coil cars

[7j43k]

I coupled a new Red Caboose coil car next to a Walthers coil car and noticed a height difference. Closer inspection showed that the Walthers coil cover was 6-9 high while the Red Caboose was 5-9 high. Since the prototypes were built by the same builder and are differentiated only by being phase 3 or phase 4, I wonder about the height difference.

Did the cars really run with two different sizes of covers? Does anyone out there know what's up with the difference?

Ed

[fiatfan]

If the other dimensions of the cars are the same, I would suspect a discrepancy in the bolsters.

Tom

[7j43k]

I don't think the problem (if there is one) is in the bolsters. The deck height of the two appears pretty similar. I measured the covers themselves, removed from the cars. The Walthers cover is about a foot taller than the Red Caboose cover. I'm wondering if there were different sized covers on the prototypes.

I note that I'm speaking of the round covers. I haven't inspected or compared the angled covers--I don't have an angled Walthers handy.

Ed

[DSchmitt]

Don't know if it answers the question, but I found this picture[:)]

http://crcyc.railfan.net/crrs/coil/cr622317.jpg

[cacole]

Those coil cars are not the only ones -- I have ran into many cases of different manufacturers' products not being the same height in HO scale. Some products are so out of whack that McHenry, Kadee, and perhaps others have come up with the underset and overset shank couplers to compensate for this poor quality control, and of course Kadee washers are available in two different thicknesses to compensate for rolling stock that is too low.

[Anonymous]

Do both cars take standard Kadee #5s? I have a couple of the Walthers cars (angled-hood variety) that use #5s and a single red Kadee washer per truck to reach the correct coupler height. If both use the same Kadees and have these at the right height, then any difference in overall height is likely to be prototypical.

I agree with the last post about offset couplers - these really shouldn't be necessary. Surely be now all manufacturers could design their new products to take #5s (or #26s/#28s) as a straight drop-in conversion? I know most Proto locos and Walthers cars do, so it's obviously not impossible. I suspect this is why in my experience the majority of RTR cars have their couplers mounted slightly too high - so when you swap the EZ-Mates for Kadee #5s they end up at the correct height!

[7j43k]

My question is NOT about coupler height. Both cars are pretty close in that department.

My question is about different sized covers. I do like the photo shown by Dschmitt--very nice. The question, though, applies to as delivered cars.

Ed