SLC Mechanical Reefers

[Gary S]

Haven't been on the site much lately, but have been banging away at these cars. I ended up with 12 of the ex-Santa Fe cars and 15 of the ex-Milwaukee Road cars to do.

Here's where I stand on the models:

   

So I am doing 15 of the these:

   

And 12 of these:

   

I think the prototypes are actually 57 foot cars, but since I am using #4 turn-outs, I don't want to go over 50 foot on rollingstock, so I am compressing the real thing by using the Athearn 50 foot smoothside reefers for the Milwaukee cars and Athearn 50 foot outside braced reefers for the santa fe cars. Both are decent matches once some mods are done.

These proto cars are in a number series from around SLC 120 to SLC 199. The ATSF cars are from 120 to 140 and the others are from 141 to 199 with various patches and paint. I have photos of about 40 of the cars so far.

On the SF cars, the diesel tanks are rounded instead of square like what comes in the kit, so I made a bunch of them from styrene tube and strip and squadron putty.

   

Another mod on the SF cars is the wheelbase. The trucks are moved in towards the middle a bit as compared to the Milwaukee cars, so I did that by modifying the athearn chassis.

Also replacing all the weights with nonmagnetic weights, and putting Atlas 70 ton roller bearing trucks on. Then body mounted Kadees and a little fake brake rigging rounds them out. Only thing, this project has really been keeping me from the layout, although I did have another visitor yesterday. Apparently the guys at the LHS are impressed, and have been spreading the word.

[doctorwayne]

......I did have another visitor yesterday. Apparently the guys at the LHS are impressed, and have been spreading the word.

Who'da thunkit?

Wayne (equally impressed)

[bdw9535]

Gary,

Have to agree with Wayne, Always amazed how quickly and accurately you can get things rolling .

Bruce

[tetters]

Gary you are a Certifiable Mad Man!

[faraway]

It is depressing for the most of us hardly doing one car in a week and proudly present the result when you do it by the dozen... Gary, you are one of a kind!

[cn nutbar]

Hi Gary---your cars are looking great---looking forward to the finished product (probably tomorrow at the speed you're going )

[e-paw]

WOW Gary. nice work.

[nachoman]

wow, you are this far along already?! what did you do, take vacation time from your job?!

[Russ Bellinis]

....I think the prototypes are actually 57 foot cars, but since I am using #4 turn-outs, I don't want to go over 50 foot on rollingstock, so I am compressing the real thing by using the Athearn 50 foot smoothside reefers for the Milwaukee cars and Athearn 50 foot outside braced reefers for the santa fe cars. Both are decent matches once some mods are done.

....Another mod on the SF cars is the wheelbase. The trucks are moved in towards the middle a bit as compared to the Milwaukee cars, so I did that by modifying the athearn chassis.

Also replacing all the weights with nonmagnetic weights, and putting Atlas 70 ton roller bearing trucks on. Then body mounted Kadees and a little fake brake rigging rounds them out. Only thing, this project has really been keeping me from the layout, although I did have another visitor yesterday. Apparently the guys at the LHS are impressed, and have been spreading the word.

Gary, the 50 foot Athearn is correct for modeling a 57 foot car. Athearn and other modelers often identify a "50 foot" car as being 50' from one end of the body to the other. The railroads are really interested in the length of cars to determine how many will fit a specific siding, so they always measure the car from knuckle face to knuckle face. Thus the 50 foot Athearn actually measures @ 57 feet over the couplers, if correct draft gear is used. If stock Athearn draft gear is used, the length may be closer to 54 feet or so. By the way, the shipper doesn't care about any of the outside dimensions, they are interested in the inside dimensions because that determines how much cargo they can load in the car.

[doctorwayne]

Athearn also made a 57' reefer (body length) and it may still be available. There are some photos HERE. It's probably much closer to the cars which you're modelling, and it came with low ladders and no roofwalks, plus a more modern-style roof.

Wayne

[Gary S]

First, gotta thank everyone who replied since I last posted on this thread. 27 cars is craZy, but when you go at them assembly line style, the progress is pretty quick.

DocWayne and Russ, after seeing your posts, I decided to use the photos to gauge the length of the models and the prototype. I used the length of the trucks and wheels, flange to flange, as a measuring stick. Here is the result.

   

   

Both are a touch over 6 lengths long, so seems the model is a good match.

Russ, as for the customer not being concerned about the overall length, I think in this case it would be critical due to the placement of the unloading chutes at the factory. Cars too short or too long would not line up at all the chutes.

DocWayne, I'm pretty far into this project to change to a different car now!

In the photos, the model looks taller than the real thing, but don't know if that is from the "macro" setting of the camera distorting the horizontal versus the "auto" setting for the far away image of the prototype.

[ocalicreek]

Check the gap between trucks and sides. The prototype trucks seem to be almost within the sides under the body whereas there's a substantial gap between the model truck sideframes and the car sides/body. Just a thought as to why the heights may seem different. Even so, the cars look super!

Galen

[P5se Camelback]

I think I see what you're saying, Galen ... that the prototype cars seem to ride lower than the models do.

I would concur.

The decision to lower the models (at least for me) would ride (no pun intended) on the amount of work involved in maintaining proper coupler alignment.

But hey ... super progress on what will be a unique fleet of wheeled spud crates! Keep on rollin', Gary!

[Russ Bellinis]

Most model cars and locomotives ride a bit high. The manufacturers do that to allow the models to negotiate our tight radii without fouling the trucks on under body details and causing derailments. We don't realize it but a 30" radius (which wee consider "broad") is extremely tight by prototype standards. A friend of mine, who now works for Athearn (Horizon) had a machinist type cross vice that he used with a drill press and milling bit to mill off a few thousands of an inch from the bolsters on Athearn locomotive frames to get them down to scale height off of the rails. The tool he used had a hole in the center of the face, that allowed him to mill off part of the truck bolster face without disturbing the centering pin.

[nkp_174]

We don't realize it but a 30" radius (which wee consider "broad") is extremely tight by prototype standards.

Locomotive vs. curves (in radius), scale

Uintah 2-6-6-2t (NG): 92', 12.6"R in HO
DT&I 2-8-4: 220', 30"R in HO
D&RGW NG 2-8-2s: 240', 33"R in HO
NKP 2-8-4: 280', 38"R in HO

Great build thread, Gary! While I have virtually no interested in the prototype cars or RTR models of them, your skillful kitbashing makes it a very enjoyable thread for me. Scratch building is all about getting the correct shapes and visual textures. Freelance modeling far too often leads down the path of accepting less-than-correct, while prototype modeling forces us to raise as skills to emulate our inspiration. I do think, based off of eyeing the photos that the 57' cars are the prototypes, but your work on the 50' cars is good enough that I'd never notice without it without it being pointed out. The fact that you're building a full train's worth, and two different versions, only adds to the visual appeal.

Keep up the great work!