I had this unloved REA boxcar that needed a truck and also I needed a track cleaner- so I mearged the two together. This is a work in progress...
Took some spare sheet metal I had from an electric wiper install{vacuum wipers suck} and made the skid base with both ends swept up to clear any possible obstructions. Drilled 4 holes and added rivnuts, then drilled 4 matching holes in the car frame and enlarged them a little for ease of movement...just a drill size up- you don't want too much slop, just ease of up/down movement. I grabbed two old paint jars and CA'd them to the inside of the car frame for holding ballast- lead split shot @ 30 per each jar, so far. The next step was to add velcro to the majority of the skid with the end pieces wrapped around for decent holding of a scotchbrite pad. I'll try it this way using gravity but I can forsee 4 lite duty compression springs over the rivnuts in the future - that or another centered rivnut with a threaded rod up into the car via a larger hole in the car frame to hold washers for weight...open the side door and add or subtract what ya need.
Hope you like it or at least made you laugh...necessity is the mother of invention.
Yes, I know the trucks are mismatched, but I was determined to use what was sitting around....as said, if I do go the centered, on the skid, additonal rivnut, I think I'll try and add a piece of thin brass or something that will reach out to the ends of the scotchbrite pad ends to hold them down...if I have anything to do that.
