Replacement Underbodies for MTL box cars, would this help?

[christoph]

Now that Atlas comes with their new PS-2 box car, I look at my MTL box cars and wonder how they could be lowered.  I even bought some used cars on ebay, the car body really looks good (even if it might be a foobie more or less), but the ride height looks just wrong.
There was the car that Bryan showed us, using BLMA trucks and #1015 body mounted couplers. Due to the asymmetrical design of MTL trucks the new trucks give the car another look.

I was wondering about the possibility to design a replacement underbody which would snap under the MTL car body and would provide lower truck mounts and provisions for body mounted couplers.  It should use the existing MTL parts, such as stirrups, and possibly use the existing MTL trucks with couplers cut off.  There might be even a way to reuse the cut-off couplers as well.

Any comments about this idea?  It might be even an item that MTL could offer for "extended service life" of their products.

[bobdobbs]

You Know, I would be all over that, like FVM replacement wheelsets that I am currently buying to replace plastic wheels.  Low riding cars is one of my pet peeves, but if the floors cost more than $8.00, that would be economically unfeasible.  Also moderm MT floors have added piping that would either have to be transferred to the new body (possibly a very delicate task leading to damage of the parts), and would you be able to use the end step parts that came with the car?

[Carolina Northern]

It's a great idea, but MTL would have no reason to do it. Their purpose and rightly so, is to sell more new cars, not extend the life of old cars. If their newer cars have lower ride height, they hope people will buy them and put the older cars aside.
This is more a product for a smaller company or a start up.
I remember some time ago, a mention that somebody was trying to do this through Shapeways.
I'd like to see it happen - I'd be in for a good number of them.

[Carolina Northern]

Off topic, but yippee - I made it to the Crew Lounge.

[Kisatchie]

...and possibly use the existing MTL trucks with couplers cut off.  There might be even a way to reuse the cut-off couplers as well.

I can always use cut-off Micro-Trains cut off couplers (if they're free  ). One day, I'm going to order a bunch of MTL trucks only... no wheels, no couplers, no springs... and reinstall the cutoff couplers on the trucks only. I have plenty of wheelsets on order, and tons of springs lying around to complete the job.


Hmm... Kiz never
completes anything he
says he's going to do
for me...

[Kisatchie]

Off topic, but yippee - I made it to the Crew Lounge.

It's always nice when a new member reaches that milestone.


Hmm... Kiz is just a
millstone around my
neck...

[Carolina Northern]

Been on board since 2007, just don't talk much.

[MichaelWinicki]

To me it could be a good idea.

I've got 24 MT 40' box cars that are destined for ebay unless a reasonable lowering solution is found.

I did take one of the cars and filed the bolsters down (leaving the truck mounted couplers) and that did help, but a new/better underframe would be welcome.

[sirenwerks]

This might be a good Shapeways product, though the re-addition of car weight would need to be addressed.

[wcfn100]

1. Take the MTL under frame, file the bolsters and make a casting of it.

2. Find someone with a mill.  Pay a setup fee and fly cut the bolsters on as many under frames as you can at one time.


Jason

[towl1996]

This might be a job for superturbine and his casting skills.

[bill pearce]

Several of us have written about this. It's just not that hard to file down bolsters, not enough to make the new underframes worth it. Of course, body mounts willl be required.

[nkalanaga]

I suggested this very idea on the Atlas forum, and received much the same response, too much expense for the limited profit potential.  So, as Bill suggested, I filed the bolsters down.  As I have quite a few cars, it took a while, but I was unemployed at the time....

To save measuring every car, I used a piece of 3/32 inch square brass bar as a gauge, which put the underframe at the right height for 1025 couplers.  To save money, I bought a bunch of 1025 draft gear as loose parts - boxes and lids.  I may have gone overboard there, as I ordered 500 of each, but there's no danger of ever running out.  The truck mounted couplers are 1025s internally, so the coupler and spring can be reused in the new case.  For screws, I ordered a thousand brass ones from an industrial supply in New England.  As they sold them in 100 and 1,000 piece lots, and the thousand was cheaper than enough 100s to do all of my cars, why not?

All together, it was cheaper than buying enough new couplers for all of the cars, and I have parts left over for all of the MT trucks I'll ever want to convert.  Tap the hole already in the underframe, and you're ready to go. 

You might want to buy a batch of nuts while you're at it, as some of the cast holes are too large to tap.  If the car has a solid stirrup casting, you can drill and tap it, but if the stirrup also has the hole already in it, you'll need the nuts.

1015 couplers will work if you prefer them, but then you'll have to buy new couplers.

[Chris333]

Been on board since 2007, just don't talk much.

Damn 5 years with no Crew Lounge 


MTL frames are easy to file down. If you have a lot to do you might want to make some sort of steel gauge to know when to stop filing. The file will cut the underframe before the steel.

[bbussey]

The BLMA trucks are the easiest solution and solve two problems.  One - it lowers the car to a more prototypical height.  Two - the trucks are properly centered on the bolster.