Body Mounting Tank Cars

[Mark5]

As an aside I just got an email from micro trains that their 100T trucks will be available starting may. Unknown if these have centered kingpin holes or not.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=20824.45

[cjm413]

quote author=Mark5 link=topic=38518.msg467062#msg467062 date=1457925784]
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=20824.45
[/quote]

I saw that after I found the pic with the centered kingpin from the 60' box...

Maybe the one with the offset kingpin was designed to retrofit any older MTL 100T cars that came with 70T trucks with offset bolsters, e.g. Evans 4780?

CJM

[Mark5]

quote author=Mark5 link=topic=38518.msg467062#msg467062 date=1457925784]
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=20824.45


I saw that after I found the pic with the centered kingpin from the 60' box...

Maybe the one with the offset kingpin was designed to retrofit any older MTL 100T cars that came with 70T trucks with offset bolsters, e.g. Evans 4780?

CJM

Still unknown but I will speculate that the ones on the 60' box were "pre-production" and the offset ones that I show in that thread with "Micro Trains" molded into them are the production version. I guess we'll see when they are available in retail packs.

Mark

[cjm413]

This makes me happy! Keep us posted please @cjm413

The part that may (or may not) work for the Intermountain 4750 is a Trainworx conversion for the Precision Masters/Red Caboose covered hoppers.

[Peter Amling]

The part that may (or may not) work for the Intermountain 4750 is a Trainworx conversion for the Precision Masters/Red Caboose covered hoppers.

Has anyone tried this? I would love to know if this works before ordering some. And if a better solution is coming down the pike, I would rather hold off.

[cjm413]

Has anyone tried this? I would love to know if this works before ordering some. And if a better solution is coming down the pike, I would rather hold off.

As far as I know, they haven't been released yet.

[Missaberoad]

As far as I know they haven't announced a conversion specifically for the RC/PM covered hoppers...

The conversions that were announced are available however... at less then 4$ a pair it would be worth buying a set to try out if you want to see if they work... 

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/N-Scale-Couplers-Trucks-Wheelsets-s/1445.htm?searching=Y&sort=3&cat=1445&show=30&page=1&brand=Trainworx

[cjm413]

As far as I know they haven't announced a conversion specifically for the RC/PM covered hoppers...

The conversions that were announced are available however... at less then 4$ a pair it would be worth buying a set to try out if you want to see if they work... 

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/N-Scale-Couplers-Trucks-Wheelsets-s/1445.htm?searching=Y&sort=3&cat=1445&show=30&page=1&brand=Trainworx

They haven't been formally announced yet, so it's hard to say when they should be available.

I was able to use the Trainworx part for the Ortner RD hopper on a FMC 4700 with little to no modifications since the bottom surface of the ends is at the same height above the rails as the bottom surface of the sides.  I presume this would also be applicable to the Greenville and Richmond Tank Car covered hoppers offered by PM/RC.

With the PS 4740 or 4750 (including IMRC) where the bottom surface of the end cage is higher, the sides of the part for the Ortner RD hopper would need to be removed (like the old JnJ part)

http://users.dwx.com/~jnjtrains/Aready/0141.jpg

My understanding is that the new (and not yet formally announced) Trainworx part will work on all PM/RC covered hoppers and have brake detail included.

[cbroughton67]

Now all I need is to figure out how to use these on Intermountain 4750's and I will be 99.9% body mounted!

Amen to that! I wish Intermountain would take the plunge and at least add a mounting surface for a body-mounted coupler on the 4750's, if not body-mounting them from the factory!

Chris

[cjm413]

Amen to that! I wish Intermountain would take the plunge and at least add a mounting surface for a body-mounted coupler on the 4750's, if not body-mounting them from the factory!

Chris

Per the description for parts (i) and (k) on the instructions, it's just a matter of convincing IMRC that they took a step backwards when they started selling assembled kits without these parts....

http://www.intermountain-railway.com/customerservice/csninstructions.html

[Missaberoad]

Per the description for parts (i) and (k) on the instructions, it's just a matter of convincing IMRC that they took a step backwards when they started selling assembled kits without these parts....

http://www.intermountain-railway.com/customerservice/csninstructions.html

I've built the original kits and as far as I can remember there never was a bolster with a coupler box lid...

Does anyone have a picture of such a part?

The assembled cars sold today are the same as the original kits I bought 15+ years ago.

[nkalanaga]

None of the IM covered hoppers I bought many, many years ago had anywhere to mount the coupler.  I used a strip of Evergreen plastic, cut a notch in the bolster, and wedged the strip between the bolster and end sill.  Some Testors cement and they've stayed put.

[cjm413]

I've built the original kits and as far as I can remember there never was a bolster with a coupler box lid...

Does anyone have a picture of such a part?

The assembled cars sold today are the same as the original kits I bought 15+ years ago.

The only Intermountain kits I've built were HO, so the only information I have to work with are those directions and the recollections of those that have actually opened up a unassembled N kit to know what they did or didn't include...

[cbroughton67]

Per the description for parts (i) and (k) on the instructions, it's just a matter of convincing IMRC that they took a step backwards when they started selling assembled kits without these parts....

http://www.intermountain-railway.com/customerservice/csninstructions.html

There's not a part shown in the diagram for body-mounting a coupler. It doesn't look like the assembled versions omitted any parts from the kit.

[cjm413]

None of the IM covered hoppers I bought many, many years ago had anywhere to mount the coupler.  I used a strip of Evergreen plastic, cut a notch in the bolster, and wedged the strip between the bolster and end sill.  Some Testors cement and they've stayed put.

Is it possible that they either added or discontinued using these parts on their kits before shifting everything over to RTR?

Assuming the parts list/instructions that I found online are identical to what they provided with each and every kit that reportedly did not include these parts, it follows that their customer service department would have received at least one missing parts request from someone that did want to use them vs truck mounted couplers...