Got another one for my Forum friends: Has anyone assembled one of Bowser's ACF 2-bay Covered Hopper cars? I have managed to get stumped on the hopper trim rings (74281). Do the half round notches face in toward the center or face out toward the ends? The instructions aren't exactly clear on with that part. As usual any assistance would be most welcomed.
I've built several of these, but none have the notches. Are they toward the outside edge of the parts (i.e. away from the hopper bays)? I suspect Bowser may have retooled them, as they were close to the wheel flanges, and the flanges could hit them on very tight curves. Placing a notch in the part would guarantee the flanges would stay clear, so my guess is they're intended to face the end of the car. Such a tooling change would also explain why the instructions aren't clear on the issue, as they may have retained the old instructions.
Rob Spangler
For some reason, the composition window where I'm typing this reply shows absolutely nothing as I type. This has happened before, but only on this site.
However, to answer your question, the notches face towards the trucks. They're there to allow extra clearance for the wheel flanges, especially on curves.
EDIT: Here's a just-taken photo which illustrates the set-up...
Wayne
Thank you for your kind assistance. Both of your posts answer my question.