Bill, Maybe try measuring the holes on a PRS car instead of a grab iron. I held a square along the roof of the carbody and moved it until the blade just covered the inboard hole. Then I used the inside measurement side of my Mitutoyo digital caliper to measure to the outside of the outboard hole. I came up with 0.0290. Hope this helps, Charles Weston San Antonio
--- On Tue, 7/31/12, Bill Lane <[email protected]> wrote: From: Bill Lane <[email protected]> Subject: {S-Scale List} Grab iron update To: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2012, 1:35 PM I have some pretty good news… This whole grab iron project came about by accident. I never would have guessed there would be interest. I just wanted a few items to fix up a PRR boxcar I have 2 of… BOOM – a project is born. Sounds like a Babs Streisand song…. It became apparent the interest was to replace broken PRS grab irons. I was being advised of the correct prototype length they should be but decided to take matters into my own Starrett Digital Calipers and measure for myself to match the PRS grabs – right or wrong. They are seemingly shooting for a 18” long center to enter of the brackets. I am trying my absolute best for a “cut off the tree and glue into original holes” but I am not guaranteeing that can happen. Without the original part drawing exactly showing pin centers that is really difficult. They are like trying to measure spaghetti after being in hot water for 10 minutes! I broke 6 of them just trying to do my measuring! This style grab is on the PRS 40’ boxcar. The mounting pins are diagonal from each other. I am trying to split my preference of having the pins straight across from each other and matching PRS so there are now 3 pins on the back of the brackets. Cut off 1 pin to suit your need at that time. The worst you will have to do is cut off all of the pins and face glue them. Nonetheless the overall length is now exactly the same length and the brackets are the same width. So in a real weeks time I am about to go from email query to starting to get things made. Can you stand the light-speed that things are happening!?! I expect to have the master patterns ordered this week. I won’t know prices until I get a few cast. That could happen in about a month. I had to reduce the tree size to make my caster happy. There are 16 grab irons on the tree now. As with my other projects I am not keeping them going forever. My current thoughts are “get all you want now”. Whether they get taken over and sold later on Pennsy S Models remains to be seen. Thank You, Bill Lane Modeling the Mighty Pennsy & PRSL in 1957 in S Scale since 1988 See my finished models at: http://www.lanestrains.com Look at what has been made in PRR in S Scale! See my layout progess at:http://www.lanestrains.com/My_Layout.htm Custom Train Parts Design http://www.lanestrains.com/SolidWorks_Modeling.htm PRR Builders Photos Bought, Sold & Traded (Trading is MUCH preferred) http://www.lanestrains.com/PRRphotos.xls ***Join the PRR T&HS*** The other members are not ALL like me! http://www.prrths.com http://www.lanestrains.com/PRRTHS_Application.pdf Join the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines Historical Society It's FREE to join! http://www.prslhs.com Preserving The Memory Of The PRSL
