Hello all, I’m in the process of a new layout but thought I’d share some of the kits the wife and had built for the old layout, which will find their way onto the new. One of these was in progress and the other was finished. The wife built the barn.
As I posted earlier, I was in the middle of rebuilding my Spectrum 4-6-0 after an ugly crash. I decided to dig through all my parts and scraps and junk to see if I could change it from a basher thrown together from both a 63" and 52" driver models. I had bought a couple other basket cases for parts over the years, and lo and behold, I had everything except the piping that goes from the cylinders to the smokebox. But I'll make that out of some wire. The moral of the story? Don't throw stuff out. Lol
Grey and Grandure 'Transferee Caboose / Transition Coupler Car' My first freight care kitbash attempt - 50 years. This is a long dreamed of project I just did not have the courage to try. Now in HO with olde Tyco caboose bought used. Being a UP made it even easier. Original: Testing the Fit. As antisipated cutting was the hardest part. You can see the 'cracks': It took a lot to get this far: (I don't know where my file is) Empty gift card being used for 'decking'. Current Status: Toos: Exaxto Raser saw Exacto knife Exacto Miter box (way too small) Empty gift cards Camera on phone for close up looks. Note: The 'coupler transition' is because I have both old horn hook and new knuckle couplers. All comments invited: Question: What glue(s) shouild I use? The 'weight' won't fit. Any suggestions? Ideally using something I might have around the house?
Nice project. I found that pennies make great weights that can be easily tailored to the amount needed to bring it up to NMRA specs (up here in Canuckia, they're no longer produced nor accepted anywhere). They weigh roughly 2 grams each, and I secure them to the car floor with hot glue. They're great until one runs out of them... You will want to fill in the gaps between your two body sections too. Modeling putty is a good choice, but you could use epoxy to glue the two parts together while filling in the gaps. A bit of careful filing to reduce the irregularities would help too. And you're giving me ideas. I have at least one of those El Cheapo train set vans laying around somewhere waiting to be a victim of some sort of mad scientist experiment... Keep it up, and most of all, have fun doing it.
Did something similar with this project. I never throw anything modeling-wise away. Its not a transition car, but is the same bashed caboose concept.
@Mike VE2TRV Great advice and have fun with your 'van'. @gjslsffan Great looking caboose This one was just for 'practice'. The next one is a red Santa Fe. Weight: This caboose will only have to shove 4 cars at a time at most but some will be up a 4% grade. Short trains and a heavy loco.
Tom, that's brilliant. I have a couple MoW cars similar to that, and a bunch of recently acquired barrels, crates, and other things. I may just take a swing at filling those cars with something that looks like useful tools. Thanks.
Update: I now have a promise from family members to give my 2 pennies each. This way they can say....wait for it.....wait for it ... ... ... They gave their 2 cents worth. On a Very weighty issue And I accepted it //Bad Steve,
Ugh. I might also note that, many years ago, I acquired a small box full of small threaded nuts at a yard sale or auction. I have WAY more than I'll ever use as hardware, but I have often used them as weights in freight cars. The same applies to a lifetime collection of large leftover washers and other hardware. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
@Pastor John Good idea. I do have a box of hardware I never thow out but some got left behind in Boston. Wonder if I can find it. Hope you like what I did with the caboose so far, (was it from you?). I've had 3 suppliers of used equipment so I'm not sure who sent what.
Now that's super cool! I don't throw away anything potentially useful for modeling either. Ya never know! groan...
Up Next: 'Transfer Caboose II' Currently in planning state. Correcting mistakes and applying newly learned techniques. Sneak Preview: Playing with paint schemes and planning 'Cutting Jigs". I'm going for: Grey to the Left A diagonal white stripe (highervisibility to me) 'Grandure Green', (most likely a dark green), to the right.
@gjslsffan Any chance we can get a better look at the depressed center flat car and load? Edit: Oh, and can you tell me about your body mounted coupler? Is there a brand / part number etc?
Thanks you Sir. Thanks Mike! Sure. It is an old craftsman type metal kit and a modified Bachmann transformer. As far as body mounted couplers, I dont have any that arent body mounted. If converting from talgo to body mount there are a number of different coupler boxes, or draft gear boxes that will work, KD has a few, Moloco has a few, Details West has several, there are many different styles and makes out there. I use KD metal type couplers, for dependable, trouble free years of operation. KD also makes shims to lower the draft gear if needed and washers to lift the car to adjust heights as needed.
Along the same line of tiny bashes, here is a boom tender for my 120 ton crane. It is part MDC flat car, part Athearn gondola with caboose end step platforms, again loaded with stuff you would need for tending the boom. Below is part of the QA&P derrick/work train.
Oooooo nice!!! So many ideas... My brain is getting so stuffed with modeling/kitbashing ideas, it's like being ADHD on a sugar buzz...
I've done a few conversions from truck mount to body mount by cutting off the truck's draft gear box, and mounting Kadee #5s with draft gear boxes on the body with styrene shims to get the right height.
