New Bowser N5c

[Joetrain59]

 Had to get one to run behind a train pulled by M1a. Copy on BLW site says it has FVM wheels. If so, these are the dullest FVM wheels I ever saw. Did run car over alcohol damp paper towel. Got a bit of something off wheels. Car does not roll well, either. That could be a plus though.
 Joe D

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm on the fence about these. I haven't gotten any yet.

On one hand, I have an N5C in CR already, and there's just something about them I don't love. I think it's that the cupola is too short or something.

On the other hand, these look light years better than the earlier run.

[davefoxx]

I'm on the fence about these. I haven't gotten any yet.

On one hand, I have an N5C in CR already, and there's just something about them I don't love. I think it's that the cupola is too short or something.

On the other hand, these look light years better than the earlier run.

I thought about you the other day, @Ed Kapuscinski, when I saw these pop up on MBK's website.  I wondered if they had addressed the issues that caused you anguish over previous runs.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Had to get one to run behind a train pulled by M1a. Copy on BLW site says it has FVM wheels. If so, these are the dullest FVM wheels I ever saw. Did run car over alcohol damp paper towel. Got a bit of something off wheels. Car does not roll well, either. That could be a plus though.
 Joe D

To help the caboose roll better, you could take the wheelsets out of the trucks and flex the sideframes out, which will reduce friction.  On the other hand, if you want to avoid a slinky coupler effect, you could flex the sideframes in to lock 'em up.   

DFF

[Peter Amling]

Mine arrived from BLW yesterday. I'm quite pleased with the model from a paint and detail standpoint, especially the roof walks. However it does not roll that freely, and it does seem to ride a little high. I am going to try filing down the bolsters a little bit.

I appreciate that there are so many varieties of RTR cabooses in N scale.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I thought about you the other day, @Ed Kapuscinski, when I saw these pop up on MBK's website.  I wondered if they had addressed the issues that caused you anguish over previous runs.

DFF

Some of them. It looks like they fixed the cupola/smoke jack orientation thing on some of them.

Fixed:


But also, not fixed:



However, for me, the big problem is that the cupola still looks "wrong".

For example. Compare the prototype proportions here:
http://conrailphotos.thecrhs.org/Images/CR-23074-Class-N5C


With the model:


I think they did it much better in HO:


If I didn't have one already, I'd get one (it's not like something better is going to be coming along), but these aren't so much better than the originals (and my fixed up one) that I'm in a rush to grab one. If I find a deal on a PC one down the road, I might go for it, but I'm not lining up for em, either.

[prr7161]

I was looking at the cupola issue a couple of months back on my older run N5c cars.  The ride height is too high, no surprise there.  Bowser kept the overall height of the car the same off the rail, and kept the sidewall panels the right height.  So the roof gets "squashed" to compensate for the higher floor - there is not enough rollover at the sides of the main roof, and the cupola roof is nearly flat.  Less obviously, the "points" of the front and rear walls of the cupola in plan are also a bit flattened, but not too badly.  It can be fixed with styrene and sandpaper.  Of course, I preordered a trainphone version before looking at this, so now I will have the factory trainphone in the way if I decide to invest in the fix.  Sigh.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The ride height is too high, no surprise there.  Bowser kept the overall height of the car the same off the rail, and kept the sidewall panels the right height.  So the roof gets "squashed" to compensate for the higher floor - there is not enough rollover at the sides of the main roof, and the cupola roof is nearly flat.

I was afraid of that.

Seriously, that type of ***** REALLY makes me mad. Sure, if the car has to be too high, make the car too high, but don't compromise the dimensions of the model to hide it.

It does explain why they got it right in HO but wrong in N though.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, thinking about solutions... does anyone have an old and a new one?

If so, are the cupolas interchangeable?

[peteski]

Ok, thinking about solutions...

3D printing?  Anybody? @Lemosteam ?
 

[eric220]

3D printing?  Anybody? @Lemosteam ?
 

Nooooo! The last thing I need is another project!

[Dave V]

This is one of those things I've never gotten fired up about...  Dunno...the Bowser N5C doesn't bug me as much as I guess it should.  I tried lowering one once and it bottomed out...oops!

[mmagliaro]

A new roof and cupola, plus of course lowering the car, would go a long way to improving these.
If those are removable, that might be a good candidate for a 3D printed upgrade "kit".

Are those brass spacer washers I see showing between the trucks and the underframe?  Can those just be taken out?

[nscaleSPF2]

Are those brass spacer washers I see showing between the trucks and the underframe?  Can those just be taken out?

Yes, Max, they are and they can be.  Makes the car look much better.  It appears that the reason for the spacers is to increase the clearance between the coupler and the wheels, allowing a smaller turning radius.  The larger radius (without the spacers) is not a problem on my layout, which has a minimum radius of 14 inches.  The spacers lasted about 10 seconds after the cabeese left the jewel boxes.  Now if I can just get some of those new MTL couplers....

[Joetrain59]

Yeah, the roof and cupola not sitting flush bugs me. I got Trainphone version. Would that be pulling the roof up a bit?
 Did put a Z905 on one end. Spacers removed from bolster, and coupler is a bit low but should work. Bolster pins are a PITA. Very hard to seat them flush, I broke one off. Remainder of pin in bolster hole
 Joe D