Date
1 - 5 of 5
Steam Era Freight Car - HO Scale
... as in this -model- might have been around when steam
was still running ... *W*
I have a really old, all metal, Mantua flat car that actually
has pretty fair detail and well done paint and decals. But it
has the really old style Kadees that have a long, narrow,
rectangular slot in the coupler shank instead of a round hole
like a #5 or #58. The paint on this car is nice enough that
I think I'll try to rescue it. The biggest problem is that it
doesn't have a real coupler pocket like a more modern
HO car has - it has a rectangular hole in the end frame and
a hole in the fishbelly center sill - but no "pocket". So the
coupler doesn't sit "flat" it runs uphill towards the end of
the car. I'd really like to mount a standard Kadee box.
The current coupler is mounted with a screw and washer
thru the slot and no centering/buffer springs - crude but it
works ... sort of - nothing to center it if it off line. The
existing 'pocket' is considerably smaller than the size of a
Kadee box ... but the end frame seems to be cast metal
and can be "opened up" with a little care ...
Anybody ever tried to file/mill away the coupler pocket
and install a traditional Kadee on one of these? Can be done?
Don't even go there?
- Jim in San Jose
was still running ... *W*
I have a really old, all metal, Mantua flat car that actually
has pretty fair detail and well done paint and decals. But it
has the really old style Kadees that have a long, narrow,
rectangular slot in the coupler shank instead of a round hole
like a #5 or #58. The paint on this car is nice enough that
I think I'll try to rescue it. The biggest problem is that it
doesn't have a real coupler pocket like a more modern
HO car has - it has a rectangular hole in the end frame and
a hole in the fishbelly center sill - but no "pocket". So the
coupler doesn't sit "flat" it runs uphill towards the end of
the car. I'd really like to mount a standard Kadee box.
The current coupler is mounted with a screw and washer
thru the slot and no centering/buffer springs - crude but it
works ... sort of - nothing to center it if it off line. The
existing 'pocket' is considerably smaller than the size of a
Kadee box ... but the end frame seems to be cast metal
and can be "opened up" with a little care ...
Anybody ever tried to file/mill away the coupler pocket
and install a traditional Kadee on one of these? Can be done?
Don't even go there?
- Jim in San Jose
Doug Brown <brown194@...>
The "coupler box" is made for the original Mantua loop coupler. It was
suspended from the end sill rect. hole and the screw holding the loop
and hook. The slope in the underframe was to allow the hook to be raised
to uncouple. The screw also held the underframe to the floor. The trucks
mounted to the underfrane casting. You should be able to unscrew the
couplers and trucks, remove the underframe, cut the underframe sloped
ends to make room for coupler boxes, mount the couplers (they may stick
out a little like a cushioned sill), glue the underframe (with Goo (tm)
or equivalent) to the floor and put the trucks back on.
Steam was still running when the last of these were made.
Doug Brown
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
suspended from the end sill rect. hole and the screw holding the loop
and hook. The slope in the underframe was to allow the hook to be raised
to uncouple. The screw also held the underframe to the floor. The trucks
mounted to the underfrane casting. You should be able to unscrew the
couplers and trucks, remove the underframe, cut the underframe sloped
ends to make room for coupler boxes, mount the couplers (they may stick
out a little like a cushioned sill), glue the underframe (with Goo (tm)
or equivalent) to the floor and put the trucks back on.
Steam was still running when the last of these were made.
Doug Brown
-----Original Message-----
From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] On Behalf Of
Jim Betz
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 7:09 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: [STMFC] Steam Era Freight Car - HO Scale
... as in this -model- might have been around when steam
was still running ... *W*
I have a really old, all metal, Mantua flat car that actually
has pretty fair detail and well done paint and decals. But it
has the really old style Kadees that have a long, narrow,
rectangular slot in the coupler shank instead of a round hole
like a #5 or #58. The paint on this car is nice enough that
I think I'll try to rescue it. The biggest problem is that it
doesn't have a real coupler pocket like a more modern
HO car has - it has a rectangular hole in the end frame and
a hole in the fishbelly center sill - but no "pocket". So the
coupler doesn't sit "flat" it runs uphill towards the end of
the car. I'd really like to mount a standard Kadee box.
The current coupler is mounted with a screw and washer
thru the slot and no centering/buffer springs - crude but it
works ... sort of - nothing to center it if it off line. The
existing 'pocket' is considerably smaller than the size of a
Kadee box ... but the end frame seems to be cast metal
and can be "opened up" with a little care ...
Anybody ever tried to file/mill away the coupler pocket
and install a traditional Kadee on one of these? Can be done?
Don't even go there?
- Jim in San
Jose
Yahoo! Groups Links
From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] On Behalf Of
Jim Betz
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 7:09 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: [STMFC] Steam Era Freight Car - HO Scale
... as in this -model- might have been around when steam
was still running ... *W*
I have a really old, all metal, Mantua flat car that actually
has pretty fair detail and well done paint and decals. But it
has the really old style Kadees that have a long, narrow,
rectangular slot in the coupler shank instead of a round hole
like a #5 or #58. The paint on this car is nice enough that
I think I'll try to rescue it. The biggest problem is that it
doesn't have a real coupler pocket like a more modern
HO car has - it has a rectangular hole in the end frame and
a hole in the fishbelly center sill - but no "pocket". So the
coupler doesn't sit "flat" it runs uphill towards the end of
the car. I'd really like to mount a standard Kadee box.
The current coupler is mounted with a screw and washer
thru the slot and no centering/buffer springs - crude but it
works ... sort of - nothing to center it if it off line. The
existing 'pocket' is considerably smaller than the size of a
Kadee box ... but the end frame seems to be cast metal
and can be "opened up" with a little care ...
Anybody ever tried to file/mill away the coupler pocket
and install a traditional Kadee on one of these? Can be done?
Don't even go there?
- Jim in San
Jose
Yahoo! Groups Links
Schuyler Larrabee
Jim, your description of the coupler itself is a Kadee No 4. Properly housed in a proper pocket, it is, IMHO, a much better
coupler than a No 5, or 58. However, you don't seem to have the pocket it requires.
In your position, I'd look for some 78's, which are the Kadee scale coupler with a scale draft gear box. Or at least as close
to scale as you're going to get for now. It does require mounting with screws, so you'd have to be careful with the hole for
that, and not drill up through the floor on the flat car.
What about the trucks and wheels?
SGL
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
coupler than a No 5, or 58. However, you don't seem to have the pocket it requires.
In your position, I'd look for some 78's, which are the Kadee scale coupler with a scale draft gear box. Or at least as close
to scale as you're going to get for now. It does require mounting with screws, so you'd have to be careful with the hole for
that, and not drill up through the floor on the flat car.
What about the trucks and wheels?
SGL
-----Original Message-----
From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] On
Behalf Of Jim Betz
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 8:09 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: [STMFC] Steam Era Freight Car - HO Scale
... as in this -model- might have been around when steam
was still running ... *W*
I have a really old, all metal, Mantua flat car that
actually has pretty fair detail and well done paint and
decals. But it has the really old style Kadees that have a
long, narrow, rectangular slot in the coupler shank instead
of a round hole like a #5 or #58. The paint on this car is
nice enough that I think I'll try to rescue it. The biggest
problem is that it doesn't have a real coupler pocket like a
more modern HO car has - it has a rectangular hole in the end
frame and a hole in the fishbelly center sill - but no
"pocket". So the coupler doesn't sit "flat" it runs uphill
towards the end of the car. I'd really like to mount a
standard Kadee box.
The current coupler is mounted with a screw and washer thru
the slot and no centering/buffer springs - crude but it works
... sort of - nothing to center it if it off line. The
existing 'pocket' is considerably smaller than the size of a
Kadee box ... but the end frame seems to be cast metal and
can be "opened up" with a little care ...
Anybody ever tried to file/mill away the coupler pocket
and install a traditional Kadee on one of these? Can be done?
Don't even go there?
-
Jim in San Jose
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
--------------------~--> Help save the life of a child.
Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.'
http://us.click.yahoo.com/6iY7fA/5WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/9MtolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------
------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
Anthony Thompson <thompson@...>
Jim Betz wrote:
Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2942 Linden Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history
I have a really old, all metal, Mantua flat car that actuallySure. Just check carefully first to find out what height the milled-off portion needs to be from the rail so your new coupler will work right.
has pretty fair detail and well done paint and decals. But it
has the really old style Kadees . . .
Anybody ever tried to file/mill away the coupler pocket
and install a traditional Kadee on one of these? Can be done?
Don't even go there?
Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2942 Linden Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history
First - thanks to all of you for your posts on this topic! Your help
makes it easy to go forward.
1) The trucks and wheels are fairly new plastic and plastic.
I'll be changing those out to something more appropriate.
Probably Kadees.
2) I hadn't tried to take anything apart yet - figured I'd ask a question
and get an answer from someone who had already owned one of
these cars - so the fact that the frame is held on with the coupler
screws is a -big- plus and will make doing the work a lot easier.
3) Since I have a mill I will probably use that for most of the work
on the frame - it should be a pretty easy 'kit bash' and I'll have a
nice model in no time. Won't be contest quality or anything to
take to the prototype modelers for show and tell ... but it should
run well and it looks good. The paint is all "very glossy factory
fresh" which makes no sense for my uses since I don't get to run
on layouts using a 30's theme ... but weathering is something I'm
very comfortable with ... *G*
makes it easy to go forward.
1) The trucks and wheels are fairly new plastic and plastic.
I'll be changing those out to something more appropriate.
Probably Kadees.
2) I hadn't tried to take anything apart yet - figured I'd ask a question
and get an answer from someone who had already owned one of
these cars - so the fact that the frame is held on with the coupler
screws is a -big- plus and will make doing the work a lot easier.
3) Since I have a mill I will probably use that for most of the work
on the frame - it should be a pretty easy 'kit bash' and I'll have a
nice model in no time. Won't be contest quality or anything to
take to the prototype modelers for show and tell ... but it should
run well and it looks good. The paint is all "very glossy factory
fresh" which makes no sense for my uses since I don't get to run
on layouts using a 30's theme ... but weathering is something I'm
very comfortable with ... *G*