Isn’t it amazing how tools will run and hide right in the middle of a project?
That’s cool. I wonder why they made such a great model, but didn’t have it at the correct height.
Fantastic Kevin! I think I’ll be doing this to my cars before too long. The gap between the bolster and end sheet has always bugged me and this would also provide a good opertunity to fill that. We’ll see if I’m able to resist fixing the brake plumbing at the same time.
That mounting post definitely has a taper designed into it. I realized that when I was trying to flip the truck bolster to lower the car. A and W size drill bits, I’m impressed you have those!
Thanks so much for sharing your process. You’re right, it’s pretty simple. Crews at the Rocky Ridge loading tipple have been complaining about clearance issues so this will squelch that.
Are the wheelsets any better on these cars? It’s my only complaint about the accucraft cars. Aside from that they look great and it’s awesome to hear more product is being produced for largescale let alone 1:20!!!
T
Hey Terry, Not quite sure what you are wishing was better about the wheelsets.
The originals (1st run) were heavy steel (very magnetic) and had a shiny polished finish. The flanges were not fine scale but also not ridiculously deep like some that are out there. I felt is was just the right compromise. About the only thing I didn’t like on the originals aside from the finish was that they scale out a bit too large for 24" wheels that the EBT used.
The new (2nd run) wheel set are identical in every way except that they now have a very nice blacked finish which will make weathering them much easier. If you wanted to model a brand new truck out of the shop You might get away with not doing anything to it.
Did that answer it?
Randy a bit too large as in…? They should be 1 3/16th across the treads, for 24 inch wheels in 1:20.3.
David Maynard said:
That’s cool. I wonder why they made such a great model, but didn’t have it at the correct height.
There are some other peculiarities with this car as well–minor, and easily overlooked by anyone who didn’t spend a whole bunch of time climbing over, under, and through these cars, but peculiarities nonetheless. They asked me for my input when they had the pilot model available, and I gave them photos of details I thought should be changed, and correct artwork for the herald and car data font. They used some, didn’t use others. (Oddly, they used the correct artwork for the herald, but not the car data.)
In all practicality, though, none of this really detracts from the model. When Bachmann’s 2-bay first came out, I bought one and meticulously went over it, correcting all the little things they got wrong.
(Link to directory of photos showing modifications, etc.)
It wasn’t too long before I had another Bachmann hopper, and when I looked at both of them out in the garden, I couldn’t tell one from the other! While frustrating on one front that they (and likewise Accucraft) didn’t follow the prototype as faithfully as they could have, the net result is that it’s not remotely a dealbreaker. That was the only hopper for which I did an extensive re-work. I think my first 3-bay from Accucraft got the “C” channels replaced with lengths of rail and the air pipe run along the outside. The rest just got repainted with new lettering and weathered. I decided that it wasn’t worth the time futzing with stuff that I didn’t stand out when comparing one to the next.
As much as I poke fun at Accucraft for its similarities to the Bachmann 2-bay hopper, both models are very close to the prototype overall, and the similar details between the two make mixing them in a train very easy. Neither stands out from the other, which is as it should be.
Later,
K
Sadly, they will not be coming to yUK.
This is nothing new, folks.
tac
Mount Disappointment and Lake Gloom RR
Sounds like an excuse to travel to this side of the pond tac!
Steve, as you know all too well, we’ll be over in March for the York show, but my baggage allowance would definitely NOT stretch that far.
Already mrs tac is muttering about me signing a promisory note NOT to buy ANYTHING train-related while we are there. She’s one HARD woman, I tell ya.
tac
CdF Mont Miserie et Lac des Larmes
tac Foley said:
Already mrs tac is muttering about me signing a promisory note NOT to buy ANYTHING train-related while we are there. She’s one HARD woman, I tell ya.
Well just make sure Ig has his allowance money with him and he can do the shopping for you. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
David Maynard said:
. . .
That’s cool. I wonder why they made such a great model, but didn’t have it at the correct height.
Nice photos Kevin.
I recall when Geoff (Ringle) and I got our sets we did replace the wheels - Geoff is a stickler for scale appearance and he got a deal on a bulk purchase. We also found the trucks needed removing and inspecting, as Randy found they aren’t always assembled correctly. We found a few loose screws, etc.
We lowered them by sanding down the top of the truck bolster on a belt sander, while we had them off the car. Having an RYM brass hopper sitting next to them made it easy to compare them.
Finally, one last piece of data to complete Randy’s info about the 2-bay hoppers. EBT bought the original 2-bay hoppers from PSC and they came with archbar trucks. However, they were longer than the latter 2-bays modelled by bachmann, but shorter than the EBT-made 2/3-bay hoppers. (Haven’t got my book handy to tell you the difference - Kevin would know.) When EBT started making them at the long size, they were unstable so they added the 3rd bay in the middle to drop the CoG a little.
See I didn’t know that. I thought all of the EBT hoppers were PSC cars. And I didn’t know that they had shorter 2 bay cars. So maybe the LGB cars aren’t that wrong after all. Except of course that they have the latter hearold on the older 2 bay cars.
Interestingly, when you compare them, the later 2-bays modelled by Bachmann are actually the two ends of a 3-bay hopper. See attached pic which I did when they came out - a 3-bay and a 1-bay from 2 of the 2-bays.
Cool Pete. And I am doing the opposite with the Bachmann big hauler 3 bays hoppers. I am making 2 bay hoppers out of them.
Pete Thornton said:
Interestingly, when you compare them, the later 2-bays modelled by Bachmann are actually the two ends of a 3-bay hopper. See attached pic which I did when they came out - a 3-bay and a 1-bay from 2 of the 2-bays.
Pete
Great work
Ever think of doing the 4 bay from two 2 bays. Its on my long list of things to do someday.
Stan