Thinking about #2...a caboose?

[doris s.]

Check out the Pierce Arrow RV in the RV Hall of Fame. It looks like a train car but it is a camper.
Doris

[planovet]

Cupola top & lateral sides could slide up and down with the sides going outside the main trailer body. Have a short trunk extend up from the main roof to be overlapped by a short overhang on the cupola- sort of like a shoebox lid.

I don't want the sides to go outside the main body, just not the look I was going for. I may not have any choice though.

I myself am not much of a railroad enthusiast but I would love to watch your build. I like the work you did on your Little Swiss teardrop and I know we would all learn lots from watching you. Come on... you know you wanna do it.... the wife doesn't need a new closet... you need another build!!!!

Well, I DO have to keep the Boss happy. I'm going to start on the closet tonight and hopefully have it done in a month or so (I will have to work around real work). Maybe after that I will get more serious.

So why would it need to fit in the garage? Any flexibility in that area maybe?

No, I need a store it somewhere and my garage or a storage place would be the best bet. And the Little Swiss Teardrop is already maxing out my FX's towing capacity so I can't tow anything behind the Swiss Tear.

The cupola could be lowered a bit , maybe more "scale ".. All that pop up stuff would be a "hassle" compared to a fixed one ...

True, but I want it to fit in the garage AND be able to pop it up so I can stand up in the kitchen area (I'm 6'3"). Therein lies my problem.

[GPW]

I'm 6'3" too ... I know the problem all too well .... Pop Up cupola is sure possible ... maybe lightweight to save some effort ... I'd just like to hang out the window , RR style ...

[Miriam C.]

Thanks Tom. I think I understand what you are saying but I was wanting more of a box coming up from the center of the roof. It would be head room for the kitchen part.

Still thinking but I don't anticipate any building until at least next year.

I would love it to look like this;

So if you have the top half of the cupola rise and fall it shouldn't be so hard to keep it water tight. Have the top half lower over the bottom half..

[bobhenry]

There are several flat top designs.



These have more interesting side window arrangements. I am leaning towards this one for my 8 x 20 build. The little bay windows would add a bit of floor space for a galley sink or maybe a small potty area.

There is another flat top design with more of a box window added to the side.

[GPW]

Just looking at those real caboose pics , gives a great perspective to a Trailer build ... The pics tell all ...
I'm one that thinks the cupola gives the distinctive look of a caboose (what we're used to seeing anyway) I remember as kids , we'd always wave to the Engineer, and the guy in the back hanging out of the cupola window...I still wonder what they were doing up there looking around.. ??? Maybe just enjoying the view .. America's Backyard !!!

[bobhenry]

Seems as if there is a bit more to it than just catching a breeze.

http://articles.business-man.biz/careers-employment/253/railroad-conductors-not-just-the-guy-in-the-caboose-nikola-marshall.htm

[GPW]

BH, That's so Cool to know !!! Thanks !!!

[aggie79]

Mark,

This is another example of a cupola with a folding wall design like bdosborn used:

http://home.earthlink.net/~g.teague/id5.html

Tom

[GPW]

Wow , that fold up Cupola is pretty Cool !!!

Here's my thoughts on a pop up cupola FWIW ... and if you're using that area for a shower , then it should be sealed /waterproofed inside anyway , so any small leaks would be inconsequential ... all draining through the floor drain to a holding tank or whatever... Instead of a slide out , a slide UP..

[planovet]

The slide up was what I had in mind although the folding design is also pretty neat.

More ideas to ponder...

[jimqpublic]

I like the shower idea- but I still wouldn't want a rainshower inside. Maybe little rain gutters around the edge so it all drips in one spot?

Having put up or taken down our trailer in some fierce winds, the idea of an unattached roof makes me nervous. How about making the sides of the cupola fold in. Then whole thing pivots back or forward like this:

[GPW]

JQP, That would work !!! Tricky hinging puzzle ...

[jimqpublic]

Here's a shot of our Chalet sidewall hinge with it folded part way. The top and bottom wall sections have an aluminum U-channel to cap the edges. On the inside is a piano hinge. On the outside of the upper section is a "Z" shaped aluminum extrusion that acts to keep rain out when the wall is upright. Nothing too fancy.

[GPW]

Was thinking more a box within a box ... (easy ) with some kind of rubber flashing , like a sweep gasket ...thingie" ...
Tried a hinges , mine leaked ...


With a tapered floor , any water that might get in would run down and out the drain ... For a shower , wouldn't we want to 'glass the insides , much as a home f/glas shower???
Only problem with a slide up cupola , is you have to mount the windows flush with the sliding part ..