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Re: Photo: Tank Cars At National Zinc Separating Company Plant

erieblt2
 

I thank Bob for his work, and hope he will continue. His intro is sufficient to have me evaluate what the photo is about, and to decide if I will check it out. We all do get a lot of email and have to make choices. Thanks again Bob for your research. Bill S
Re: Photo: Tank Cars At National Zinc Separating Company Plant

Bob Chaparro
 

Hi, George -
This group to a large extent is an information sharing group and that is what I am doing.
I receive many, many private messages thanking me for the photo links.
If the information is available I include the year, the railroad and the car type to allow folks to find the link at a later time.
I also include the information so that those not interested can skip the message post.
Does that seem reasonable to you?
Bob Chaparro
Hemet, CA
B&O N-12 Hopper Truck

Scott Seders
 

I am building a batch of Funaro B&O N-12 hoppers. I know very little about trucks. Can someone recommend a high quality truck that matches the trucks on the car in the attached photo?

Thanks,
D. Scott Seders
Managing Editor
B&O HS - B&O Modeler
Re: Intermountain underframes

Tony Thompson
 

Actually, Ron, it’s vises.
Tony Thom


On Jul 24, 2020, at 6:45 PM, Todd Sullivan via groups.io <sullivant41@...> wrote:

Hi Ron,

I don't know what size trains you are running, or how much force is applied to your freight cars' draft gears, but I have used CA to bond coupler boxes on cars, and that has worked better than using Testor's styrene cement, especially on Intermountain cars.  Another possibility would be to use shorter screws to hold the draft gear boxes to the cars.  If the screws go in the holes snugly, and are just short of the combined thickness of the floor and draft gear box, you should be able to snug them up and they should hold.  I've used similar techniques and rarely have had a problem with things coming loose.

A story.  I used to know a sea kayaker who owned a pickup truck, and he used 3/4" hemp rope to tie his boats onto side stakes in his truck bed.  Just to make sure the rope was tight enough, he would wrap the rope around his waist and then hang off the side of the truck with his full weight, then finish tying the rope.  I watched the $2500 composite sea kayaks, weighing perhaps 60 lbs each, groan and deflect under the strain, and I was sure one would crack eventually.  I typically used 1/4" parachute cord to tie my similar kayaks down, pulled the cord reasonably taught before tying it off, and never had a problem with them coming loose.  There's an analogy in there somewhere ... maybe. 

Todd Sullivan

Re: Intermountain underframes

Jim Hayes
 

If you want to remove the roof. I've had good luck by putting the model in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then any part pops off easily with a #17 Exacto blade.

Jim
CORRECTED COPY Re: [RealSTMFC] NYC offset-side hopper (Sunshine Minikit)

Benjamin Hom
 

Phil asked:
"I missed out on the Sunshine minikit to model a NYC MDT hopper (similar to the USRA design but with offset sides). Does anyone know of a way to model this hopper? I will likely need at least two for my layout."

What scale?  I'm assuming HO since you mentioned Sunshine (AFAIK, their hopper minikits were for the AAR alternate standard offset, not the cars in question), and that the "MDT" hoppers were the 2,050 Lot 479-H, 533-H, 534-H, 535-H, and 539-H 30 ft 6 in IL offset twins built between 1924 and 1928.
http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/ccc&stl-88010.jpg
http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/lot-533.jpg

These are problematic in HO scale due to the dearth of decent starting points.  The only readily available mass produced offset hoppers with the stepped taper are Athearn quad and MDC triple.  Of these two, the Athearn model (or its AHM, Roco, or Tyco copies) is the better starting point.  It obviously needs to be shortened into a twin, the end supports need to be reworked, and the ladders removed and replaced with grabs.  This is a conversion I need to do as I'll need a few of these as well.

On the other hand, those modeling in S scale have had these hoppers offered by S Helper Service years ago.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/S-Helper-Service-01868-C-I-Offset-Hopper-1-1776-S-Scale/274314944121  


Ben Hom
Re: NYC offset-side hopper (Sunshine Minikit)

Todd Sullivan
 

Hi Ben,

I think you mean "shortened into a twin", not a quad.

Todd Sullivan
Re: Intermountain underframes

Todd Sullivan
 

Hi Ron,

I don't know what size trains you are running, or how much force is applied to your freight cars' draft gears, but I have used CA to bond coupler boxes on cars, and that has worked better than using Testor's styrene cement, especially on Intermountain cars.  Another possibility would be to use shorter screws to hold the draft gear boxes to the cars.  If the screws go in the holes snugly, and are just short of the combined thickness of the floor and draft gear box, you should be able to snug them up and they should hold.  I've used similar techniques and rarely have had a problem with things coming loose.

A story.  I used to know a sea kayaker who owned a pickup truck, and he used 3/4" hemp rope to tie his boats onto side stakes in his truck bed.  Just to make sure the rope was tight enough, he would wrap the rope around his waist and then hang off the side of the truck with his full weight, then finish tying the rope.  I watched the $2500 composite sea kayaks, weighing perhaps 60 lbs each, groan and deflect under the strain, and I was sure one would crack eventually.  I typically used 1/4" parachute cord to tie my similar kayaks down, pulled the cord reasonably taught before tying it off, and never had a problem with them coming loose.  There's an analogy in there somewhere ... maybe. 

Todd Sullivan
Re: Was Photo: URTX 5365 - Oscar Mayer Reefer / Now: Roof hatches

mopacfirst
 

Some HO model, perhaps a Sunshine, did have hatch covers formed of diamond plate, and a photo accompanied it to prove that this was correct.

But I would note that this plate was probably 1/8" thick at best, so it wouldn't be that heavy.  As far as I know, diamond plate, also known as diamond tread plate or checker plate, was and is never very thick.  It's advertised currently as 1/8" and 3/16" thick, and I doubt it could easily be rolled much thicker.

Ron Merrick
Re: NYC offset-side hopper (Sunshine Minikit)

Benjamin Hom
 

Phil asked:
"I missed out on the Sunshine minikit to model a NYC MDT hopper (similar to the USRA design but with offset sides). Does anyone know of a way to model this hopper? I will likely need at least two for my layout."

What scale?  I'm assuming HO since you mentioned Sunshine (AFAIK, their hopper minikits were for the AAR alternate standard offset, not the cars in question), and that the "MDT" hoppers were the 2,050 Lot 479-H, 533-H, 534-H, 535-H, and 539-H 30 ft 6 in IL offset twins built between 1924 and 1928.
http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/ccc&stl-88010.jpg
http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/lot-533.jpg

These are problematic in HO scale due to the dearth of decent starting points.  The only readily available mass produced offset hoppers with the stepped taper are Athearn quad and MDC triple.  Of these two, the Athearn model (or its AHM, Roco, or Tyco copies) is the better starting point.  It obviously needs to be shortened into a quad, the end supports need to be reworked, and the ladders removed and replaced with grabs.  This is a conversion I need to do as I'll need a few of these as well.

On the other hand, those modeling in S scale have had these hoppers offered by S Helper Service years ago.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/S-Helper-Service-01868-C-I-Offset-Hopper-1-1776-S-Scale/274314944121  


Ben Hom
Re: Intermountain underframes

mopacfirst
 

It gets better with the Intermountain.  On one car, I pried open the coupler pocket, pulled out the Kadee #5 and installed a pair of #158 I had, that had already been painted boxcar red.  Crude, but an easy fix.  The couplers still operate.
Yesterday I tackled a pair of UP cars.  I had some Kadee #158 with the #262 scale width coupler pockets, and a couple pair of more accurate trucks (Accurail "Bettendorf" with code 88 wheels) and painted them oxide red.  So today I pried off the entire Intermountain coupler box, which was easier than prying it open.  Then I went to tap the existing holes. because they were in the right place to mount the coupler box in the right location.  Wrooonnngggg --  turns out the RTR Intermountain cars have a steel weight firmly glued to the inside of the car floor, and the weight evidently extends from end to end.  I didn't disassemble the car to determine this, I just discovered that my tap won't go into the hole because of the steel weight blocking its path.  And the magnet test confirmed the weight is steel.  So I won't be drilling through it, not with hand drills in pin vice (vises?)  Sorry Tony, the plural of vise has to be something like "vice".
I would prefer to use a screw to hold the coupler box onto the car, but I'm thinking of using a brass rod of about the right size, cutting it to length (bottoming out in the hole and extending through the hole in the Kadee box, and using Shoe Goo or similar to attach the rod into the hole and the coupler box, which would at least sustain the draft forces of normal operation of these cars in a train.
Another thing I thought of is chiseling the roof off of these cars, removing the weight and installing a more typical weight in place of that steel weight, which would then allow me to thread that hole and attach the coupler box in a more secure manner.  Needless to say, this thought makes me a little queasy, but I've whacked the roof off an Intermountain pair of reefers before when it turned out that the wrong one was installed on each car.
Or I could put these cars in the driveway and run over them a few times, which is probably the most appropriate thing to do with them, since I have four more that need a similar treatment.
Seriously, any other suggestions?  Suggestions that don't involve leaving the installed, unpainted, #5 alone?

Ron Merrick
Re: Was Photo: URTX 5365 - Oscar Mayer Reefer / Now: Roof hatches

Douglas Harding
 

Jim an interesting detail, which I had not noticed before when looking at the photo. Thanks for pointing it out. I don’t recall seeing steel diamond plate used on ice hatches.

 

Doug Harding

www.iowacentralrr.org

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of np328
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2020 5:46 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: [RealSTMFC] Was Photo: URTX 5365 - Oscar Mayer Reefer / Now: Roof hatches

 

   Bob gave us the following link in msg 176179 
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM13658  

     And I may have missed this design in the books I quickly perused however - 
The roof hatches appear to be diamond tread overlay material, and the hefty beams to hold the open hatches could underscore that they are plate steel, however I cannot recall seeing these roof hatches prior, and the accompanying latches.  Wow can you imagine being in a hurry to open those, or worse yet pinch a finger when closing them. 
   Modeled by a foil overlay? 
    Can anyone provide a bit of enlightenment as to the design?                                                                                                    Thanks      Jim Dick - St. Paul, MN                

NYC offset-side hopper (Sunshine Minikit)

nyc3001 .
 

Hi guys,

I missed out on the Sunshine minikit to model a NYC MDT hopper (similar to the USRA design but with offset sides). Does anyone know of a way to model this hopper? I will likely need at least two for my layout.

Thanks,
Phil
Re: Photo: Tank Cars At National Zinc Separating Company Plant

George Eichelberger
 

A two-word Google search returned a site with a list of 6,824 railroad photos…and that only included the “A”s. Would it be more useful for someone to post individual links to each on the STMFC?
Re: Monon 3680

Jim Hayes
 

Andy, if you would include "(PHOTO)" in your subject, I could delete these without reading them like I do with most of Bob Chaparro's.
Jim

On Fri, Jul 24, 2020 at 4:16 PM Andy Carlson <midcentury@...> wrote:
Baby boomers of my age have a special understanding of the letter 'M'. My selection is the Monon with their funky gondola. Half way there!
Enjoy,
-Andy Carlson
Ojai CA
Inline image
Re: photo links (was Photo: Tank Cars At National Zinc Separating Company Plant)

O Fenton Wells
 

Schuyler is right on!!!!


On Fri, Jul 24, 2020 at 6:25 PM Schuyler Larrabee via groups.io <schuyler.larrabee=verizon.net@groups.io> wrote:

There is a key on every computer keyboard that says “Delete.”

 

If you don’t like the listings of freight car images from the many troves of images that have been brought to us, I suggest you make use of that key.

 

Your loss.

 

Schuyler

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Schleigh Mike via groups.io
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2020 5:51 PM
To: main@realstmfc.groups.io; main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] photo links (was Photo: Tank Cars At National Zinc Separating Company Plant)

 

Tim,

 

I am a bit surprised by this reaction.  It has never occurred to me that I was being made aware of online collections, but rather, freight cars.  Remember, those things that are in our group's title.  I for one am not interested in searching endlessly for images and I very much appreciate that someone else finds gems and posts them for me (all of us) to consider.  As for even pointing out what might draw our attention, that is not necessary.  There have been many serendipitous encounters for details, such as other freight cars in the background, that no one could guess my interest in having.  I have many photos now filed away that may be of future interest thanks to these being routinely posted.  I don't have time to search for or through archives so I find these postings often quite interesting and helpful.  Some generate sound and useful discussion, thank you!  I would miss them if they did not happen.  If they are of no interest, they are easily passed over.

 

I say, "Keep posting Freight Car images."

 

Mike Schleigh in summery Grove City, Penna.

 

On Friday, July 24, 2020, 05:00:20 PM EDT, Tim O'Connor <timboconnor@...> wrote:

 

 


I agree with George. It's GREAT to be made aware of online archival collections (Thank You!) but after
that, I think we're all capable of finding pictures we're interested in, on our own. Some of the web sites are
indeed wonderful.

Or start a BLOG somewhere that covers the era of interest (1920's 1940's whatever), and put the links
in there.

Unless the idea is to start a discussion - then at least tell us WHY our attention is being drawn to a photo
that any of us could find if we were looking around.



On 7/24/2020 4:41 PM, George Eichelberger wrote:

Might I suggest that RealSTMFC does not need to morph into a directory of photos on the Internet?
 


--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts



--
Fenton Wells
250 Frye Rd
Pinehurst NC 28374
910-420-8106
srrfan1401@...
Re: Illinois Terminal of Decatur, Illinois

Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
 


HI Andy,
 
Great weathering example!
 
Claus Schlund
 

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2020 7:10 PM
Subject: [RealSTMFC] Illinois Terminal of Decatur, Illinois

I have a model RR friend who lives in the home town of the IT. So this is my pick for "I". Enjoy it as much as I do.
-Andy Carlson
Ojai CA
Monon 3680

Andy Carlson
 

Baby boomers of my age have a special understanding of the letter 'M'. My selection is the Monon with their funky gondola. Half way there!
Enjoy,
-Andy Carlson
Ojai CA
Inline image
Illinois Terminal of Decatur, Illinois

Andy Carlson
 

I have a model RR friend who lives in the home town of the IT. So this is my pick for "I". Enjoy it as much as I do.
-Andy Carlson
Ojai CAInline image
Hammond Little River Redwood railway

Andy Carlson
 

This RR was home based on the spit separating North Humbold Bay, CA from the Pacific Ocean. The roundhouse and some other structures survive to this day and a young museum group is being quite active. I chose this RR almost out of luck, because there are few 'H' RRs. This shay has a log flat, which I believe to be a freight car.


Inline image

Thanks,
-Andy Carlson
Ojai CA
Ojai CA
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