Atlas iron ore car improvements questions

[woodone]

Randy, do you want to couple and uncouple each car?
Years back I made up some that were together all the time/no parts used. Cut off part of the Rapido and removed the other .
Slipped the “T” shaped into the slot and was done.

[delamaize]

Randy, do you want to couple and uncouple each car?
Years back I made up some that were together all the time/no parts used. Cut off part of the Rapido and removed the other .
Slipped the “T” shaped into the slot and was done.

I had big problems with derailments using the T-shank Rapido option. Both pulling and shoving. that is why I started making drawbars.

[sd45elect2000]

I thought about the 5 car cut idea or putting small groups of cars together with drawbars but, unless I can drawbar 125 cars together I don't want to go that that route.

[wcfn100]

Here're a couple cars with the draw bar.



I'm not sure what sort of pulling force the FUD can take but the draw bar is pretty stout.  Maybe Shapeways has a newer material I could look into.  If I think of it, I can put a load test on one, hang some weights or something.   Honestly the best reason to use the draw bar is the cost.  It doesn't require any of the TSC parts or even a screw which can certainly add up when doing a ton of cars.


Jason

[nkalanaga]

Jason:  Yes.  The GN cars I had pictures of had square ends, so I squared mine off.  The couplers will work either way.

[delamaize]

Here're a couple cars with the draw bar.



I'm not sure what sort of pulling force the FUD can take but the draw bar is pretty stout.  Maybe Shapeways has a newer material I could look into.  If I think of it, I can put a load test on one, hang some weights or something.   Honestly the best reason to use the draw bar is the cost.  It doesn't require any of the TSC parts or even a screw which can certainly add up when doing a ton of cars.


Jason

That looks good, But I got mine a lot closer together with my brass drawbars. They mound around the truck bolsters. I might have to get Shape up or something and try my hands at making them....

[wcfn100]

That looks good, But I got mine a lot closer together with my brass drawbars. They mound around the truck bolsters. I might have to get Shape up or something and try my hands at making them....

The draw bars are designed to have the same car distance as the couplers, which in turn are prototypically spaced (for that style of car).  So in a train with mixed couplers and draw bars, all the car spacing would be the same.  Something like DM&IR ore jennies would closer spacing (and a brand new truck).  Maybe I'll live long enough to see a new N scale ore car mass produced...


Jason

[wcfn100]

Jason:  Yes.  The GN cars I had pictures of had square ends, so I squared mine off.  The couplers will work either way.

I was just surprised what a difference that makes.  Looks good.

If you hadn't modified the cars however, I think you would have to space the cars a little further apart to clear the top of the trip pins.

Jason

[nkalanaga]

Not really.  There are two ways to deal with those.  The easiest is to remove them, as they're too short for magnetic uncoupling in N scale.  The other is to make sure they don't extend above the coupler, which will allow the couplers to swing.  I left them on, because my other couplers still have them, and they looked better matching the others.

[Lemosteam]

Here're a couple cars with the draw bar.



I'm not sure what sort of pulling force the FUD can take but the draw bar is pretty stout.  Maybe Shapeways has a newer material I could look into.  If I think of it, I can put a load test on one, hang some weights or something.   Honestly the best reason to use the draw bar is the cost.  It doesn't require any of the TSC parts or even a screw which can certainly add up when doing a ton of cars.


Jason

Jason, the FUD can withstand quite a bit in tension, my BLI M1 dummy coupler can handle double heading really well.  I would be concerned with the drawbars of one tried to lift a front car in a group and would then have to handle the bendling load of multiple cars.  If the design and walls are thick ennough, you might try using the standard nylon in white or black.  The user might have to drill out the hole bracuse it does not render perfecly as I found in my axle muffs.

[keeper]

Don't forget the very simple solution to modifying the ol' Rapido trucks. You only need a sharp knife and that's it.
This modification looks a bit like drawbars but you can uncouple them.

I'll take a photo later and post it.

Thomas

[woodone]

How do these draw bars fit to the hopper car? I have a bunch that could use the conversion.
Thanks.

[wcfn100]

How do these draw bars fit to the hopper car? I have a bunch that could use the conversion.
Thanks.

If you're asking on mine, it's the exact same adapter just with a draw bar instead of using couplers.



Jason

[wcfn100]

The user might have to drill out the hole bracuse it does not render perfecly as I found in my axle muffs.

I think that's one of the reason I stayed with FXD.   I had tried that HP Multi-jet whatever when it came out but the tolerances were not good enough.  The shank is completely encased in the coupler box.  The draw bar would probably have to snap in half in order to fail but the coupler box lid would go well before that, maybe even the glue would fail first, IDK.

Jason

[keeper]

Here are the photos....

Ore car quad











These will be lettered for the DM&IR one day. The end cars have Z scale 905 couplers and all have FVM wheel sets.

Thomas