Heavyweight Passenger Car Upgrades - Wheels of Time 999009 4-wheel Heavyweight passenger truck

I undertook a test-fit of some of the first Wheels of Time heavyweight four-wheel trucks to a very old Bachmann combine, and it was not a simple swap-out.

- the truck crossmember (I'm sure it has a name) sits a bit higher than the original Bachmann truck, necessitating some body work to lower the car

- the kingpin supplied was much larger, so a 2.5mm hole had to be drilled (the original hole enlarged) but it does look like I can drill the center of the pin to run magnet wire for lighting

- the lowered floor may play havoc with coupler height. Need to do some proper measuring to be sure.

But they do look pretty good:

Bachmann combine with new truck on the coach end

Comparing the original (left) to the new (right)

I'm not 100% sure it is worth the work on the newer examples of the cars. I may complete this one, and see how it compares in use to the others with "as is" trucks. Those with older plastic wheeled trucks need at least new wheels, so we'll see.

Once I make a final determination I'll post a thread; I may also attempt to convert a Micro-Trains RPO to the four wheel truck, as a lot of the pictures I have show this instead of the six-wheel truck...

Evolution of a Favorite III

I can say I am very happy to find a like-for-like replacement for another article of despair for N Scale of old. Considering how new the scale was when this car was released, we were really blessed to have the variety of passenger car styles we did have. Unfortunately, some were less than faithful reproductions, and some were just mechanically under engineered. This example fits into the latter category.

The prototype is a fairly faithful example of a C&O Pullman coach that saw service in the “aftermarket” on D&RGW, C&NW, and SP:

“The car is in two sections divided in the center.  Fifty-nine coaches in the 1610-1668 series were delivered to the C&O by Pullman in 1950 for service on most C&O trains, including the George Washington.  Eight of these cars were sold to the D&RGW.  Good photographs of this car are on page 8 of Chesapeake and Ohio color guide to freight and passenger equipment.  C&O removed the corrugations in 1967.”

http://www.trainweb.org/fredatsf/protopass4.htm

Amtrak? Not too sure how authentic it is, but it was different from the smooth-side coaches offered:

Later, rather recently, it was included in the Centralia Car Shops production as well:

Comparing the two only shows the limitations of “good enough” when the Con Cor version was released:

The main problem was mechanical; the trucks were held in place by plastic clips molded into the sideframe. And they liked to break off, leaving the truck almost useless. Sure, you could fill the hole in the body, and use a screw, but it wasn’t the strongest link in the car’s chain by far.

The other disadvantage was trying to light it, like all other Con Cor cars (until the later Rivarossi re-brands), was practically impossible. The CCS car offers this ready to run, and for once, I am almost pleased with the effect. I have been pretty cruel to the result in other cars, as it looked far too dim. But in this case, it does look pretty good:

Next time?

N Scale GP7 Chop Nose Conversion

I've wanted one of these for a long time; as I was growing up we saw many GP7s, GP9s, and even a few GP18s alongside their newer brethren.  We've had lots of GP7 and GP9 models (and even two variations of GP18!), but one problem:

This is the usual reality.


Our models though are ALL high hood (with one rare exception from Canada of a Life Like chop-nose GP9).


So after looking at available parts, I realized that short noses and cabs from two different SD models would work. I even built a mock-up using an old GP9 shell (for the really old 1980s Atlas version) to see how it would all come out.


Today I took the plunge. Here's the first ever view of the end result:

and head-on:

Work involved (in VERY condensed version):


- Disassemble the GP7
- Trim the frame at the front to clear the low nose; it's a bit too tall.
- Trim the high short hood from the GP7 body. I had to trim the 'gap' that the cab sits in to allow the cab to fit low enough on the body. There is a structural difference between the stock and new cab.
- Remove the short hood from the SD cab; I will do this slightly differently in the future for better mounting
- Reassemble the frame AFTER a thorough cleaning.
- Test run the frame
- Replace the lower body (walkway and frame).
- Fit the long hood in place
- Fit the short hood in place
- Fit the cab in place
- Show off


I've got to get good enough at painting, hopefully over the summer, and then letter it. Weathering of course after "new" photos. Then on to GP9s. And GP18s. And SD9s. And SD7s...

Six steps to a better N Scale Caboose

Improving (correcting!) the truck centers on Atlas "second generation" caboose models is a fairly simple and straightforward task; once you start though you will need to complete all of the major steps in order to run your caboose, so hopefully you are comfortable with doing the entire job.

With the relatively good supply of cheap 'victims' this is a good project to gain confidence on. Once you complete the frame modifications you might choose to go on to other 'improvement' areas, but I'll leave those to you. I personally have not done any more, but will probably replace handrails and ladders at some point, if I can match the color of the paint!

1. Identification – or how do I know my caboose in incorrect?

Not all models are the same; this was one case where Atlas originally did things right, and in a 'newer' version made a mess of things. Maybe one day we'll know why. But for now, compare the photo of the prototype caboose (very dang close to the model):

(Photo is from http://www.girr.org/girr/lals/lals_facilities.html I can recommend a visit to this club if you are in Los Angeles, as it is AWESOME!)

To the photo of the model:

One of my older, but not oldest, Atlas cabeese.

Notice how the truck actually sits up under the steps, and the center (which signifies where the bolster is) does not line up with the nub under the right hand window. An earlier caboose I have has this correct, as well as having body mounted couplers, dating back to the late 1960s! Well ahead of its time for certain. Just one of those annoying things that Atlas did during the 'tween' years that drove a few people I know away from N-Scale.

Below is the "original" (bad paint job and all; what was I thinking!) version of this caboose, albeit with Micro-Trains trucks attached...

This is the look we are trying to achieve, as it is mechanically correct for how the caboose should be.

2. Disassembly

I removed the trucks, the floor from the body, and removed the end rails/ladders to keep them safe. The weight will become the inner floor, and I re-used it to both keep the plastic floor pieces in alignment and to give it strength. You could decide to use a piece of rigid sheet plastic styrene, and cement the floor pieces to it, but in my mind that raises the center of gravity and I was not happy with that. My approach has held up well (until I took it apart for the photos), so it really is down to preference.

3. Floor (frame) modification

With the caboose disassembled, it is time to start cutting.

I made four cuts total, two for each bolster, so that I could turn the bolster section 180 degrees to realign it. "Where" to cut is pretty flexible; in my case I cut almost up to the line where the bolster 'should' be, and as close to it as I was comfortable cutting on the other side. This produced a section like this:

I cleaned up the section with a file and modellers sand paper, and (possible incorrectly) trimmed off the frame section in what is the left hand side of this piece. Later, after looking at photos and drawings of prototype cars, I discovered that perhaps this should have been left in place, and extended to the coupler draft gear area. The resulting gap seems unrealistic.

Drawings of a prototype or actually seeing one in person would have been a big help, but being several thousand miles away makes seeing the real thing tricky at best, and 'pre-Internet' modelling was a bit of a pain in some cases too...

Once you are happy with the cleaning up, test fit the floor pieces to ensure they will all fit. If you manage to get the cut out sections swapped end for end, you might have trouble unless they are reasonable similar sized.

I replaced the end floor into the caboose body (I think I used ACC (super glue)) to fix the weight in place, and then pieced the other sections in place to line them up. If the bolsters will not center on the side nubs (I should really learn what they are called!), trim a bit more off the appropriate section to make everything fit. 

See below:

If the bolster sits too far out towards the end of the caboose, trim from the center section instead of the bolster piece, to avoid trimming too much off the bolster itself. On the other end it really does not matter, as this will be out of sight anyway. I have already attached couplers when this was taken, but would do it after the floor was assembled and dry.

Once you are happy with the alignment and fit, attach the three center sections with ACC (super glue) and let dry. I considered using styrene pieces to cover the gaps, but decided against it, as they would do more harm than good visually.

4. Coupler mounting

Coupler mounting is pretty much a standard job; you might need to shim the coupler box down from the floor, so make sure you have decided what to do about the trucks first.

5. Truck modification

If you are happy with the standard truck, all you need to do is remove the coupler box from the truck frame and re-attach. Me, I decided on some of these that Micro-Trains (part 00302140) "Swing Motion" or Atlas (part 22060 for friction bearing, part 22061 for roller bearing) Caboose trucks. I will eventually fit Fox Valley Model's metal wheels, but for now these have whatever was in the trucks I got/had on hand. The IC model still has the original Atlas trucks (as far as I can tell).

6. Re-assembly

Another great area of improvement would be to paint the handrails, and if needed, the roofwalk. These items were often cast in black plastic, and not painted, no matter what the road scheme of the caboose was!

Compare this (different model) ICG caboose:

Notice that the color of the end railings, steps, and even the draft gear matches the body color of the caboose! This is one of the simplest “fix ups” you can do with your equipment to eliminate the “toy like” appearance that is, or thankfully I can say, was, a common occurrence in the hobby for many years.

The color does not have to exactly match the body color for many reasons, such as repairs, aging of the body or railing paint, application of “safety” colors (such as white or yellow). A reasonably close mix can often be made, to avoid repainting and re-lettering the entire car. Additionally, weathering makes a wonderful disguise for the variations in color or finish, or to hide any minor mistakes that might happen during the modifications or decorating.

While doing these paint “fix ups”, don’t forget your other rolling stock. Some freight cars may have minor accessories that can benefit from the paint touch up, one of the most common being roof walk, draft gear box, or brake wheels.

Case in point:

I painted the end platforms and ladder assemblies of this Minitrix body to demonstrate the improvement it can make; compare the results to the Illinois Central car of my project, and the prototype photo above.

Re-attach any details, and sit back and admire your work. That wasn't so bad, was it?

A view of a completed model; hopefully you can see the difference!

Note: I originally wrote this for an N-Scale community site several years ago. The abundance of better quality models has made this kind of project less appealing for some, but there is no reason why any modeller should be afraid to make simple modifications to rolling stock, especially if it helps them reach a particular goal, such as an unusual or unavailable prototype. These older caboose models can often be purchased on line or at model train and toy sales, and I as I mentioned, are great "first" projects to gain confidence on. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me (you may need to register first) if you have any questions.

N-joy!

Lighting N-Scale Passenger Cars; two options compared

We often discuss the advantages of lighting out passenger cars, so I took the opportunity to compare two of the simplest "out of the box" options in two Chicago and North Western sleepers:


Kato vs Easy Peasy (ala Rapido Trains):

Both cars lighted with flash; a slightly better effect from the Kato car on the left...


Kato lit car:

The Kato lighting strip with approximately fourteen volts of power; roughly what you would expect on DCC


Rapido "Easy Peasy" lit car:

Barely visible in a couple of windows; no improvement is available...


Kato vs Rapido lit:

Both cars lit side by side; what you would see in the operation of the cars...


Both options use a similar method; LED lighting conducted through a clear plastic strip with bevelled areas to deflect light into the car. The Kato method uses track power conducted through the wheels. The Easy Peasy method is self-contained, and battery powered. The EP method is more reliable, as you don't black outs when you lose track power top the car. But since the power is collected off of every wheel, it is a limited problem, unless the track is dirty.


IMHO the Kato method wins, though I may look into a EP hybrid, with brighter, and more frequent, LEDS in a car or two.

A place for all that "Other Stuff"

In the coming weeks I'll be moving some of my advice projects from other locations to this one. Anything that doesn't fit perfectly into another place, such as locomotive conversions, coupler conversions, model "purifications", and structure projets will be featured.

Stay tuned...