True Line Trains Newsprint Car Lowering

[Ike the BN Freak]

I know a few members here have lowered the monster truck ride height of the TLT Newsprint cars. Can someone share what they did, I don't want to just start cutting and filing and find out I did it the hard way.

Also, I'll be body mounting couplers, so not sure if that will effect the answers too much

[bbussey]

If I remember correctly, I simply swapped in BLMA trucks. I might have swapped in 100-ton truck frames fitted with 33” wheelsets to shave another scale 3” off the ride height as well. Pretty sure I didn’t modify the underframe.

[BCR 570]

That is what I did; swapped in BLMA 70-Ton trucks, also turned the frame around for correct orientation of the brake equipment, and added some additional weight.

Tim

[Ike the BN Freak]

Thanks guys!

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Did these cars use 70T or 100T trucks?

[nkalanaga]

If you have the car handy, and if the capacity data on the car is accurate, add the Load Limit and Light Weight.  A 70-ton car should equal 177,000 lbs, a 100-ton car is 263,000.

[BCR 570]

They were 70-Ton cars.  The NSC exterior post cars which came later (as modelled by Atlas) were 100-Ton cars.


Tim

[PGE_Modeller]

If you have the car handy, and if the capacity data on the car is accurate, add the Load Limit and Light Weight.  A 70-ton car should equal 177,000 lbs, a 100-ton car is 263,000.

As Tim pointed out, the True Line Trains cars had a nominal capacity of 70 tons. There were two versions of this car produced: one with a smooth plug door and one with an exterior post plug door.  I cannot comment on cars other than the PGE or BCOL ones but, for those cars, both paint schemes were offered on both body styles.  For each of those four releases (PGE smooth door, PGE exterior post door, BCOL smooth door, and BCOL exterior post door), there is ONE car that is totally correct with regard to Road Number, Load Limit, Light Weight, Re-weigh date, and ACI label.  I cannot remember which one is correct in each group.  The others in a given grouping have the same data but a different Road Number.  At least, that is the case if True Line Trains used the artwork I supplied without modification and if their printing process had sufficient resolution to accurately print the N-scale ACI label!

Cheers,

[Ike the BN Freak]

Looked up photos of the CP cars, and looks like they all had cushioned underframes.  Anyone know if the ESM floors fit without much work?

[bbussey]

They probably all have cushioned underframes. Never tried swapping in the X58 floor. Just tried it now. The floor would have to be shortened by about 0.015” on each end. More importantly though, the car now sits about .040” higher than swapping in BLMA trucks to the standard floor. So it would be better to mount extended draft gear to the existing floor and forego the underbody cushioned underframe detail.

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