(http://burlrice.com/_LS_Coupler/AARtypeE_doubleshelf1.jpg)
(http://burlrice.com/_LS_Coupler/AARtypeE_doubleshelf2.jpg)
The first production castings of the double shelf coupler have arrived. Everything looks good so far. Now to get them on some rolling stock…
NICE!!(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)
How heavy are these?
With metal wheels you will have a nicely weighted car!
I’m wondering how much weight if the trucks were also metal?
The weight of the patterns for the regular couplers was 17 grams (one coupler). I would expect the double shelf couplers to be slightly heavier, assuming the brass for the production castings has the about the same density as the brass that was used in the patterns.
The truck sideframes could be cast in brass, but they would be much more expensive than the resin I currently use. I estimate they’d be around 200 grams for all four sideframes.
The bolsters would be unmanufacturable the way I am printing them with the brake gear all connected. They could be separated into castable pieces, but again, then the price goes up dramatically to do them in metal.
Any chance of buying some of these couplers of you???
Burl, that cool that you have an ACI tag generator on your site. I thought I was the only fool that was trying to make accurate ACI plates.
If one was genuinely crazy, one would make an ACI scanner.
Burl Rice said:
If one was genuinely crazy, one would make an ACI scanner.
Not really, but a camera and a bit of software on an Arduino would be fairly cheap and easy. Paging Dave Bodnar, Dave Bodnar to the white courtesy phone please.
Burl Rice said:
If one was genuinely crazy, one would make an ACI scanner.
Burl, maybe after more of my cars are tagged.
No, the stripes that look orange are not orange. That’s just the way JPEG compression tends to mess up some things.
I even printed accurate ACI tags for an HO hopper I rebuilt.
Not as crazy as an actual working ACI scanner…but I did make accurate ACI tags for some of my Microsoft Train Sim equipment. So that might be a little crazy (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)
Well, on the crazy side of the equation, I have a scratch-built, wooden, narrow gauge, boxcar, I have a set of ACI tags printed for. Once I finally get it lettered, I will hang those tags on it. So, it will be tagged about 70 to 80 years ahead of time, since its an 1890’s car. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Its one of those “I want to do it, just to see if anybody notices” kind of things. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-sealed.gif)
You will have to keep the ACI tags spotless for them to work. Why not do the AEI tag, instead. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-innocent.gif)(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
Steve: I’m pretty sure that’s why the 1:1 railroads gave up on ACI too.
Burl, yes that is correct.
Steve, the AEI tag is just a little gray hickey bolted to the frame. Not much visual interest there. Besides, I grew up with the Penn Central creping trains past my backyard. And all the cars back then had those colourful plates bolted to them. I like the look of them, and now that I know what they are, and what they are for, it only makes them more interesting to me.
OK< since this has devolved into ACI talk here’s a picture of the wall behind me in my computer room.
The guy I helped stencil his DT&I caboose gave me one of the ACI plates off his caboose so I chose to display it this way.
Oh, thats just too cool
David Maynard said:
Burl, yes that is correct.
Steve, the AEI tag is just a little gray hickey bolted to the frame. Not much visual interest there. Besides, I grew up with the Penn Central creping trains past my backyard. And all the cars back then had those colourful plates bolted to them. I like the look of them, and now that I know what they are, and what they are for, it only makes them more interesting to me.
I understand that the AEI is just a gray doohickey attached to the car. Its the electronics, man, the electronics! Imagine having a working AEI on your layout! Dave Bodner, this is in your wheelhouse. We’re waiting. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)
I got two pairs of couplers from Burl and they look amazing.
