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The weight needs to be shortened about .040" at each end so that the vestibule inner ends sit properly. Otherwise, the roof will not sit flush at the ends. I figured this out after I cemented the weight in place, so I had to break away the ends using a jewelers screwdriver inserted through the diaphragms.
I think I missed something here Bryan, why doesn't the roof fit? Is the vestibule an add-on part or what? I have only disassembled my RPO car so far.
Will,No, all standard parts. But for whatever reason, some of the weights are too long which prevents the vestibule inner walls from sitting flush on the bottom of the floor, which puts extra pressure on the roof tabs and occasionally they pop up. It might not be a problem on every car, but it was a problem on more than one that I have. It's easy enough to file the weight back to insure it clears the vestibule walls.
Was that after you disassembled them or were they like from the factory?BTW, it's ok to call me Will but I would prefer it if you put a Mr. in front of it. LOL.
I'll call you by any name you'd like! Which do you prefer?
But I still don't like the way the roofs fit in general, particularly in the corners.
Here's what I did to one of the three MTL heavyweights I have that are operational. I acquired one of the cars from the Pennsy 10-1-2 runner set because the cars in that set are the only Pennsy decorated cars that are 100% prototypical. I had some time this morning to snap some photos of the model, now riding on loop-less truck frames. This is the bedroom side:And this is the hallway side:The weight needs to be shortened about .040" at each end so that the vestibule inner ends sit properly. Otherwise, the roof will not sit flush at the ends. I figured this out after I cemented the weight in place, so I had to break away the ends using a jewelers screwdriver inserted through the diaphragms.Decals were applied on the inside of the glass sections in the bathroom areas to simulate the etched patterns. Someone here on Railwire gave me the pattern artwork but I don't remember who. The artwork was printed onto decal paper in a laser printer. It's easy to align them properly with the windows when the glass is in place. Roscolux frost gel was then cut and tacked to the glass pieces in the bathroom areas. to finish the effect.I dislike the color used for the Pennsy interiors (and the Pullman green interiors), so I swapped in a 10-1-2 interior from a Union Pacific model. The vestibule inner ends properly fit with the weight shortened.I was mistaken on the centersill extension. Only the area between the bolster and coupler needs to be filled in. There is room for more depth, and the centersill slope could be continued to the bolster and still clear the inner axle, but this small amount is enough to remove the whitespace and give the cars more visible heft. New holes were drilled and tapped to move the 1015 couplers inward and secured with brass screws instead of plastic pins. Fox Valley 36" wheels were used to upgrade the trucks. The addition of steam traps also enhances the underbody appearance. The underbody arrangement is correct for Lake Maitland, so there was no reason to alter it.The trapezoidal shapes on the roof were carved/filed/sanded off and replaced with the well-defined vents from the RPO roof.The rectangular shapes on the roof were carved/filed/sanded off and replaced with roof fans were fabricated from styrene and an etched face plate. Rain drips made from .008" brass wire were added over the doors. And American Limited heavyweight diaphragms replaced the standard ones. Only a couple of hours work overall, and it looks much better. I've also done similar work on a New Haven parlor and a Pennsy 12-1, but the underbody configuration on both was totally rearranged and the roof configuration on both was more extensive so they took longer to do.
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Topic: Lowering MTL Passenger Cars (Read 7590 times)
