Thank you everyone for the responses. I made the first step, ordering some kits. I received them today. Lot of tiny parts, especially on the tank car. That will be a challenge but I am ready for it.
Thanks again.
Guy
Modeling CNR in the 50's
Those look like a good start, Guy.
Here are a couple of shots of the re-worked MDC covered hoppers which I mentioned earlier.
These two are owned by my road's largest shipper, GERN Industries:
...and these two were recently acquired from nearby line which went bankrupt. Desperate for cars, the company simply painted-over the original reporting marks and numbers rather than doing a full paint job with the company slogan:
The final two are lettered for one of my free-lanced roads, and, like the other four, were only re-painted in the areas where work was done - ends, roof, and hopper areas:
This view better shows the Bowser roof hatches and running board. The latch mechanism for the hatches was built using styrene rod and strip, and the side-mounted brake pipe, visible in some photos, is .020" phosphor bronze wire supported by scratchbuilt "eyes" made from .010" brass wire.
Wayne
maxman trainnut1250 These kilts feature separately applied grabs, fine details, accurate dimensions and detailed underbodies I opened my kilt and didn't find any of those things..........
trainnut1250 These kilts feature separately applied grabs, fine details, accurate dimensions and detailed underbodies
I opened my kilt and didn't find any of those things..........
Here is the first CP Clone USRA Boxcar ready for the paint shop. The second is under completion.
Really nice kit. Drilling for the grab irons and fixing them was intimidating at first but it went OK. Assembling the brake system was not easy and I had to compare with a RTR car to understand how to do it. It will definitely be easier for the second car.
Up to now I am very pleased with the results.
Thanks again to everyone for the advices.
Nice job, I got a couple dozen you could build for me.
Guy Papillon Assembling the brake system was not easy and I had to compare with a RTR car to understand how to do it. It will definitely be easier for the second car.
Assembling the brake system was not easy and I had to compare with a RTR car to understand how to do it. It will definitely be easier for the second car.
I also have a bunch of them on the shelf.
How about a bottom shot so we can see how you did the brake system, if it's not too much trouble.
Thanks,
CG
I love seeing this!
Building high quality kits is a great pleasure and source of pride. It was the "normal" way of doing things many years ago, but the kits weren't nearly as good then. I believe a lot of people who have entered the hobby in the past few decades don't even give a moment's consideration to kits of this kind because they are so used to having stuff built for them. They are depriving themselves of a great and rewarding experience.
Tom
I fully agree with you, Tom.
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Good-looking results, Guy!
CentralGulf....How about a bottom shot so we can see how you did the brake system, if it's not too much trouble....
Here's an Accurail car with AB-type brakes. I usually don't bother with most of the piping, since, in most cases, only the one from the valve to the cylinder is noticeable when the car is on the layout:
This one, on a Bowser kit, got a little more piping due to Pennsy's practice of mounting some reservoirs with their ends facing the sidesills. It was easier to terminate the pipes in the car's underfloor than in the control valve, where they're supposed to be:
Here's a K-type brake mounted on a Tichy car like the one Guy has built:
This is a simplified AB-type, shown on the underside of a Train Miniature car. I simply cut the moulded-on brake parts from the TM underframe and shaved-off any related parts cast onto the TM floor:
This is another TM car with its original brake equipment carved off. In this example, I added a split K-type brake:
...and here's a more fully-modelled AB brake system on a Tichy re-built USRA car (Guy's car re-built, like many such prototype cars, with steel sides):
Here's a somewhat simplified AB brake system on an Athearn automobile car:
...on which the modified sidesills leave little visible:
This one is a shortened Varney tank on a Tichy underframe, with K-type brakes. Except for the lack of release rods on the brake cylinder casting, this is pretty well all the piping needed for this type. Note how the actuating rods from the levers on the underframe to the trucks are bent inwards, to avoid conflicts between them and the wheels on curves:
...from the side, though, those bends aren't noticeable:
CentralGulf How about a bottom shot so we can see how you did the brake system, if it's not too much trouble. CG
Here is a photo of how it was done following the instructions.
Thank you Wayne for those photos that illustrate many possibilities according to prototypes.
Guy Papillon CentralGulf How about a bottom shot so we can see how you did the brake system, if it's not too much trouble. CG Here is a photo of how it was done following the instructions. Thank you Wayne for those photos that illustrate many possibilities according to prototypes.
Thank you for that, and Wayne too for his photos.
Guy PapillonHere is a photo of how it was done following the instructions.
Nice neatly-done work, Guy!
Unless we're building contest models, it's often possible to simplify the brake gear: some cars permit more to be seen than others, and modelling just the stuff seen from trackside can often be all that's necessary. Most of the brake gear on cars with fishbelly underframes disappears into the shadows under the car, and cars with deep sidesills reveal little to nothing of the brake rigging.Sometimes, though, you'll want to add as much detail as possible, just because you can, and that's okay, too.
Wayne:
Gotta keep up those appearances when cars derail!
Cheers!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Guy:
You did a great job! I have built several Tichy kits and there are more waiting to be built. I enjoy the work involved in getting the details correct. There is a sense of accomplishment.
hon30critter...Gotta keep up those appearances when cars derail!Smile, Wink & GrinLaughLaughLaughClown
Most of my derailments are minor ones, usually because a certain switchman is often....well, asleep at the switch.
The only major one in over 20 years occurred on this high bridge. The train was 71 cars long, and one car, mid-train, apparently had a drooping coupler. The uncoupling pin caught on something which stopped the rear half of the train while the four locomotives continued to pull the front half, which was still coupled to the rear half. A quick as you could say "stringline", it did!
No one was injured, although this motorist reportedly filed a claim for heavily damaged underwear:
Surprisingly, there was little actual damage, even though the cars had added details, such as brake gear, and metal sill steps and grab irons. Most of the cars in that train were later sold when I backdated the layout's era.
I did manage to run the 71 car train (without the droopy coupler) completely around the layout without derailments, and that included all of the usual 2.5% grades (including the long one over the high bridge - at that time, a 45' long double horseshoe curve with an "S"-bend near the top, where the track dead-ended, requiring a back-down move). The short section of track used only for run-throughs is a 3.5% grade, but since it's only 100" in length, not too onerous for four locos, as only a portion of the train is on that grade at one time.The several test runs all used four locomotives, either all diesels, all steam, or a combination of both, and were run all on the head-end, or two or three on the front and one or two pushing or distributed singly in various positions throughout the train. There didn't seem to be much difference in the pulling effort required (wheelslip was minimal in all cases), but the distributed power seemed to best control slack run-out/run-in, which otherwise looked pretty scary with different parts of the train heading uphill as other portions were travelling downhill.
I do run live loads, but have not yet had one roll over completely, although some loose coal has been spilled. I generally use a brush to sweep the majority of the spill onto a sheet of paper, then dump it back into the righted car. The rest usually stays on the sceniced ground for the LPBs to pick up for their home heating needs.
71 cars and four locomotives! That's impressive!!
Guy PapillonUp to now I am very pleased with the results.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Thank you everyone for the nice comments.
doctorwayne Unless we're building contest models, it's often possible to simplify the brake gear: some cars permit more to be seen than others, and modelling just the stuff seen from trackside can often be all that's necessary.
Unless we're building contest models, it's often possible to simplify the brake gear: some cars permit more to be seen than others, and modelling just the stuff seen from trackside can often be all that's necessary.
I completely agree with you. But I have had such a good time doing it that I will do the same thing on the second car, just to see if I can do a better job.
Bear, I think those "drains" are actually floor wells to hold tie-down chains. When the chains aren't in use, they are stowed in these holes in the floor to keep them out of the way. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
Tom is correct: those are storage tubes for the tie-down chains which are part of the auto-loader equipment. There would be more on a real car, in the area of the trucks, but I omitted them due to the severe swing of model trucks compared to those on the real cars.Wayne
This started as an interesting thread but it has become an extremely informative guide to the freight car enthusiast. Great work, fellows.
Dave Nelson
doctorwayne........ those are storage tubes for the tie-down chains which are part of the auto-loader equipment.
Thanks Tom and Wayne,
Cheers, the Bear.