You my recall that a year or so ago I rebuilt a Pennsy Weaver troop series express car using a plastic frame and the center sill that survived removal from the warped frame.
Having finished the Atlas undecorated troop kitchen project it was now time to start rebuilding the three Weaver troop cars I have that fell victim to Weaver Zinc rot disease. The first one up was my Pennsy express car.
I moved the plastic frame back to a Canadian National express car I had bought for the Allied Cushion trucks I needed for another project. I was able to come up with another set of trucks so I was able to put the CN express car back in service.
Here is the Atlas Frame and center sill with brake components from a damaged Weaver Frame. Some of the brake lines broke when I removed them form the Weaver fames so I used brass wire to make replacement brake lines. Also remember that you will need the mounting screws from your old Weaver center sill. The new Atlas frame and center sill do not come with mounting screws. The new Atlas frame and center sill needs two screws. After struggling with the brake components when I built the undecorated Atlas troop kitchen I learned a few things:
1. It is a lot easer to install the brake tanks and other components without the steam line on the frame. The new Atlas replacement frames do not include steam line. Also the mounting points for the triple valves, air tanks, and brake cylinder will need to be cleaned out so the parts will fit in the holes.
2. I assumed the original Weaver steam line would fit on the new Atlas frame. Well, the Weaver steam line does not fit at all. The new Atlas center sill has holes in each end of the center sill to route the steam line, the Weaver steam line ran in and out from under the under frame cross members. I used a brass wire that was small enough to fit in the holes in the Atlas center sill.
Here is the completed brake rigging on the Atlas frame. and center sill.
Here is the steam line installed. Notice the original Weaver steam line next to the new frame.
The completed frame and center sill painted.
I was able to salvage the plastic floor from the CN express car (it's frame shattered into pieces after I had removed the trucks) so I used it's plastic floor on my Pennsy car. The Pennsy plastic floor had bent into a nice U shape along with the original Pennsy frame .
Well, I was just about finished with the Pennsy express car when the dreaded curse of the Weaver Zinc rot stuck the Pennsy express car again - The *&!*&!! Weaver truck broke when I was moving it around in order install the body screws. Well, another lesson learned - If you are using original Weaver trucks install them after you mount the car body to the frame. They can't take any pressure on the side frames at all. I had to cannibalize the CN Weaver express car again in order to replace the truck on the Penny car.
Here is the finished Pennsy express car with an Atlas frame and center sill.
Next up will be a Weaver troop Kitchen car. I was able to remove all the brake detail parts in tact from both ends of the warped frame so maybe the kitchen car project will go a little easier. The Weaver troop sleeper is waiting on several replacement parts to be ordered that I had to cannibalize from it (We called "controlled substitution" back in my Army days when preparing those dead line reports.)
Thanks,
Richard
