Horizon and Comet Cars in N & HO - Plus a lot more!

[peteski]

Resurrecting this thread...anyone know of a good set of easy to find and appropriate number decals for MBTA coach/cab roofs?

Some related info was posted in reply #174: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=47243.msg724488#msg724488

But since nothing happened, I assume that Rapido did not produce additional decals sheets.  Maybe Highball Graphics did those on their own?  Check thir website.  But since the numbers are black on transparent film, one could easily draw a set of numbers, and print them on either laser or ink jet printer on a clear decal film.  I'm planning on making such decals in the future (once I get back to working on those cars).

[ski]

Thanks Peteski!!!! HIghball has them!

[peteski]

Thanks Peteski!!!! HIghball has them!

You're welcome!

LOL!  I guess I should have checked Highball's website.  In light of this development, I'll llikely just pick up a set myself.

[MetroRedLine]

I just got one of these Dinatte, er, Dinette cars recently, so forgive me for being late to the party.

First impressions: Wow, I actually think they're one of the best RTR passenger cars in N scale. Nice detail, nice rolling quality and THE LIGHTS! No tanning salon effect for the interior lighting and the selectable marker lights are amazing! Now I want this kind of lighting (with the magic wand magnetic switches) on all my Kato Amtrak cars!

However I did notice one major flaw with these that I didn't see anyone catch in this thread...the couplers.

I ran mine behind a string of Kato Amfleet cars. I would get an intermittent short and the Amfleet in front of this car would derail after rounding one of the curves. Turns out the culprit was the magnetic "air hose". I was about to push them up, but the metal sticking out of the top of the coupler indicates that this had already been done, yet the "air hose" has been snagging on a couple of my turnouts.

I decided to size it up with the good ol' MTL Coupler Height Gauge and discovered thus:

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The coupler is waaaaaay too low and and only half of the knuckle mates with the Kato Amfleet. The coupler appears to be an MTL 1015 (I've heard it's a clone and not an actual MTL 1015), which screws in, so I'm wondering if a 2004 underslung coupler would work. I tried screwing in a 2004 in a draft gear box (I keep a number handy for Kato locomotive upgrades, you know the deal...) but somehow it won't screw in horizonally flat. So I decided to take the 2004 knuckle assembly and put them in a 1015 box.

After an hour of constant cussing and breaking various coupler parts in the process - and yes I was using the coupler assembly jig - I was able to assemble a pair of 2004s in 1015 boxes. I screwed them in, and they installed perfectly. I matched them up with the Coupler Height Gauge and they were a perfect match!

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Next, I coupled the car to my Amfleets and gave it a run around the layout...No turnout snags, no derailments, no shorts, everything ran perfectly!

How the fine folks at Rapido were totally oblivious to using an underslung coupler for these cars simply baffles me. I loved everything about them except for this. Fortunately, I was able to come up with a solution.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

And that's why removing them is one of the first things I do to any new equipment.

[peteski]

. . .
However I did notice one major flaw with these that I didn't see anyone catch in this thread...the couplers.

I ran mine behind a string of Kato Amfleet cars. I would get an intermittent short and the Amfleet in front of this car would derail after rounding one of the curves. Turns out the culprit was the magnetic "air hose". I was about to push them up, but the metal sticking out of the top of the coupler indicates that this had already been done, yet the "air hose" has been snagging on a couple of my turnouts.

I decided to size it up with the good ol' MTL Coupler Height Gauge and discovered thus:

The coupler is waaaaaay too low and and only half of the knuckle mates with the Kato Amfleet. The coupler appears to be an MTL 1015 (I've heard it's a clone and not an actual MTL 1015), which screws in, so I'm wondering if a 2004 underslung coupler would work. I tried screwing in a 2004 in a draft gear box (I keep a number handy for Kato locomotive upgrades, you know the deal...) but somehow it won't screw in horizonally flat. So I decided to take the 2004 knuckle assembly and put them in a 1015 box.

After an hour of constant cussing and breaking various coupler parts in the process - and yes I was using the coupler assembly jig - I was able to assemble a pair of 2004s in 1015 boxes. I screwed them in, and they installed perfectly. I matched them up with the Coupler Height Gauge and they were a perfect match!

Next, I coupled the car to my Amfleets and gave it a run around the layout...No turnout snags, no derailments, no shorts, everything ran perfectly!

How the fine folks at Rapido were totally oblivious to using an underslung coupler for these cars simply baffles me. I loved everything about them except for this. Fortunately, I was able to come up with a solution.

I have several Comet and Horizon cars and I see the same issue. However it appears that the car is designed properly and the drooping coupler is caused by poor assembly process.  Some of my cars have couplers at the correct height, others no so much.

As I determined, the problem is caused when the vestibule floor parts are glued to the car's floor.  It appears that due to flash and/or ejection pin marks, the vestibule floor ends up not properly seated on the car floor when it is glued down.  When the shell is installed, the vestibule thresholds (which are too high) get pushed down by the bottom edge of the door, causing the entire end of the car's floor (along with the coupler) to droop.  Sometimes the vestibule floor is even crooked when glued to the car floor.







I managed to unglue the vestibule floors from couple of cars (they are glued on really well, and it is difficult to get them looks without damaging things), shave off the ejection marks flash and the glue, then cement them while installed properly.  That took care of the coupler height problem.  I agree that it is not really cool for Rapido to have such quality problems.

I actually did that and took the photos back when the cars were released. I was going to post the info here at that time, but with so many projects I work on, I forgot until now.

[Nick Lorusso]

I just picked up a set of 6 in phase 6 to model a Cascade. I have to say great looking cars. Now to go back to the beginning of this thread and start reading.