Best Of Scratchbuild Project - CC&F Twin Trailer Flat Car

[BCR 570]

Tim

It may be too late for the BCR cars that you are making - that look great. Anyway, here are the various hitches that we produce at N Scale Kits. The specific examples are newer and not included in the original range. Do get in touch if I can be of help.

What are the BCR hitches - I do not recognise them, as we have a library of the various types found on flat cars and wells, mainly based on Jim Panza published and unpublished work

Peter

Peter Harris
N Scale Kits
www.nscalekits.com

Hi Peter:

Thank you very much for your post and photographs.  All options are still on the table at present.  All I have on the BCR trailer hitches is the following statement from the railway's Revenue Car Catalogue:

"All cars have ACF screw type cushioned hitches."  There was a long screwed rod which extended underneath the hitch and then well forward of the hitch.  I will try and find a photograph to post.

I am seeing some variation in the fleet with respect to the hitches, but they all appear to be of the same general type.


Tim

[prbharris]

"All cars have ACF screw type cushioned hitches."  There was a long screwed rod which extended underneath the hitch and then well forward of the hitch....I am seeing some variation in the fleet with respect to the hitches, but they all appear to be of the same general type.

Tim

I think that BCR used ACF Type 5C
   
The ACF 5C was cushioned. Wrench operated retractable hitch with screw type locking plate. The hitch was flat so no riser plate was required. The cover plate on cushioning was removed by TTX after 1982 and used on TTX, RTTX, TTEX and WTTX cars. The pictures are hitches on an unknown CP car that looks like an ACF 5.

I have not got an ACF 5C available but there are close ones in our line up.

Best wishes

Peter

     

[Ike the BN Freak]

Peter, are those new hitches part of the 89' flat kits? Or are they available separately?

I want to do some KTTX flats with TT2 hitches.

[prbharris]

....are they available separately .... do some KTTX flats with TT2 hitches.

The hitches on the pictures are available separately - it is that we have not got them on the website. The size and weight do not work with the flatrate postage charge, and I have not worked out how to separate them off, as hitches will go at a letter rate rather than a small packet. The price of the latter to the US has unilaterally increased. Do get in touch directly peter@nscalekits.com

Peter

Peter Harris
N Scale Kits
www.nscalekits.com

[BCR 570]

Today saw the long awaited structural completion of these two cars, a project I commenced back in August 2010.  The arrival during this past week of printed hitches and hand brake levers from Briggs Models enabled me to finally complete the cars.  And so here are the final instalments in the construction of these cars.

Hitches (Part 3)
The 3D printed parts from Briggs Models are those which come with this kit for the 52'-6" trailer flatcars.  Those cars are from the same era (early 1960s) and they shared the same hitch types.  The printed hitches offer some extra detail which I could not replicate with a scratchbuilt hitch:




After removing the hitches from their sprues, I spent some time carefully filing away the locating pins and some print lines:




The railway's Revenue Freight Car Catalogue provides the correct location for the hitches, which were marked on the tops of the centre sills with a pencil:




The hitches were glued in place on the cars with ACC, finally turning them into true trailer flatcars:




Brake Equipment (Part 7)
Jeff also provided me with some printed handbrake levers.  These were impossible to replicate in styrene as they are just too small.  In fact they are so small as to be almost unprintable, but Jeff succeeded in creating some scale parts with the correct shape:




The handbrake levers were glued onto the brake housings I had prepared earlier:




This photograph shows the vertical supports for the handbrake lever in place on one car, and the brake housings with levers ready to go on:




After installing the brake housing, I added a small length of etched brass chain from Athabasca Models:




Aprons (Part 3)
The aprons were prepared some time ago, but were left off for safety reasons.  With the hitches and handbrake stands now installed, the aprons were the last parts to be added.  They were glued onto the 'A' ends of the cars, and hinge arms were installed to connect them to the hinge points:




And that is it!  The two cars are now structurally complete.  I am hoping to take them to the island for painting tomorrow, but before they go I will take some final photographs to document their completion.  A sincere thank you to all those who have followed along and offered advice or encouragement.


Tim

[James Costello]

What a stunning work of art! Congrats!

[jpf94]

Well done!   The level of detail is simply spectacular.   

Joe

[Angus Shops]

Congratulations on the near completion of these cars. The level of detail is amazing for scratch built models in N scale. I’m looking forward to seeing the painted models (and the chip cars).

[x600]

    Bravo! Very well done, Tim. I can't wait to see them painted and in revenue service.



   Greg O.

[BCR 570]

Thank you all.  These two cars tagged along on the test run for the chip cars, so here are a few photographs and a video.  The intent was to see how well the trailers rode on the new hitches, and to check clearances in the helix.

Backing up through yard trackage:




Ready to depart Chetwynd Yard:




Crossing the Highway 97 Overpass:




Negotiating the helix:




Passing through Groundbirch:

Crossing the Kiskatinaw River:




After posing for some final beauty shots, they are now packed up for their trip to the paint shop.  I will post those photos tomorrow.


Tim

[Nick Lorusso]

Tim,
These look wonderful. Great work as usual.

[philippe.whyte]

Outstanding work Tim!  Really enjoyed that video with the sound of chugging MLW/Alco locos and a string of beautifully crafted freight cars.  The paint and decals will be the icing on the cake.

[BCR 570]

Thank you all.

Tim

[wazzou]

fghfj

Agreed.   

[BCR 570]

Final Assembly Photographs
I am often asked years later how I did or made something, so I wanted to record some final photographs before painting.  Once the paint hits the models the nuances of their construction will be less obvious, and with the passage of time I will be less able to remember the details. So here they are:

BCOL 7100 (oblique view showing 'A" end and left side)




PGE 7102 (oblique view showing 'B' end and right side)




BCOL 7100 with two van trailers




PGE 7102 with two flatdeck trailers




And finally a topside view:




Tim