Let's talk rolling stock

[cjm413]

I think, if you want to be successful with this, you want stuff with the widest audience.

I think upgrades for Atlas Trainman (and Bachmann and Model Power) cars is a good start. Those things are UBIQUITOUS.

I'd love an upgrade for the beer can tank car.

You know what else would be cool? Generic tank car railings. I've seen a bunch of videos of MTL tank car style cars retrofitted with railings around the domes.

Plano makes a roofwalk for the ACF 5250.

New end cages would be nice - Atlas/Roco, Model Power, and Bachmann cars are based on early production cars with high-mounted handbrakes, but they could be used for later "Pre-1971" cars with low-mounted handbrakes.   Atlas Trainman cars are "Post-1971" and would need low-mounted handbrake.

All cars except for Bachmann need floors and brake detail.   The Trainworx parts might fit, but they'd need to be covered with a solid floor and brake detail on the B end.   For all of that trouble, it makes more sense to scratchbuild the floor and add coupler boxes....

Another option would be trough hatches and gravity outlets.  I recall JnJ made these, but they're no longer in production...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Plano sells beer can tank railing/ladder upgrade - I just bough few recently.
http://www.planomodelproducts.com/ntankcar_scq.html

Oh damn! I did not realize that.
Thanks!

[Lemosteam]

Sure.

Small car, but general idea:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3272874

Here are a few:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=720721
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2883989
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2580616
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5191161
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2389986
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=707161

Isn't @bbussey or @wcfn100 working on one of these?

[dougnelson]

As far as No. 3 goes, one of the big holes is reasonably accurate transition-era gondolas.  The Micrtrains cars are nice in their way, but are either too long or too short for the prototypes painted, have different #s of ribs, etc.  And they ride high.

A solid trio of USRA mill gons, AAR 52'-6" gondolas, and Greenville 15-panel gons would cover a huge number of prototype cars and be decent stand-ins for many more.

We do have the BLMA PRR G31 gon, which I believe was made by ACF and used by other railroads.  When will Atlas produce this model?

There is also the ESM PRR G26 65' mill gon.  One more gon is the old Sekisui(Kato) 50' gon made for ConCor.  I do not know what the prototype is for that car, but it is a nicely detailed, low-riding gon.  Usually readily available on the secondary market.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

We do have the BLMA PRR G31 gon, which I believe was made by ACF and used by other railroads.  When will Atlas produce this model?

There is also the ESM PRR G26 65' mill gon.  One more gon is the old Sekisui(Kato) 50' gon made for ConCor.  I do not know what the prototype is for that car, but it is a nicely detailed, low-riding gon.  Usually readily available on the secondary market.

What's the prototype on those ConCor/Kato gons?

[Ntrainz1]

GMM also makes upgrade:

Detailing Set for Atlas Beer Can Tank Cars (parts for two cars)    160-24

[cjm413]

What's the prototype on those ConCor/Kato gons?

Given the odd 13 panels and less than 52' length (don't recall how much shorter), I'm not optimistic that such a prototype exists.

The ones I have are buried under too many boxes to see if they could be spliced into a "generic" 15 panel 52'-53' car, possibly modified for something specific...

[dougnelson]

Given the odd 13 panels and less than 52' length (don't recall how much shorter), I'm not optimistic that such a prototype exists.

The ones I have are buried under too many boxes to see if they could be spliced into a "generic" 15 panel 52'-53' car, possibly modified for something specific...

I only know that it is not a PRR prototype.

[prr7161]

We do have the BLMA PRR G31 gon, which I believe was made by ACF and used by other railroads.  When will Atlas produce this model?

There is also the ESM PRR G26 65' mill gon.  One more gon is the old Sekisui(Kato) 50' gon made for ConCor.  I do not know what the prototype is for that car, but it is a nicely detailed, low-riding gon.  Usually readily available on the secondary market.

All great models!  The G31 in particular can be a stand-in for the PRR G28 and AAR family cars, though the stakes are too short for the AAR model, and it would be nice to have something closer.  But the Greenvilles are 15-panel (vs. 14 on the G31) cars and I don't believe anything like that has been offered.  Also, the 46'-0" IL / 13 panel USRA mill gon I don't think has anything close out there.  It and its clones saw a lot of use on the PRR, NYC/P&LE, B&O, RDG, and others.

[peteski]

What's the prototype on those ConCor/Kato gons?

I believe those are Japanese prototype tank  cars (from Kato's line of Japanese models).

[bbussey]

Isn't @bbussey or @wcfn100 working on one of these?

Those look like acid tanks. After a long break, I’ve resumed reworking the ESM kit. Trying to make it easier to build, to get the level of difficulty down at minimum to the Keyser Valley caboose. I have revised rapid prototype parts, just waiting for etched parts to arrive.

[Mark5]

Those look like acid tanks. After a long break, I’ve resumed reworking the ESM kit. Trying to make it easier to build, to get the level of difficulty down at minimum to the Keyser Valley caboose. I have revised rapid prototype parts, just waiting for etched parts to arrive.

Bryan, is that the Hooker? 

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=42336.0

Mark

[Curtis Kyger]

I find another strange thing on the Con Cor gondola is its 8' interior width.  Many 65' mil gons have 8' interior widths but I'm not familiar with <~50' fishbelly gons that are that narrow.

[Mark5]

I find another strange thing on the Con Cor gondola is its 8' interior width.  Many 65' mil gons have 8' interior widths but I'm not familiar with <~50' fishbelly gons that are that narrow.

Yeah, it was once one of the better gons in N scale, but since we now have (a few) better options - I ditched mine.

[bbussey]

Bryan, is that the Hooker? 

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=42336.0

Mark

Yup!