but I am not sure.Memmory stinks when you get old.

shamoo737 wrote:
The only other airplane that I think it could me transported by train was the 757, but I am not sure.Memmory stinks when you get old.[/quote]

I guess that's possible as the 757 has the same fuselage section than the 737....

Dom

Revell make a 1:200th 737 but it looks too big next to other Z scale rolling stock.
E&D Models make an 89 foot flat car that would suitable but it would be a easy scratchbuild as well.
If enough people would want one I'd be prepared to have a go at a 1:220 fuselage in resin.
Anyone interested?

Count me in if you make a Boeing fuselage.
My brother works for a subcontractor that made parts for the covered cars Boeing used. I think it was Athern that came out with N scale versions a while back. It would make a good Christmas stocking stuffer for my bro.

Jerry

TailUK wrote:

Revell make a 1:200th 737 but it looks too big next to other Z scale rolling stock.
E&D Models make an 89 foot flat car that would suitable but it would be a easy scratchbuild as well.
If enough people would want one I'd be prepared to have a go at a 1:220 fuselage in resin.
Anyone interested?

Otherwise one can use a 1:200 MD83 or DC9 fuselage if we accept a loss of accuracy. In the prototype DC9s and MD83s have a narrower fuselage than B737s (5 seat abreast instead of 6 for the 737). Then it's necessary to swap the 3-pane windshield from the Douglas with a 2-pane windshield from the Boeing.

But why not a Boeing 1:220 fuselage in resin? It should prevent to purchase a full airliner model kit for using only its fuselage.... In my case a single sample would fit.

Dom

dominique wrote:

TailUK wrote:

Revell make a 1:200th 737 but it looks too big next to other Z scale rolling stock.
E&D Models make an 89 foot flat car that would suitable but it would be a easy scratchbuild as well.
If enough people would want one I'd be prepared to have a go at a 1:220 fuselage in resin.
Anyone interested?

Otherwise one can use a 1:200 MD83 or DC9 fuselage if we accept a loss of accuracy. In the prototype DC9s and MD83s have a narrower fuselage than B737s (5 seat abreast instead of 6 for the 737). Then it's necessary to swap the 3-pane windshield from the Douglas with a 2-pane windshield from the Boeing.

But why not a Boeing 1:220 fuselage in resin? It should prevent to purchase a full airliner model kit for using only its fuselage.... In my case a single sample would fit.

Dom

One the O scale models I've seen used a 757 fuselage in a smaller scale to represent a 737 in 1/48th. The size issue would be addressed by using a smaller aeroplane in 1/200 but the MD 82 and the DC 9 are rear engined types which means a radical re-shape of the rear fuselage.
I'll try and make a start on a 1/220 737 in the next few day and keep you updated on the process.

The problem is that even the shape of the fuselage is different. The DC9 has double lobe shape, and bottom is noticeable smaller then the one on top. Then theres the shape of the cockpit. Again, its totally different. My only suggestion is maybe cut the fuselage in quarters and trim it to fit. Still, I am not sure how it would look,and it may take a reshaping of the cockpit.

thanks for all the nice infomation.

Steve aka "Slugger"

There is a company that produces mini white metal war gaming vehicles in 1:200 scale.

What can the difference in 1:200 and 1:220 hurt, I asked myself. Can't be much difference, heck both are in the 200's times smaller than reality!!!

Well, I received a few in the mail about a year ago. Let me tell you!!! Ain't nothing close to 1:220!! If I were to use these I would definitely have to shrink them down. TOO Big!!! Maybe useful in a forest where the size of the trees hide the size of the vehicles. No real Z comparison there, but next to actual Z items, way too big!

Just my 1:200 observations!

Hobo Tim

ULie wrote:

transport half finished planes from one factory to another. [...] and from where to where?

finally I found one end point of those transports:

757th Ave, Renton, Wa:

there's a second plane 329 yards to the left of this.

I have 1/200 jets on my layout. I also have 1/256 tractor trailers on my lay out. also some N scale (oil) tanks and piping kits work well in Z.

A useful link. therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,19512.msg175660/topicseen.html#msg175660