BLW/ConCor metal reefers

[Joetrain59]

 I bought 2, Lackey, and NYC. I was impressed by the details, and low ride height.
  The orange paint is just a bit thick, but I've seen worse. Yeh, Rapido coupler needs to go,
   and install metal wheels. Did roll nicely, though. Plastic wheels are low profile.
  https://brooklynlocomotiveworks.com/odds-ends.htm#blw-cc

  Joe D

[cjm413]

Ride height looks OK, but the overall height of the body appears to be higher than any known prototype....

[peteski]

I was/am confused by the thread's subject line. I thought "metal reefers" are N scale models with bodies cast in metal (not plastic).    Or are those die-cast metal cars?  I know some of the older Sekisui (Kato) Con-Cor freight cars has die-cast metal underbodies, but the shells were plastic.

As for the ride height, they seem maybe even too low to me.

[160pennsy]

I was/am confused by the thread's subject line. I thought "metal reefers" are N scale models with bodies cast in metal (not plastic).    Or are those die-cast metal cars?  I know some of the older Sekisui (Kato) Con-Cor freight cars has die-cast metal underbodies, but the shells were plastic.

Think what he's sayin is the prototype railcars are NOT wood reefer but steel "metal" reefers - Con-Cor 40' Steel Reefer

[OldEastRR]

The Atlas 40' plugdoors have the wrong roof for FGE reefers. With some complicated body and roof work, I turned some of these ConCors into semi-prototype FGE 40' plugdoors.





The LH car is destined to be a BREX, the other the FGE. There was a difference in the shades of yellow between the real cars.



They do ride low, but by gluing strips of thin styrene up against the existing ribs on the inside of the plastic shell the height can be fixed. The floor as designed butts up against the rib ends, which are too short.

As for "metal reefers" I think somebody had a brain fart and wrote that instead of "steel reefers" which what those types are. The cars do have a metal frame, tho.

[Joetrain59]

Sorry for the confusion. The 1:1 were metal, as in Pete's description. Too low Pete? LOL, don't we all want lowriders?
  They do need more weight. Might need those styrene strips, and one shell fit's very loosely.
  I like the old colorful reefers, some of which carried...... wait for it...... BACON!!!
  Joe D

[peteski]

Yeah, I eventually figured out that it was not the models but the1:1 being steel (steel is a metal, but I never heard anybody refer to the 1:1 cars as being "metal".  But the main reason I was confused is that clicking on the BLW link in the first post brings up models depicting wood-side reefers. That was what made me think that maybe the model's shells were die-cast metal.  Only scrolling down a bit shows the models of steel-side reefers.

[Joetrain59]

I cut the rapido couplers from the trucks, and started body mounting Z905's. Match the MT coupler gauge nicely. Need to get metal wheels for the trucks. The CC wheels suck.
 Joe D

[Cumbo2000]

The Atlas 40' plugdoors have the wrong roof for FGE reefers. With some complicated body and roof work, I turned some of these ConCors into semi-prototype FGE 40' plugdoors.





The LH car is destined to be a BREX, the other the FGE. There was a difference in the shades of yellow between the real cars.

Can you briefly describe what you did: new roofs or modified the originals?

Bob Witt

[OldEastRR]

For the modification you need remove the roofwalk and file off the ice hatches. Then fabricate thin (0.10")* styrene into the corrugation shapes of the roof pattern and install them on the 2nd to the last sections from both ends of the roof. You'll probably need to lightly file the sides of the fabrications to match the bevels of the other roof corrugations. Add thin ribs to both sections like the other roof sections have. Add side footboards to the original roofwalk or substitute any 40' boxcar type roofwalk you like.
For the ends chisel/file off the short ladders on the right side of each end. The end ribs aren't perfect but are pretty close to the FGE prototype, and there are the correct number of them.
Add thin styrene strips to the bottom of the inner ribs on the body shell. As it comes the floor rides up too far into the shell. The strips should be thick enough to have the floor bottom be even with the bottom of the car ends. The sides should end below the floor.
*I used .010 styrene but .015" thick is actually the same height as the cast-on corrugations. But nobody notices how high they are. 

[Cumbo2000]

Thank you very much.

Bob Witt