The Modelers Thread
Re: The Modelers Thread
Well maybe I’ll be inspired to at least fit it with some kadees and add it to the fleet 
- Rufus T. Firefly
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Re: The Modelers Thread
gregj410 wrote:Well maybe I’ll be inspired to at least fit it with some kadees and add it to the fleet
Should be relatively simple. Show it here when you get to it.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It also gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms, trust issues, and a dark sense of humor.
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Re: The Modelers Thread
Painted...........
Last edited by Rufus T. Firefly on Tue Jul 04, 2023 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It also gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms, trust issues, and a dark sense of humor.
Re: The Modelers Thread
Does the wire run through your queens post or do you glue it on the side ?
I spend entirely too many hours a day tying my shoes
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Re: The Modelers Thread
robert. wrote:Does the wire run through your queens post or do you glue it on the side ?
One, it's not wire but #0 braided surgical silk.
Two, when it's installed it's a single length of surgical silk that runs through the car underbody 4 times; under the bolster, though the ends, over the needlebeams, adding a turnbuckle casting with each passage, all under tension anchored in place by the nbw castings put into place in the ends to act as the ends of the truss rods.
Three, after everything is dried and set, then the surgical silk is lifted up onto the queenposts with the turnbuckles placed centrally. Only after that is the excess external surgical silk removed outside of the ends.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It also gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms, trust issues, and a dark sense of humor.
Re: The Modelers Thread
Thread sounds better than wire. Wore forgiving. No kinks.
I spend entirely too many hours a day tying my shoes
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Re: The Modelers Thread
robert. wrote:Thread sounds better than wire. Wore forgiving. No kinks.
It's far easier to work with to make truss rods that give every appearance of running through the ends sills. I've done brass wire for that; more tedious.
Only end point visual advantage is that there is a gap in the turnbuckles with wire instead of the thread being there. I don't worry about that unless I'm building for a contest and feel like getting serious.....which is pretty rare now.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It also gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms, trust issues, and a dark sense of humor.
Re: The Modelers Thread
I’m having second thoughts about working with this vat car. The screw that attaches the body to the frame may interfere with a kadee coupler. The kadees will need to be shimmed for sure to work on the underside of the car. Then you have the gaudy red hatches and walk boards on the roof. Not sure the effort to correct what’s wrong will be worth the returns.




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- Rufus T. Firefly
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Re: The Modelers Thread
gregj410 wrote:The screw that attaches the body to the frame may interfere with a kadee coupler.
That large one in the ends? Maybe attaching the body some other way?
Then you have the gaudy red hatches and walk boards on the roof.
Rattle can of brown primer?
Not sure the effort to correct what’s wrong will be worth the returns.
All you can do is address the cosmetic appearance to your liking.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It also gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms, trust issues, and a dark sense of humor.
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Re: The Modelers Thread
A bit of weathering.....
Last edited by Rufus T. Firefly on Tue Jul 04, 2023 9:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It also gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms, trust issues, and a dark sense of humor.
Re: The Modelers Thread
Looks really cool. I often think 3 rail is my training for 2 rail. No pun intended. I’ve learned so much along the way. Ultimately I’d love to eventually land in 2 rail but I’m currently just too steeped in 3 rail.
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Re: The Modelers Thread
gregj410 wrote:...............I’m currently just too steeped in 3 rail.
I know more than a few ex-3-rail modelers that dumped it all to finance the move to 2-rail.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It also gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms, trust issues, and a dark sense of humor.
Re: The Modelers Thread
Rufus T. Firefly wrote:gregj410 wrote:The screw that attaches the body to the frame may interfere with a kadee coupler.
That large one in the ends? Maybe attaching the body some other way? I was able to navigate around thatThen you have the gaudy red hatches and walk boards on the roof.
I was able to remove the hatches. The running board will have to get masked off and painted in place
Rattle can of brown primer?
Yes! You’ve inspired me!Not sure the effort to correct what’s wrong will be worth the returns.
Let’s hope!
All you can do is address the cosmetic appearance to your liking.
Less than happy with how far the box thingy sticks out




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Re: The Modelers Thread
gregj410 wrote:Less than happy with how far the box thingy sticks outhowever the frame was dished out where the trucks are mounted and it wanted to hit that part. Maybe kadee makes a shorter one. Less than stellar but I think I’ll like it.
Hmmmm........couple of things....
Looks like the trucks are too far out board; probably done to accommodate 3 rail coupler mounted trucks and then part of the end sills are missing probably for the same reason. To make this right you probably need to move the trucks in board at least a scale foot and onto bolsters that lower the entire body. That might lower the end enough for mounting the coupler which if the trucks are moved back, then the coupler box can be moved back. KD also makes a short box coupler.....806? You;d have to check.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It also gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms, trust issues, and a dark sense of humor.
Re: The Modelers Thread
Ok. That makes sense, thank you. I think I have something that’s working here but it ain’t pretty underneath
On the underside where the bolster mounts to the frame it has a concave shape. The coupler gear box was hitting that concave area. I had to grind out what looked like a half moon from that area. That allowed the gear box to move back, however I had to shim the heck out of it to get it low enough. By dumb luck I was able to move the trucks in on the body, maybe a bit to far albeit, but it’ll have to do for now. Now for some weathering.



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On the underside where the bolster mounts to the frame it has a concave shape. The coupler gear box was hitting that concave area. I had to grind out what looked like a half moon from that area. That allowed the gear box to move back, however I had to shim the heck out of it to get it low enough. By dumb luck I was able to move the trucks in on the body, maybe a bit to far albeit, but it’ll have to do for now. Now for some weathering.



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