One of the old time cars I recently purchased was this V&T Anniversary car:

[attachment=27099]

It doesn't have truss rods; it has a fishbelly frame. It was different, so I bought it, but as far as I can tell it's a complete foobie. I am thinking of converting it to a PRR XL car, or a B&O M-12:



I found a description of a mod in the B&O Historical Society Newsletter:

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It has a date with some brake fluid...

Great idea - also to me!
And a small addittion, change the frame to a better looking one:



Some more details on my website - http://us-modelsof1900.de/?p=3185

While brake fluid can be a very effective paint stripper, it does react with some plastics. I used it as a stripper for the shell of an Atlas S-4 switcher, and it totally destroyed it, deforming it beyond re-use, even as salvageable-parts.
I use methyl hydrate, which works well on some older paints as used on Athearn and MDC cars, but it's not so effective with some newer paints. It's available at any hardware or big box home improvement store.
It does have its own drawbacks, though, and should be used with adequate ventilation and nitrile gloves, as it's readily absorbed through the skin.
A better choice might be Scalecoat II "Washaway paint stripper for plastics.

Wayne

doctorwayne Wrote:While brake fluid can be a very effective paint stripper, it does react with some plastics. I used it as a stripper for the shell of an Atlas S-4 switcher, and it totally destroyed it, deforming it beyond re-use, even as salvageable-parts.
I use methyl hydrate, which works well on some older paints as used on Athearn and MDC cars, but it's not so effective with some newer paints. It's available at any hardware or big box home improvement store.
It does have its own drawbacks, though, and should be used with adequate ventilation and nitrile gloves, as it's readily absorbed through the skin.
A better choice might be Scalecoat II "Washaway paint stripper for plastics.

Wayne

Well, I'll look for methyl hydrate, or as it's called in the U.S., methanol, but it's not normally available in hardware stores here. Usually what one finds is denatured alcohol, which is normally ethanol with some methanol mixed in:



I'll try the denatured alcohol, as I have some available, but if I need methanol, I can find it at the gas station:



Oddly enough, I'm informed about various alcohols through a different hobby, bicycling touring/camping. I have a Trangia alcohol stove, and obtaining various alcohol fuels in different countries is a topic of discussion on bicycling touring websites:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1...19038&v=2j
And some commentary: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/gues...19038&v=1t

Hmm....I have a Sterno stove stored somewhere. Used to use it for camping. There should be a can of fuel for it around here, too - known as "canned heat", as the fuel was gellied denatured alcohol....sorta like napalm for the camping crowd.
You popped off the lid, lit it, then slipped it into the stove. When you were done cooking, slip the lid back on to kill the fire and then don't forget to let it cool before trying to pick it up.

Wayne

One good standby for paint stripping is Easy-Off oven cleaner in the spray bottle (not the aerosol). Just don't leave it on for more that 30 minutes as it can start to 'craze' some plastics

gna Wrote:....It doesn't have truss rods; it has a fishbelly frame. It was different, so I bought it, but as far as I can tell it's a complete foobie. I am thinking of converting it to a PRR XL car, or a B&O M-12:...

I've read that cars with those shallow, pressed-steel fishbelly sidesills first appeared in the first decade of the 20th century. They were all part of the Harriman-owned roads, which included the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Illinois Central, and the Chicago & Alton. After the break-up of the Harriman empire, the IC continued to build these cars as late as 1924.
There's a good photo of such an IC car on Page 39 of Richard Hendrickson's Focus on Freight Cars - Volume Two. It is, however, a double sheathed wood car, similar to the Pennsy car which you show.

Wayne