eisenbahnstudio

I have been busy working on a few projects over the last weeks. The Rail Yard Models Penn Central X58 is painted and ready to be decaled – more on that in the final installment of the three-part X58 series. I am also preparing a couple of models of German prototype to take to the FREMO:87 meet in the Black Forest at the end of this month.

To finish these jobs, I needed a few last minute things so I checked out Caboose Hobbies in Denver because my local dealer couldn’t get a few items I had on backorder for weeks.

Caboose Hobbies claims to be the largest train store in the world – not sure if this is based on store square footage, inventory or annual sales. Their website design looks like it was last updated in 1999 and it is somewhat cumbersome to use. I managed to find my way around, though. After a little digging, it turns out that they do have a huge inventory and had everything I needed in stock. They were also able to combine three separate orders into one shipment when I kept remembering things I needed to add. A quick call to their store also revealed that they are very friendly.

Stay tuned for some pics next week and go check out that largest train store.

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A couple of weeks ago, a reader from Germany sent me a few links about weathering cars. One of them was the website of Mellow Mike, which I had visited and bookmarked years ago. If you have never heard of Mellow Mike, make sure you check out his extensive photo gallery of artfully weathered freight cars many of them with custom graffiti. You won’t believe your eyes.

Speaking of graffiti… The same day I got the email from Germany, I picked up an awesome book at the The New York Public Library called Freight Train Graffiti. The book is a great resource for any modeler interested in weathering American freight cars of the modern era. On over 300 pages and more than 1,000 photos, it chronicles the development of freight car graffiti.

Many of the images are close-ups of the artwork but there are also numerous larger images that show rust and weathering patterns on entire cars that can serve as inspiration for your own modeling. I just ordered a used copy and look forward to doing some perfectly legal freight car graffiti of my own.

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Yesterday afternoon, I ventured out to Brooklyn to check out another train store. The trip on the Culver Line was a lot longer than expected because we were re-routed due to construction. When I finally got to Ditmas Avenue, I was utterly disappointed to find Train World closed.

Is this store open?

I walked past the store thinking that this may just be the loading dock and the store is located around the corner, but at the last minute I decided to try the door anyway. To my surprise, it was unlocked and I found the store open after all.

Inside, a few employees were busy working the phones taking orders and I took a quick look around. The store is well stocked with material in variety of gauges and judging by their flyer they must have much more inventory than what is on display in the showroom. They did have a few PROTO 2000 Penn Central engines but I wasn’t ready to buy anything yet. Prices are decent so the chances are good that I will be back. Can’t make it to Brooklyn? Visit Train World online.

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I have taken the last few weeks off from modeling because I was finishing up some coursework. With my class completed, it’s time to turn my attention back to my Rail Yard Models Penn Central X58 project. Today, I am installing a pair of Kadee® Barber® S-2 70 ton trucks outfitted with PROTO:87 wheels, the end platforms, handbrake and the Sergent couplers.

The Kadee® trucks look good and even better with with the PROTO wheels. They have a working suspension, which is pretty cool even though the springs look a little too large. Check out the difference between the factory-installed RP25 wheels and the PROTO wheels. There is no way I am going back to RP25…

Barber® S-2 70 ton trucks with RP25 and PROTO:87 wheels. (click to enlarge)

The hole in the Kadee® trucks is too small to fit over the pin under the X58. A #30 (3.3 mm) drill bit will widen the hole just enough. When installing the trucks, make sure that the screws aren’t too tight so that the trucks can still move freely under the car.

The hole in the trucks needs to be widened to fit under the X58.

So far the X58 project went quite well – until it was time to install the end platforms. Bending the platforms just right was a problem and I messed up a few of them in the process. Gene Fusco from Rail Yard Models sent me updated instructions to better illustrate the shaping of the parts, which did help me in my final attempt.

During installation, I also had trouble fitting the parts over the alignment pins on the car. The urethane body is pretty soft and the pins got damaged in the process. Eventually, I decided to completely remove them and install the platforms using scale screw imitations instead.  I shaved off the remains of the pins using an X-acto knife and drilled holes with a #79 (0.37 mm) bit in their place. Then I mounted the platforms with the scale screws, which also makes them feel sturdier.

Preparing the X58 for the installation of the end platforms.

B end with with handbrake and end platform installed.

As a last step, I installed the draft gear with the Sergent couplers prepared a few weeks ago. Looks nice doesn’t it?

The Sergent couplers are installed and the car is ready to be painted.

In part III, I am going paint and decal the car.

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In addition to using PROTO:87 wheels on the Rail Yard Models Penn Central X58, I am substituting the Kadee #78 with Sergent scale couplers. The Sergent couplers and the coupler pockets need to be modified slightly to work together. It’s quite easy but takes little time.

Required tools and materials

• Sergent EC87A assembled die cast AAR type E couplers with compatible shank*
• Sergent AFC precision cast EC87K assembly fixture
• needle file
• X-Acto knife
• fine sand paper
• digital caliper

Modifying the coupler

Start by putting a Sergent coupler in the assembly fixture. I found that using the fixture minimizes side to side movement and makes working on the coupler much easier.

Take a needle file and start thinning the shaft. Turn the coupler over on occasion to make sure that an equal amount of material is taken away from both top and bottom.

Unmodified Sergent coupler in assembly fixture. (click to enlarge)

Sergent recommends to thin the coupler shank to 0.057″ (1.45 mm). Use a digital caliper to check the thickness from time to time. The modified coupler should look like this:

Sergent coupler with thinned shaft.

Fitting the coupler in the pocket

To fit the coupler in the Kadee #78 pocket, Sergent recommends to widen the hole to 0.135″ (3.43 mm) with a tapered reamer until it fits over the mounting post. I found that widening the hole is not necessary. Instead, I forced the coupler over the mounting post and subsequently chiseled off the sides so that the coupler is able to move freely on the post.

Modified Sergent coupler in the open X58 Kadee #78 pocket.

Next, fit the cover over the coupler pocket. You should be able to close the pocket without applying force. When the pocket is closed, the coupler should still move freely. Hold the pocket sideways and check if the coupler falls by sheer gravity. If it doesn’t, thin the shank some more.

Complete draft gear with Sergent coupler.

As a last step, insert the spring that comes with couplers and fit it between the coupler and the mounting post. Note that the spring is not intended to center the coupler. It is only supposed to provide friction against side to side movement. Glue the pocket shut. Done!

If you have any questions, leave a comment below.

*If you prefer, you can use Sergent’s EC87K easy-to-assemble die cast AAR type E couplers with compatible shank instead.

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