Has anyone had any trouble with the frog guides as molded in plastic on the barge. I know Tim Warris of Fast Tracks said he had to redo the frog by removing the molded guides etc. He said that the guides were out of gauge. I want to know if anyone besides Tim had any trouble with the trackwork on the barge OTHER than the crappy 6" plastic rail supplied with the kit which I immediately deep sixed in favor of ME code 83 rail. Lastly if I have to redo the frog what number frog would I use?
Thank you;
Bob D
Bob D As long as you surface as many times as you dive you`ll be alive to read these posts.
No problem that a little sanding can't fix, but if I was to do it all again (and I have two more to build), I will proubly use the plastic rail as the metal can come loose and also most float never let the loco on them and I have one with the metal rail just in case.
I bought Atlas Code 83 flex track and removed the ties to provide rail for my Walthers carfloat. I have no problems with it. Perhaps it's because the Atlas rail is more flexible and just fits better?
I intentionally use metal rail to reduce rolling friction, and I was very careful to keep the entire float and apron completely flat and level. I use a small locomotive, and asking it to pull a string of boxcars plus the 3 idler flats would be a lot if the rolling resistance were not absolutely minimized.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
What adhesive did you use?
rrebell What adhesive did you use?
I used CA for mine. I assembled the whole kit and then added the rails. I spray-painted the whole thing with a rust-brown primer and then used a Bright-Boy style track cleaner to remove the paint from the rail heads.
FYI, I did not power the rails, as the engine isn't even supposed to go on the apron. I did power the apron rails, though, and I used a Tortoise to drive the points on the apron.
Have you been really using the float and the CA has held? Mine i used Piobond heat method, did not hold on some.
dinwittyI dont care if the rails are plastic, or code 83 track, the thing about carfloats is you cannot run your engines on it. The technique is to use idler cars, (flat cars) to move cars on/off, b ecause the excessive weight of the engine would wreake havoc on the balancing. So you would not be running your engine onto the carfloat
I have often seen similar statements and they may be generally true but
in 1997 the a demonstration car float operations was documented by the NJ Historic Presevation Office. There are photos in New York Harbor Railroads in color Volume 2 (pg 11-15) by Thomas R. Flagg. The locomotive (an Alco S1) is running on and off the float (no idler cars). The last photo shows the float in transit. The loco was riding on the loaded car float with the cars. The author notes that the Alco is probably lifgter than many of the cars.
Some float operations served otherwise isolated locations where the only way to get locos to/from them, when necessary, was the car float. For instance the Erie 28th Street Freight Station in New York. Idler cars do not appear in any of the photos of 28th Street.
Also in the book the "Roster On A Barge" (pg 126-127) Surplus locomotoves stored on a car float in 1983.
In Flagg's two volunns there are no specific photos of idler flats, and I spotted some in only a few but not most of the photos that show overall views of float facilities.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
The CNJ used to move it's switchers from the Bronx Terminal to the Communipaw Engine facility frequently. They used an early Box cab, and a single truck Davenport loco in the early years. In later years HH660 and SW9 switchers were used. Vandals were a major problem and they would move them away from the Bronx Terminal at night on the float.
The Walthers car float is a standard three track New York Harbor car float that was used extensively. The sequence of rail car removal was important but I don't remember specifically the correct order. Shorter and lighter car floats may not have been able to handle locomotives but the long three track ones like the Walthers did.
rrebell Have you been really using the float and the CA has held? Mine i used Piobond heat method, did not hold on some.
I don't use the car float a lot, but it's been in service now for a couple of years with no problems.
I shoehorned the car float into a tight space in the back of my layout. That was a mistake. It's not terribly accessible, and the lead tracks are street-running girder rail. Looks great, but I get occasional derailments back there and climbing back there to re-rail the cars is no fun. If I had it to do over, I'd put the car float terminal out front where it is easy to get to.
dinwittyI bought some clunkyish flatcars from someone at a train show, he was probably glad to rid of them but I had use for them.
Like using metal rather than plastic rail, I wanted good performance from my idler flats as well. I bought 3 Tichy flat car kits and gave them KDs and Intermountain metal wheelsets.
As I recall, I bought these brand new from Walthers for $8 each. They are very detailed kits, with all the brake lines and components installed separately, as are the stake pockets on the sides. I added real wood planking to the decks.
Mine is up front and personal at the end of my smallest yard. I built it so that a carfloat could be rolled up to it on a metal cart so it could be shunted to somewhere else, may just end up as a sort of cartrige system.
The standard operating practice at Cape Charles, VA - Little Creek, VA on the PC, was for the shifter to use two idler cars - usually gondolas - to pull or place cars on the barges. The only time a lite engine ran over the float bridge and on to the barge was when they were floated over to the other side for maintenance. Last time I was there when they were loading, Baldwin 600 HP (BS10a) engines were used.
MisterBeasley,Here's an idea for your float reach cars:
http://www.alphabetroute.com/nynhh/mowdgms/F21-F33.pdf
Basically, it's a small cabin for the crew to shelter in on a flat car, with railings around the flat.
Paul A. Cutler III