It would seem to me that a small upgrade kit could have been made available for those reefers by some enterprising company. I am in need of replacing some of the end steps and a few grabs also. Even a normal derailment can wipe them out--just like the real thing. Now let's not get into a discussion of 1/64's mass vs the real thing!
I have about 20 of the reefers on my layout with another 2 to build. I do use the Tichey brass S scale grabs and common medium duty staples (5/16's I think) re-bent into the proper profile that seems to work fine. After reading Don's comments about the ABS vs metal vs styrene. I wonder if the thinness of the final product might determine the 'mix' or pressure used in making sure the product was fully formed. I've had some of the PRS air and brake lines just snap when de-spruing them, however the same thing happens with the ladders on the AM gondola which is ABS. I've had only a couple of the bracket type grabs get damaged on the 40ft BC and nearly zero on the 50ft BC's. Bob Werre PhotoTraxx.com On 5/21/11 9:45 AM, Rusty wrote: > > You can send those detail sprues from the PRS kits to your friendly > caster and have them cast in brass and then when you install them on > the model they are not so fragile. There are several casters out there > that will gladly do that for you. The PRS kits were made of styrene > that burns out fine in the casting process. (I am not one of those > friendly casters. Lately I have not been friendly at all.) > I once tried to cast the noses from several American Models F units > but that did not work very well. There was too much ash left over from > the plastic that was used for the models. I now have brass F unit > noses that could be used on a LWS kit but i sold my stash of LWS kits > some time ago. > I had the same problem when I was casting the "Budd Buddies" passenger > trucks in brass about 10 years ago. I wrote that one off to me being > drunk at the time and installing my head in a location where the sun > never shines. > > J Rustermier > > --- In [email protected] <mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com>, > "cnr3304" <andym@...> wrote: > > > > --- In [email protected] <mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com>, > Bob Werre <bob@> wrote: > > > two evenings of fun. The reefer was entirely another matter, as each > > > car got better detail-wise the time necessary to complete the car > > > increased to where it was about 5, 2-3 hour sessions for me. I > >know of one individual who replaces all the plastic piping with > >brass wire, so I can't imagine how much time that adds! > > > > > > > > > Bob Werre > > > PhotoTraxx.com > > > > > > > > > > > > I have found that the plastic reefer grabs are not robust enough. > They tend to break especially when you pack a car up to take to a > show. Tichy's 24" HO straight grabs fit quite nicely into the holes > already there. I get a few kits ready and attach the grabs to them. > Then I mix Floquil Reefer Orange and Reefer Yellow to match the paint > scheme in question. Not all Reefer Oranges on the PRS cars are the > same shade! Even the Yellow needs a tweak or two. > > > > I know that Tichy also sells S scale grabs but these HO grabs can be > found at most non-S Model RR shops. I always like to quip to the > cashier that it's nice that they stock S scale parts when I am paying > for them. > > > > Speaking of PRS cars, the NMRA S scale V&O Heritage car was a PRS > reefer done as an ice car. IMHO, I would have rather it been a hopper. > "This is the strangest life I've ever had..." J. Morrison. > > > > Happy Rapture Day! See you tomorrow. > > > > Andy Malette > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
