The problem is I am having a time trying to cut styrene straight.
But yeah the undertakes don't align very well.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
I think I'm going to mod a flat for the next car, why well the nice thing about a flat (especially a higher tonnage one with 36" wheels) is the new trucks should slide under pretty easily while retaining proper coupler height.
Right now I'm having to cut the gearboxes off the extra underframes to get the couplers perfect.
NittanyLion Those MDC/Roundhouse gons had alignment issues with the underframes and the side stakes
Those MDC/Roundhouse gons had alignment issues with the underframes and the side stakes
Thankfully, Athearn corrected the misalignment issue with the bottom and side stakes when the upgraded the MDC gondolas for the RTR series.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Here's my progress,
I cut off the extra brake wheel/mounting box and the end ladders (I will be replacing them but I didn't get to it tonight)
I solved the coupler issue.
Beefed up the underframe.
Made a cover for it (it's just a temporary fix till I make a load (and I had the parts laying around)
Now I need to figure where to put the underframe details (photo below) I essentially have two sets of underframe mounting holes so where should what go?
Next project will probably use the left over parts, the two (no longer covered) covered gons will lose their sides except for over the trucks, kinda a low end bulkhead flat with short walls at each end to buttress the ends, why will I cut off the sides well one car is pretty messed up because when I went to remove the covers half the side came with it.
And the two extra thrall coal gon ends might make a ore jenny, maybe but they're really in bad shape from all the cannibalizing I did to them for parts.
And the next super gondola I do will probably use the sides and underframes from a fishbelly gondola and the sides of the thrall coal gons to get the look right, it'll be a bit more involved and less straightforward that way but it will hopefully come out a bit closer to the prototype.
NWP SWP Now I need to figure where to put the underframe details (photo below) I essentially have two sets of underframe mounting holes so where should what go?
Just do one set, and put the pieces where the directions say.
Ed
So I'll just put all the stuff in the holes dictated by the instructions and closest to the end with the brake wheel.
That's what I'd do.
Here's the latest pictures, scroll to the bottom for the finalized photos.
http://imgur.com/a/YYHZQDm
I weighted the car to 8 Oz. And my standard will be 8 ounces per car, period, regardless of length, my reasoning is that if you have a cut of cars and there's a few shorter cars thrown in with longer ones they will be more likely to derail due to the NMRA length based metric making them lighter, if all cars weigh the same then sorting cars in the right "order" is less imperitive.
Steven,
.
I believe to be more typical, you should turn the air reserviour 90 degrees and swap the brake cylinder and triple valve.
Also, you should install the stirrup steps before you paint it.
Are you going to letter it for the NWPSWP?
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I was following the instructions from the kit. That's why the air system placement is such.
I omitted stirrup steps for 2 reasons, 1 the trucks don't clear them, 2 they break off too easily.
I'll probably paint it hunter green and the lid moss green an eventually letter it NWP SWP.
I just corrected the details placement.
The weights are two 20 penny stacks for each end of the car. I used pennies because they weigh a smidge under 1 Oz so they're really precise. I glued them together with guerrilla glue and I'll put them in in the morning.
You could leave it like it is. I was just stating what would be typical. In freelancing a model railroad, being typical makes it more "believable" when viewed.
The actual layout of air system parts can be virtually anything. The connecting pipes just need to be routed correctly to the correct ports on the real things.
For your model for publication you should use as many parts from the Tichy brake system kit as possible and run the piping and actuating levers.
Is there any reason you have the covers? Those were designed to protect coil steel and the gons that had them were assigned to coil steel service. The gon you have built is definitely NOT a coil steel gon. Its designed for relatively light commodities (coal and wood chips)
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I added the cover in place of a load temporarily.