Changing a simple coach

[modelsof1900]

Hallo to all the friends here in forum again. I was busy for a longer time with a few other modeling projects and especially also with non-railroad projects so that the model railroading must make a step to background. But now I will continue my description of changing this simple passenger car to a well modeled V&T car #18.





If you remember these were my last pictures her in forum.



I exchanged the not good looking plastic trucks by these made from Central valley, a maker gone long ago. These trucks fit my 1900 model very well and that was the reason for exchange and they have working springs! However do they look really good? Additionally the original wheelsets were the last which I would use and brakes are missing also!
The next problem was very near! The truck sides are riveted together so I must make a generally rebuild.



Now this is the rebuild trucks after first step – new half-proto wheelsets and equipped with phosphor-bronze and nickel-silver wheel and axle contacts for an all-wheel current pickup.
Later I must assert that I used to many contacts which all reduce a free rolling so I dismounted the axle contacts again (truck is a metal truck and needs only a cable for electrical pickup – however I would built 100 percent sure components) and I reduced also the pressure of the wheel contacts (looking like a safety pin contacting the lower wheels).





Next I built brake beams …



… using these small hangers and scratchbuilt eye bolts. The bolt is 1.6 millimeters long and has a .5 mm hole (1/16” long, hole .02”).





Both pictures show that I shortened the main beams which were prepared for original end and brake beams and these were too large and too clumsy for my model. I missed more also an important part at these trucks; the lower steel bents of side frames which fix the guides for axle boxes to the main beams. The second picture shows how all parts are connected with the frame and here I must make a thing that could be a problematic case in future. All parts are riveted together in the four corners because I did not found the very thin and long screws which would be a better solution if I must disassemble them in case of a repair.



That is now the model after adding the trucks. I think that I could be happy in than moment.
I’m in planning a whole V&T passenger train together with a few more cars and I will show you so step by step in future however the car no. 18 will play a central roll in this trains. My Virginia & Truckee book shows this on many pictures. How do I make a well working lightening of all these cars so that I can use my as single cars however so that I can control them all easily with a digital system?
First idea was to install a bus system for electrical pickup where each car is equipped with a simple four wheel pickup system. With the bus connecting all the cars I could get a sure pickup system without breaks. However I must use cables and jumpers for connecting the cars and than I would like to use only one central decoder mounted in car no. 18. No, that could not be the solution that I have wished! How should I switch with the cars making a different train with all the electrical connections?
After a few discussions and different ideas I found the solution, my solution. Each model must be usable as an autarkic model with its own electrical circuit and its own decoder! When I let work the decoders all with the same address – the no. 18 of course – than I will program each car for a different function button and so I can control the lightning of a whole train so as would go a conductor trough the train and switches on or off the light car for car or also compartment for compartment.

The lightning worked well – in day. And testing in the night …



The affright was great! The walls are made from a light-colored plastic with a yellow coat of varnish and so the body must be translucent.
What now?
All ideas were not good enough solving this problem. The newer models made by Athearn (in original a Roundhouse model) are rtr-models and all parts are well glued together. In this case the body was glued together with the roof and I have had a very well fixed body box and all windows (clear injection-moulded parts) were glued all around to the window holes of body. Not of all was removable. For decoder and lightning installation I had cut a long and small access in bottom however I could not enlarge this access until to the walls because I would lose all fixing points and screw holes for mounting to the frame. So I could not make an inner black coloring because I did not get all edges inside of body and the black color could run irregular between windows and body and also I could not add an inside sheeting of black paper because – you know – I could not add it in all edges. And how should I add an interior when all walls will be colored in black? Would you as passenger travel in an inside black colored car?
I must approve that I did not found a fast solution and so the model was moved to a dark box, a very dark box.
Continuation will follow. (… this week or next.)