An N-Possible journal

[wmcbride]

I will post a bunch of Kato diesel examples (mostly 6-axle road units) and a few Atlas ones, once the loco boxes are released.  I'm holding off until then to make sure there are no important differences between the production versions and the preproduction versions I am currently using.

Thanks, Gary!

[cjm413]

The biggest take-away I had from a couple of installs over the weekend, was for anyone starting out with this, watch the assembly video that Andrew has done for the spring installation - it's a game changer for the assembly process and really does make it a simple, mult-step process.
https://youtu.be/uf2zLnapeQA?si=RvVFbM-Vuq8BR1SX

My first few installs last night were really just to get a hang of the process and try a couple of different retro-fit and scale-box installs to help guide future orders. Understanding the spring process with the toothpick from the video was crucial and next up will be understanding whether anyone has a "secret" with respect to centering the spring over the splitter.

I wanted to try a scale box install next and decided to try an older Walthers Greenville 100t aggregates hopper - these have a diecast underframe with a pre-drilled hole.

The SBX works fine on this install - you need to remove about 0.5mm from the outer edge of the bolster hole and also the top lip of the scale box top - to suit the existing mounting hole. After tapping and using a 00-90 screw on hand, it fits and work. This is a short shank, but I think I'll change it to a medium to better clear the end cage hardware on the car. If you don't file the edge off the bolster, the N-Possible spring sits hard against it and won't pivot.

The existing bolster pins are a bear to remove on the first run of these cars and often snap off in the process, so this car has been drilled out and I need to find the pins I had planned for them. I need to double check but I'm fairly sure a BLMA 100t truck gets these to the correct ride height.

Were you able to confirm that the coupler height with the SBX box was OK after reinstalling the BLMA 100T trucks?   My recollection is that these cars may need an underslung coupler box after they get lowered.

TIA

[GaryHinshaw]

I have not converted one of these hoppers yet, but I do have a few in the queue that already have BLMA 100T trucks and by the looks of it, I would say that an sbx install without a hat should be just about right.  (The floor height for a no-hat sbx install should match the prong on the 1055 gauge.)

Incidentally, this car is probably a good candidate for a medium length sbm box, given the location of the pre-drilled hole in the frame.  Same for the IM 3281 hoppers.  I'm looking forward to trying those out ( @turbowhiz ). 

[Rasputen]

@Ed Kapuscinski This cries out for a new banner!

I don't see what all the fuss is about. 

The Red Caboose X29 takes a Short Scalebox with no hat.

[robert3985]

I don't see what all the fuss is about. 

The Red Caboose X29 takes a Short Scalebox with no hat.

Hmmm...Interesting tie strips you've got there!  3D resin prints???

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Mark5]

Hmmm, hard to tell from that angle, but that Red Caboose X-29 might need to be lowered a tad. 
(I've got one - somewhere ...)

https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/images/X29b_box_car_28460_side_view.jpeg

Mark 

[Missaberoad]

Hmmm, hard to tell from that angle, but that Red Caboose X-29 might need to be lowered a tad. 
(I've got one - somewhere ...)

https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/images/X29b_box_car_28460_side_view.jpeg

Mark 

That's not the same car. 

https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/images/X29_car_2185_equipped_for_pass_exp_service.jpeg

https://www.protocraft.com/category.cfm?ItemID=416&Categoryid=20&This_Sub_Sub_Category=PRR

could probably be a little lower but not as bad as the X29B you posted 

[GaryHinshaw]

I wanted to try a scale box install next and decided to try an older Walthers Greenville 100t aggregates hopper - these have a diecast underframe with a pre-drilled hole.

The SBX works fine on this install - you need to remove about 0.5mm from the outer edge of the bolster hole and also the top lip of the scale box top - to suit the existing mounting hole. After tapping and using a 00-90 screw on hand, it fits and work. This is a short shank, but I think I'll change it to a medium to better clear the end cage hardware on the car. If you don't file the edge off the bolster, the N-Possible spring sits hard against it and won't pivot.

The existing bolster pins are a bear to remove on the first run of these cars and often snap off in the process, so this car has been drilled out and I need to find the pins I had planned for them. I need to double check but I'm fairly sure a BLMA 100t truck gets these to the correct ride height.

I'm quote-posting James' Greenville hopper installation mainly to highlight a new product that Andrew has coming out soon: two new scale box styles that will simplify/improve some installations.   These are a medium and long version of the SBX scale box, denoted SBM and SBL respectively.  My understanding is that they should be hitting the market by April or so (along with the loco boxes that have been hinted at for a while).

As it happens, the Greenville hopper is a perfect candidate for an SBM box.  Here is an example with a medium shank coupler installed in the pre-drilled hole in the hopper frame:



This soilves the problem that James was encountering where the front face of the box was inset from the end cage.  (The dimensions from the screw hole back are the same as the SBX, so it is still necessary to trim a small amount of bolster material to clear the spring.)  Here are a few more shots:



[BTW, the FRA stripe on the sill is from Fusion Scale Graphics.  Their light-catching effect -- hard to capture in a photo -- is awesome!]





And just for reference here is an example of an SBX with a medium shank coupler (in a different model) so you can see how the SBM differs from the SBX:



BTW, the coupler height in the Greenville hopper is very good with BLMA style trucks.  (And those bolster pins are indeed a real PITA!)  I will be using these SBMs in my IM Trinity hoppers as well (5161s and 3281s), and likely in some other installs.  Great to see the N-P product line expanding!

[jbonkowski]

I put the couplers on 10 Athearn hoppers to try them out.

I had concerns that the trackwork at my club would cause problems with such small couplers vertically, but there wasn't a single uncoupling all night. I was also able to run the train backwards several times around the layout.

I was impressed!

Jim

[James Costello]

Great to see the N-P product line expanding!

Thanks for the update Gary - I'm looking forward to the release of the new boxes!

[Sokramiketes]

Grant at https://www.youtube.com/c/southernalbertarail has a new interview up with Andrew discussing the additions to the coupler line.  Yes it's members only, but for $5 you get a lot of great content to watch about couplers and about what it takes to build a big scenic layout.

The Scale Box Mediums (SBM) are going to be great for my next unit train.  They are a perfect drop onto FVM RD-4's.  Great draft gear reveal and great coupling distance while keeping the screw inboard and out of the way.  Andrew hints at some more tweaking of the printing files, and these are the cleanest yet.  They fall together.  Can't wait to see them on the market. 

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[Sokramiketes]

I put the couplers on 10 Athearn hoppers to try them out.

I had concerns that the trackwork at my club would cause problems with such small couplers vertically, but there wasn't a single uncoupling all night. I was also able to run the train backwards several times around the layout.

I was impressed!

Jim

Great to hear!  And yes, they do amazingly well on uneven track and even our modular layout joints.  The better appearance is only half the story, they operate better too.

[mu26aeh]

Has anyone done the MicroTrains ortner hopper, or suggest which version to use ? 

[cjm413]

Has anyone done the MicroTrains ortner hopper, or suggest which version to use ?

I do know that the ride height of the MTL Ortner does needs to be lowered with BLMA 100T trucks as the first step, but I sold off the last of the ones that I had to get an idea of the height of the mounting surface, whether or not there is a convenient starting hole to work with, etc, to know which specific box would work best after that...

[GaryHinshaw]

Loco boxes

I was fortunate enough to get some production versions of the loco boxes from Andrew, and he is confident that they will hit the shops in a matter of weeks, so here we go.  There are two variants: the TBX, which is intended to be used without a lid, and the LBX which will come with two different lid thicknesses:



The most obvious difference between the two boxes is in the top of the centre post: the LBX is indented to accommodate the lid, the TBX post is flush with the side walls of the box.  These two products will cover a wide range of loco installations.

One note of caution: if your coupler shank has the retainer extension on it, trim that off before installing in a loco box; otherwise the splitter vein in the box could snap off.  (Ask me how I know.)

The first examples I will cover are all Kato 6-axle units.  First up is an SD70M which used an LBX with a thin lid and a short shank.  The box inserts snugly into the Kato pocket without modification:



The box can be secured with the stock Kato clip (as I did) but an M1.2 or 00-90 screw would work as well:



The process could hardly be easier, and the height is bang on:



I used a TBX for the SD70ACe and the SD9043MAC, but the installation steps are the same as above:





The loco spacing with the short shanks is awesome, and they work fine on 18" curves:





Thank you Andrew!!