tetters' Duff Challenge part duex

[tetters]

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I glued the floors to the bodies... hindsight is always 20-20 and I still have 8 more of these to build after I finish this batch of six. I used hot glue to secure the bolts, hopefully I'll have more luck? I had four #79's broke all of them, bought two more today, already broke!

I'll have to find a place that I can get them in bulk for sure. In order to finish the last few holes, I'm going to use my music wire, as I don't know when the LHS will get more in, nor will I have time to go looking during the week. The music wire does an admirable job, it just requires more effort to drill.

Actually Wayne, if you don't mind, could you do me a HUGE favor and post a picture of the undercarriage detail? The instructions are a little confusing and honestly I don't know what all those pipes, rods and other mechanical bits are supposed to do in the real world.

Once again, thanks for the feedback. I'm almost done drilling all the little holes... :?

edit: (Just finished up the last bit of drilling on the final box car... now I can start building these guys up! )

[tetters]

Got to work on the under carriage details of box car # 2.



After drilling all those holes (5 car kits) I felt I had to get started on something. I have decided if I'll do the rest of them like this and then do the brake mechanisms or do the two steps at once. I'll have all night to sleep on it at least.

Thanks for looking as always!

[doctorwayne]

Glad to hear that you've got the majority of the drilling done - that's probably the most tedious part of the build, especially when you're doing multiples.

I generally simplify the brake rigging by eliminating most of the piping and only model that which is apparent in a track-side view. Since Tichy supplies the wire, I often include some of the piping, but you really have to decide for yourself what is necessary and that which is less-so.
Here's the general arrangement for the K-type brake. It was introduced in 1906 and outlawed for interchange service in 1953:



...and a view of what's visible from trackside (if there's enough light):



Westinghouse's AB brake was introduced in 1933, and was required on all cars built or rebuilt after September 1 of that year. The CPR's cars would likely all have been built in the '20s, and I doubt that any would have been re-built, at least not to the extent considered to be a re-build for such purposes. (For a car to qualify as re-built, the main requirement was a change affecting the car's frame in a structural manner. So a car like yours could receive new ends, new sides, and a new roof, yet not be truly "re-built"). Here's a Tichy car with AB brakes:



Here's a trackside view of AB brakes. Note that this CNR car is a USRA-type car similar to yours, but represents one which has been re-built with steel sides. The formerly-external bracing now shows only at the side sills. I'm not sure if the CPR modified these cars in a similar manner, but most railroads which owned such cars did so:



If you're modelling 1953 or later, your car should have AB brakes, and if your era is post-1954, the Andrews-style trucks, as seen under the M-K-T car, would be illegal in interchange service. Instead, the car would be fitted with one of the many Bettendorf-style cast trucks, similar to those under the CNR car.
I'm uncertain of the exact date, but some time between 1935 and 1939, the second grabiron at the left end of the car's side was introduced, and these were added as cars underwent regular maintenance, such as re-weighing, re-packing or other minor repairs.

Of course, none of this prototype background info need have any more bearing on your modelling choices than you're willing to accept. I have been known to indulge in the occasional bout of rivet counting, but I never count another modeller's rivets.

EDIT: I did a little research on the CPR cars, and many, if not all of the 3,500 cars of this type were originally built with Burnett hoppers in the floors, to facilitate the unloading of bulk commodities, such as grain or coal. When not in use, there were fold-down covers, which made the floor of these cars like any other boxcar. In the 1930s, CP began to remove the hoppers and re-numbered those cars into the 234000-238999 series. At the same time those cars received AB brakes and Ajax "power" hand brakes, like the type shown below. The "power" referred to the gears within the brakewheel housing, which offered a mechanical advantage over the vertical-staff type.



Evidently, these cars were delivered new with sixty-ton archbar trucks, which were replaced, at the same time as the other changes were made, with cast sideframe trucks of ARA design.
There's some info on USRA cars of this type in the July 2004 issue of RMC.


Wayne

[tetters]

Fantastic! Thanks for the photos and info Wayne. I'd like my era to be somewhat fluid. I like to say I'm modelling the 30's, 40's or 50's. As the CPR Operated in the Kootenay Region for several decades. The second grab is a useful detail and something I can easily add to bring the cars forward a decade or so. Modifying some of the cars to have the AB Brakes is another great idea and would bring some of them forward a decade or so.

Once again, Thank you so much!

[modelsof1900]

Good work, Wayne! As everytime.
I can confirm the history with the drills. The drill breaks off three holes before the end of the work. The biggest problem is when the broken end gets stuck in the metal and one cannot remove it.

Here I will add a few pictures of my brakes however I build all levers, rods and claw fasteners myself.
First a few pictures of a K-brake - yet with a mistake. The connection from triple valve to train line is incorrect installed.







And second a AB-brake installed to a fishbelly frame.





All together including brake gear.



I hope that pictures can help.

You can find a few more pictures on my website to theme K-brakes and to theme AB-brakes.

[tetters]

Son-ov-a-b.... hock:

Man I have a long way to go before I aquire that kind of skill. Although it helps to have some real world knowledge of what it is you are putting together. Something I do not have but wish I did when I see great modelling like this... :oops:

So now for my next question. Would these cars have been shipped with the new trucks and AB brakes and still be single sheathed? Or would it have been too much of a stretch / unprototypical to model them with AB Brakes and have them single sheathed...and with the new trucks? I'd just like to know where to draw the line so to speak.

I'm all about having fun with this, but I also want them to be a reasonably correct model.

Right now it looks like I have a lot of work to do... no really, I'm at work...and I have or rather should be working right now... :?

Fantastic modelling guys. And once again thanks for the valuable info.

[doctorwayne]

Shane, the CP cars likely remained single sheathed throughout their service life. As for the trucks, archbar when built, similar to the ones shown below, but they were changed out for ones with cast sideframes when the other changes were made in the 1930s. Archbar trucks were banned from interchange service after July 1, 1940.

A car with archbar trucks:



And one with cast sideframes:




Wayne

[modelsof1900]

Here on Modeler's Guide to freight car trucks you will find information about history and use of railroad trucks.
With your modelling in 30ties and 40ties you can use a good mixture of cast-steel frame trucks such as Bettendorf, T-section Bettendorf, Andrews with a priority to Bettendorf - and a small number of of cars with archbar trucks used in railroad intern services like tool cars etc.

[tetters]

Thanks again Wayne! I did some of my own digging and found a couple prototype and model photos answering my question, but is always good to get a second opinion. I appreciate the info as it helps give me a meaningful goal to turn these kits into models.

Thanks for that document too Bernhard!

Looking forward to going home and doing some more work on these tonight.