tetters' Duff Challenge part duex
#1
As I mentioned in my backdrop thread I've started working on some Tichy USRA 50 Ton Box Car Kits I've had for sometime now. I actually have fourteen of these cars to build, but I've decided to be reasonable and do one box of six I had loose in my cupboard. (The box these kits were in was used to ship the Big Blue Tour Car as the original box was looking a little worse for wear.) So in the interest of trying not to lose any of the parts I'm going to put these together and have some extra rolling stock to run on my layout. Who knows, depending on how fast these go I have another 8 I can build to keep me busy.

[Image: IMG-20130203-00389_zps8b602489.jpg]

The build starts out simple enough by assembling the car bodies together as per the included instructions.

Next step is to drill the holes and install those little grab irons. Confusedhock:






Which I will do later today. Goldth

In the end I hope to have these all painted a lovely shade of Box Car Oxide Red, numbered and lettered for my road of choice Canadian Pacific.
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#2
Sweet Mother of Pearl!

I have a new found respect for you gents who make and install your own brass grab irons. I just finished the grabs on one car and realized that one a night is probably going to be my limit for these. I also got a little ahead of myself, as according to the instructions I am supposed to do the under body details first. Ah well. I have five more to correct that mistake on. However, that said there is something to be said about following instructions to the letter. I can see the benefits of installing the grabs before cementing the body parts together. Being able to apply the CA from the reverse side is a lot easier and cleaner looking. Still this didn't turn out too bad. I can also see why Tichy gives you a healthy bunch of extra grabs. I bent a couple of them when trying to install them. Which brings me to another point. Finding a drill bit as small as 0.0145 was bit of a problem. So I improvised and used a small piece of 0.015 music wire. Turns out when measured in my calipers it comes out to 0.014. I cut about a inch piece and cut an angle on the tip using wire cutters. Makes for a handy drill bit in a pinch. Plus there is the added bonus that the music wire flexes a bit, however after drilling a couple dozen or so holes the "bit" eventually bends where it is clamped in my pin vise. No worries, I have plenty of music wire to make into drill bits.

[Image: SAM_1177_zps07563e16.jpg]

I used a piece of strip wood to keep the spacing consistent on the ladders. I think its pretty close at about a scale 6" from the side of the car. I am hesitant to try and make the grabs tighter to the body. However any hints or tips to help me along would be appreciated.

Thanks for looking.
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#3
Yep. those grab irons can be a rather boring and tedious task. Yes, you can use music wire as a drill bit through soft plastic or soft wood, but I know from experience the job would have been easier with a #78 drill bit. I've also learned to put a sharpened nail or a needle in a pin vice to "punch" a starting hole prior to drilling. That keeps the bit from wandering, and ensures your grab irons will be straighter.
--
Kevin
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#4
I think a 6" spacing to walls is correct.
What I do is to negate hints of different building plans for cutting off the wire ends inside of body after the glue was setting. I bent the ends inside down or sidewards and fill the backroom around the wire ends with a two-component resin. So the stirrups can not pulled out yet pushed into the body. The stirrups are so absolutely and permanently fixed.
Cheers, Bernd

Please visit also my website www.us-modelsof1900.de.
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#5
Those are some good tips guys. I'll have to look for some # 78's and stock up on them. Using the music wire works, but does take a bit more effort. Using the sharpened nail as a punch is a good idea too. I also like the idea of bending the excess wire down inside the car body to secure them better. That's where experience building kits like this plays a role and its something I'm slowly getting myself.

Thumbsup
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#6
Quick Update: The benefits of having a member in our club also be an employee at our LHS has allowed me to score some #78 bits. He was gracious enough to bring a couple packs to me last night. Otherwise I'd have to wait until the weekend to get some. I've since drilled the grab holes for two more cars and have finished the under body detail on one. Hopefully tonight I'll have the roof, "B" end details finished on that one tonight. When I get the whole lot of them to that stage I'll go on a painting spree and do them all at once.

Thanks for the encouragement to get those bits Nacho. It really does make a difference when you use the right tool for the right job. The drilled holes look a lot cleaner looking. Thumbsup

I'll get some pictures up on my progress when I do some more work on the cars.

P.S. Having never assembled one of these kits before I'm taking this all in as a learning experience. I personally think the first car will turn out looking a little on the rough side. But you gotta start learning these things sooner or later, right? Wink
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#7
I second the use of a sewing needle in a pin-vice to locate holes for your #78 bit. I have three pin vices, one always has a sewing needle in it as I actually use that more than the drill bits!
Michael
My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
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#8
Thank you Micheal, a sewing needle is a great idea for a center punch.

Well I got the B end details and doors on one of the cars tonight. Whew. Just five more to go! :?

[Image: SAM_1180_zps00332a5a.jpg]

Here it is on the supports. A good amount of little bits to glue on here.

[Image: SAM_1182_zpsc64c1113.jpg]

I then decided to take another pic of it just resting on its trucks. So I haven't attached them yet.

I fixed the doors in place. I don't see any reason as to why I'd want to open and close them (maybe photos but not for me). The model seems to delicate for that to me as well.

So now I'll set this aside until I get the details installed on the others... which will probably take me the better part of a couple weeks. Then its on to the paint booth!

Thanks for looking and please let me know what you think!
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#9
Wow! I have so much admiration for the patience and care required for such work! Nice! Thumbsup
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#10
Good looking!
Cheers, Bernd

Please visit also my website www.us-modelsof1900.de.
You can read some more about my model projects and interests in my chronicle of facebook.
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#11
I recommend chemically blackening those grab irons before you paint them models. I've done it before bending, after bending, and after installing. It'll give the paint a little more to grab onto and if the paint does chip off, they'll still look nice.
Michael
My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://thesouthparkline.blogspot.com/">http://thesouthparkline.blogspot.com/</a><!-- m -->
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#12
GAH!

I broke one of my tiny bits off inside the model and cannot get it out. The little bit that it there is too short to grab with pliers. I suppose the only thing I can to is file it down and spot the holes for the grab just above or below it, but if anyone has any ideas so that I can extract the bit I'd appreciate it. Curse
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#13
Try to drive it the rest of the way through with the needle in a pinvise

#78s don't break very often once you develop the feel for it...a feel best acquired after breaking a half dozen or so...
Michael
My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://thesouthparkline.blogspot.com/">http://thesouthparkline.blogspot.com/</a><!-- m -->
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#14
I was able to fix this, but driving it all the way through would not have worked only because the hole drilled was into the side of the "A" end of the model. There was no other side, just more styrene... I was able to carefully file it down and then drilled another hole right on top. Oddly enough, the drill template included with these models seems to want to place the holes on the "A" end a little crooked, the new hole is actually more level.

Funny you mention breaking these, I've broken another bit since this one and was beginning to think I was just being too ham fisted with them. But they are very small bits aren't they... :?
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#15
Lookin' good, Shane. Thumbsup Thumbsup

Actually, the proper bit for those grab irons is a #80.....I can break a #80 with a stern glance Misngth so I use a #79, and buy them in a ten-pack, at about $35.00 from a nearby tool supply store. Once you find the right touch, the bits can last for quite some time: I once did well over 400 holes with a single bit, and when it finally broke, I had only four or five more holes to be drilled....broke two bits before I got them done. 35
For broken bits that need to be removed, I use an X-Acto with a #11 blade to carve away the plastic from the inside of the car - once you reach the tip of the bit, it can be pushed out far enough to be grabbed with pliers.

The point on a pair of dividers is useful to mark the starting points for the drill bit, and you can do both at the same time if you wish. A strip of .030"x.100" works well as a spacer for the distance from the car's sides - it looks reasonable, and still allows the car to fit into the original box with the lid on. I usually install all of the grabs, then insert the spacer at one side, pressing with my finger to keep the grabs at that side tight to the spacer. I then use an old #11 blade in my X-Acto to bend-over the wire inside the car. The spacer is then moved to the opposite side of the row of grabs, and the operation repeated. I usually work on a sheet of glass, so simply place a small puddle of ca on it, then use another old #11 blade to pick up some on the tip, then transfer it to the inside of the car at the point where the wire comes through.
At the car corners, where you can't drill right through the bodyshell, I shorten the legs on the grabs by cutting them with a firm press of the heel of a...you guessed it...well-used #11 blade. Working on a hard surface like glass, it makes a much cleaner cut than pliers or side-cutters, although you must, of course, ensure that the grab doesn't take off - if you don't normally wear glasses, safety glasses would be a good idea.
The Tichy kit has styrene corner steps, and if you think that these are fragile on r-t-r cars, these will re-define the word. I use A-Line steps: they're phosphor bronze and come in the three mostly-commonly used styles - any decent hobby shop should have them. They require that #74 or #75 holes be drilled in the bottom edge of the car's sides - the dividers can be set to match the steps being used, then used to make the marks for starting the drill. Since the sides of the Tichy car aren't all that thick, I use solvent-type cement to add a short length of .030"x.100" strip styrene at each corner, as shown below. Allow it to set fully before drilling. As you can see, you'll need to notch out the car's floor to accommodate the extra thickness, and I've also notched it for the bottom grabs on the car's ends, too.

[Image: Tichysillmodification_zpsd589205c.jpg]

Tichy gives you two steel nuts as car weights - I've never had much luck with them staying in place, so never cement the car's floor to the body unless they're fully secured. Neither ca nor silicone sealant will last, and while contact cement should do the job, make sure to follow the directions literally - if you don't allow enough drying time before bringing the coated surfaces together, the solvent may continue to work. I've bought train show "bargains", only to find excessive solvent damage due to this, sometimes requiring new floors.

I'm not overly fond of Tichy's method of doing the corner grabs on the roof, as the glue bond at the corner is a weak spot. I prefer to make a small eye-bolt, using .012" brass wire (Detail Associates offer a version in stainless steel, but the "eye" is a little on the large side for this application.

I don't know if Tichy has changed the covers for the draught gear boxes, but the original ones were the press-in type. If you needed for any reason to remove them, they usually broke off. I modify mine to accept a flat head screw - 00-90 I think.

These are fun kits to build and the CPR had lots of these USRA "clones", the main difference being the 7/8 rib pattern on the ends as opposed to the original 5/5/5/.

Wayne
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