Weekend Update 1/18/26

[randgust]

Love that traction terminal!

I'd been looking for my own PRR B60B for both my 'old' PRR local on the PRR Ttrak modules as well as finding out that PRR B60's were on the Santa Fe fast mail as run-through cars.  Maybe the only car that can be on both layouts legitimately.

I was campaigning last year to beg, borrow or steal one for my Ttrak runs at Altoona of the PA-powered Fast Mail.

So thanks to Lemosteam, I finally got an old Hell Gate Models kit and actually finished it, for my own.   I'm happy with it.



Also got an education that if it had roof vents, it was a messenger car.   Came with and without them.   Mine would be run-through mail storage, so the lack of vents is appropriate.

Link:  http://www.randgust.com/B60b01sm.jpg

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Put in a shift in Scranton on Jeff Mutter's EL yesterday. It was definitely "one of those days on the railroad" and, as usual, a lot of fun.  I didn't have time to get photos while I had give crews simultaneously working within my yard limits, so this will have to suffice.

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[Ed Kapuscinski]

And so far today's given me the chance to paint all the ironwork on this beautiful coal tower from @John that's been quietly biding its time. It looks good on this module but it's going to live permanently on the layout.

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[bbussey]

A few months ago I was looking for a 52ft 6in, fixed-end, 14-panel gon, to replace the too-short MT version.  As far as anyone knew, there is no such car in N scale.

A couple weeks back, I remembered that I had four ancient Con-Cor 13-panel cars, dating from the earliest days of North American N scale.  I have no idea how long I've had them, but the box they're in dates from the late 70s or early 80s, as it came from the bank I was working at then.  The underframes still say "SEKISUI CON-COR".

It turns out that cutting and splicing can easily produce a car almost long enough, and much closer than the MT version.  Typical of the old tooling, the rivet detail is a little coarse, but the resulting car looks fine at normal viewing distance, especially in a moving train.  Best of all, the full-height panels are all the same width, so cutting and splicing along the rivet strip details leaves no visible seam.

More importantly, there is no need to cut in the center of the car.  On the first car I did (this one), leaving two shorter ends.  Those, in turn, were trimmed, and the other two original cars cut to match, giving me three lengthened cars from four originals, and leaving only two unused end sections.

The underframes needed to be lengthened, but that's easy, as they normally can't be seen.  I cut each one into three sections, inside the two main crossbearers, and filled the gaps with styrene strip.

My cars have MT trucks and 1025 couplers, and a MT brakewheel. 

The conversion could have been done in the early 70s using all CC parts, but I've never seen or heard any mention of someone doing it.  Has anyone?

Back in the day I created a 65' mill gondola from the Con-Cor models, but never a 52' car.  It is still a decent model that can be worked with.

[NorthWestGN]

I understand that the Con-Cor Sekisui cars were manufactured by Kato.

I was able to get a decoder into my GP7 and toned down the weathering with a light white fade coat




I also built some log bunks, 5 of the 8 required, for a pair of MT flatcars…

[nkalanaga]

Bryan:  Most of the Con-Cor models have good tooling, and the original Japanese versions would run on code 40 flextrack with no problems.  I wish these were still available, as they're easily as good as, or better than, the Atlas Trainman cars.

NorthWestGN:  Yes, these were Kato, before Kato started using that name.  They did all of the early Con-Cor cars, some of the best in N scale at the time, as well as some for MRC, which Con-Cor ended up with.

Craig and Tim:  Thank you for the article!  Nice looking cars, and a great write-up.  If these cars were still available, I suspect there'd be others here doing the same conversions.

I was sure someone had done this conversion before.  And, yes, I've also lengthened CC flatcars the same way.  Some have the original deck, some I sanded the deck down to the top of the side sills and made new decks, and a few I cut the sides off and built a new car using them.

In the case of my gons, I used a piece of 1/4x1 inch basswood, about two inches long, with sandpaper glued to the flat side, for a sanding block.  I have a homemade "surface plate", a piece of 1x4 lumber with 1/16 inch brass strips glued to it, with spaces for N and Z gauge wheels.  Put the block in the N space, so that the sandpaper is below the top of the strips, and the car can be slid from side to side against the sandpaper.  As long as it's kept square to the block, the entire end is sanded smooth at the same time.

To make my cuts, like you, I cut along the rib on one car, and sanded the remains of the rivet strip away, leaving just the panel.  On the other, I cut through the panel, and sanded up to the rivets, rather than trying to sand the rib off. 

For the MT bolster inserts, I hammered them in tight, then sanded the tops flush with 50 grit sandpaper on a wooden block.  Your method of cutting the underframe would probably have been better than mine, as I had to glue my pieces in.  They didn't line up with latches on the body anymore.

[Lemosteam]

I started a PRR B6sb Kitbash this weekend:







Here is the running chassis @9v:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XofSC7ZefXTCRuqb7

I was gifted from @mmagliaro a Pewter knockoff boiler shell cast by none other than than the father of the Minitrix K4, Ted Brandon. It is heavily modified to add weight up front. As such I had to modify the frame a bit by removing the headlight mount, and by shaving off some material on the back wall. Here is the first test fit, where I realized the boiler was not aligned with the cylinders.



More detail here: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=60587.0

[Jesse6669]

I worked on the East Norwood backdrop more this week and I'm pretty happy with how it's progressing. 

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I'm waiting for some decals to move on with the CR/RDG patch GP30 and also did some more printing on the Zumbiel Printing Co. flat.
 

[peteski]

NorthWestGN:  Yes, these were Kato, before Kato started using that name.  They did all of the early Con-Cor cars, some of the best in N scale at the time, as well as some for MRC, which Con-Cor ended up with.

Yes Sekisui (later renamed Kato) did produce models for Con-Cor, I don't recall Sekisui having any arrangement with MRC. I also don't recall any mention of any collaboration with MRC is Kato's "50th Anniversary of Kato's N-Gauge Models) book.  Which MRC models were made by Sekisui?

[PGE_Modeller]

The technique of cutting and stretching the Con-Cor gondolas was shared with me by Greg Kennelly (PGE Modeller) who built a few cars himself. 

For each flatcar and gondola I was able to obtain two cars from three.  They served me well until the Briggs Models 3D printed cars came along.

Craig:  I sold off my stretched flat cars but the eight stretched gondolas are in my "Items For Sale" box - three PGE and five BCR.


Tim

The only real problem with using the Con-Cor gondolas to represent the Canadian-built cars on the PGE/BCR was that the model had the change in the height of the sides spread over two panels while the prototype accomplished it in a single panel.

Greg

[Olivani]

Hopeing the last of the MTL releases aren't too collectible... I thought the WC hoppers looked like gray ghosts.  So they got a makeover!

Great job Mike, I have six on the way which will get a similar "treatment". Alter Metal is an E&LS customer and they receive these gondolas on a weekly base to fill em up with shredded metal. I'm very happy with these new MTL gondolas, I already got some railgon ones to "molest"       

[mu26aeh]

Reading & Lehigh 1829 made it's public unveiling Saturday night on the West Penn Railroad, but alas it was only for static display



On testing the unit, I noticed the front set of drivers was not spinning.  Taking the gear covers off the bottom revealed a cracked main axle gear so I suggested sending it back to BLI for repair.  And also have the traction tires replaced.

[Cory Rothlisberger]

Just running trains lately. Better than not touching the layout at all I guess. Ignore the 1990s F-150s in the background. My youngest likes to have demolition derbies down Valley Rd. when I'm not looking. I should also invest in some other vehicles outside of 1978 Ford Fairmonts...


Snapped a picture from the lesser viewed corner of the layout.


Sat and stared at what I'm imagining how I want this area to look. The bridge represents the end of the layout and the gateway to the "rest of the world"/staging. 752 is pulling a cut off the Conrail interchange.

[dandopinski]

Mission accomplished. Eight sulphur tanks. Fairly ubiquitous in Western Canada, every manifest train had blocks of these in their consist, and unit trains of them if a war was going on.

[nkalanaga]

Peteski:  They had two cars that I know of, a not-bad model of the PRR X-58, and a double door AAR boxcar.  I've kitbashed those "X-58" cars in various ways, as they were the best "modern" (1960s) cars available in N in the early 70s.

I've heard that there was some dispute over who actually owned some of the tooling used in them, and Con-Cor ended up owning the rights to the cars, but I don't know the details.