40 hopper cars on the wall! 40 hopper cars!

[tetters]

I get a headache thinking about the dozen or Blue Box kits I have on hand to build at a later date. To scratch build though... I think you'd have to commit me.

[MasonJar]

I get a headache thinking about the dozen or Blue Box kits I have on hand to build at a later date. To scratch build though... I think you'd have to commit me.

Just goes to show that you can get whatever you want out of this hobby, and that there are so many different aspects that can provide interest. Your head hurts at the thought of 12 "shake the box" kits, yet you'll happily scratch build turnouts...!?!?

Yer killin' me...!




Andrew

[Sumpter250]

mass production time! Woohoo!

There is more that just a little sense in that concept. Sometimes it is easier to do each step of the build on every car, before going to the next step. Drilling, cutting, or assembly jigs for each step would also be of great advantage, and would allow for future expansion of the number of pieces, should the need arise .
In any case, this should be an interesting adventure.
Oh, the "required caveat"..........any mistake, would show up in every car.

[tetters]

I get a headache thinking about the dozen or Blue Box kits I have on hand to build at a later date. To scratch build though... I think you'd have to commit me.

Just goes to show that you can get whatever you want out of this hobby, and that there are so many different aspects that can provide interest. Your head hurts at the thought of 12 "shake the box" kits, yet you'll happily scratch build turnouts...!?!?

Yer killin' me...!




Andrew

Touche Andrew! You got me there.

[P5se Camelback]

HMmmmmmm! 8-)

I just find it interesting that there were three postings in late November by the thread originator ...

... and not a word since! :?

Is he buried under all the parts he's made for 23 scratch-built narrow gauge hoppers ... or just on to something else?

In the meantime, we've all managed to take this thread on to its second page! :mrgreen:

:?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

EDIT: Fixed a "smilie" question mark.

[RRManiac]

I had actually completely forgotten about this thread. No real progress yet... Well, actually... None at all... I have been looking for good trucks, couplers, and such, and the hoppers themselves are of a highly unusual design.

I'm looking for a couple of pictures to show you, but I can't really find much of anything that shows the ends or inside.

[nkp_174]

I had actually completely forgotten about this thread. No real progress yet... Well, actually... None at all... I have been looking for good trucks, couplers, and such, and the hoppers themselves are of a highly unusual design.

I'm looking for a couple of pictures to show you, but I can't really find much of anything that shows the ends or inside.

Actually, they weren't unique at all. If you check out the Car Builder's Dictionaries and John H. White Jr's American Railroad Freight Car, you'll see that they were a common design.

If you really do attempt to build them all, you'd be far better served by investigating resin casting. I doubt you'll get very far with this as such a plan requires some focus...and we modelers usually can't maintain that for a tangent of this magnitude. Additionally, the proper tool for building such a fleet isn't a razor saw, but a NWSL Chopper. Rio Grande models makes some reasonably close trucks, but that would set you back $138, plus half that again for Kadee's (the standard HOn3 coupler).

Michael

[P5se Camelback]

I have been looking for good trucks, couplers, and such, and the hoppers themselves are of a highly unusual design.

I'm looking for a couple of pictures to show you, but I can't really find much of anything that shows the ends or inside.

This just in ...

" The first quantity of the “modern” 2-bay hoppers were constructed by the Pressed Steel Car Company in 1913. The EBT would construct many more between 1914 and 1927, with the 3-bay design being the general standard. Most of the earlier 2-bay cars were rebuilt to three bays. Eventually, over 260 of the 3-bay hoppers would see service into the 1950s."

The above quote was lifted from an announcement by Blackstone Models of their release of an EBT 3-bay hopper with the correct Vulcan trucks. The full announcement and photos of the cars (though not as high quality as those taken by our own doctorwayne on his trip to Orbisonia this Summer!) can be seen by clicking on the link.

Pricey ... yes, they are ... but for about half that much capital, C&BT Car Shops produced an example of the same cars. I have been told that they are not easy to find but can be had on EBay from time to time ... but Walthers claims to have them in stock. :? For watching on EBay, auctions you should keep an eye on are "Tags: Broad, C&BT, East, HOPPER, Model, Shops, Train. "

And although dated 2003, (seven years old ... ancient by Internet terms) the site called Modeling the East Broad Top Railroad has quite a bit of information regarding kits, reference books and links to other sites pertaining to the diminutive central Pennsylvania coal hauler.

One last source for EBT hoppers that I could find was HobbyLinc.

Yes, I realize that none of these are scratch-built, but assuming they are at least close to dimensionally correct, any one of them would provide the necessary dimensions to embark on the rather lengthy quest of building the other 39 from scratch!

I'm jus' sayin'. 8-)

[RRManiac]

I believe People have misread my post originally. I will not, i repeat, NOT, be building 40 cars. I am, instead, building 23 cars. In 1940, the EBT was down to 23 of these cars.

Now then, with that said, time for comments.

P5se, thank you for that large block of information. It will prove very helpful.

I don't believe reference photos for this were ever posted. I will have to post some up, because they are somewhat unique. They were built by the H&C in their own facilities, then purchased second-hand by EBT.

[cnw1961]

I’ll enjoy watching you building these hoppers. I hope you will still enjoy building them by doing #10 .

[modelsof1900]

I hope you will still enjoy building them by doing #10 .

Yes, I know these problems. I'm building five identic cars only - and I'm working in the fifth year! And I hope to see an end in horizon now.
I'm sure that I will never build more than two models, in a rare case also three - it is too pedestrian, really.

In case of building 23 models I would build a master sample without all the fine detailing parts. Than I would search a plastic model builder who can cast copies from this master piece and after there must be added the superdetailing parts only. Alone this step will need many time however it will be a more shorter way reaching all the 23 model.
My small remark.