Geno - I saw your Lionel Husky Stacks for sell. Friday night I had yanked out one of my Lionel 48' used, back-up CSX Husky Stacks. I looked at the possibility of using those as the basis for a 5 well car set. However, if I stay true to scale, none of the Lionel Husky Stacks will be suitable for that purpose. I'm not sure if you are aware, but the LHS's are not true to scale length wise. The disappointment of this fact has really sunk in at this point and it hurts even more as I own about 22 LHS's. But you are correct, the Lionel units can be used as a basis for 40' 5-unit articulated well cars. However, the Thrall units are most often rebuilt for this purpose (see various pics of the TTX units on the web and the HO sets). (Also, you will most certainty need some serious power tools to dissect and grind the LHS's and plenty of oil to act as a coolant.)
So, all in all, I've decided on another route in my own quest for a 48' O Scale Gunderson III 5 well car set.
Anthony
Hi Anthony,
I was aware that the LHSs were not true scale- I chose them over the MTH HSs because of their diecast construction and detail. But things do change- the intermodal industry has abandoned 48' containers in favor of 53s, and it has been over a decade since 48s have been in widespread use to move goods and freight. I'm sure Gunderson has used many 48' well cars and reworked then into 5-unit 40' articulated well cars too, because the 48' husky stacks were once an industry standard and plentiful. It's cheaper and more cost effective to modify and rebuild new 5-unit articulated 40' well cars from retired 48' well cars, than to cut them up, melt the metal, pour and form it into new sheets, and then build new 40' well cars from scratch. It's also easier from a fabrication standpoint to stretch a 48' well car into a 53' well car too- I see plenty of 53' stand alone Husky stacks in use today.
I still have 3 LHS TTX 48' well cars- I may attempt to cut them up, and turn them into an articulated 40' well car. I build musclecars as a hobby, so cutting, welding and shaping metal is something I have done many times. But alot of our fellow O gauge hobbyists still like the 48' husky stack, extinct or not- I've had little issue selling off the 48' LHSs, and if you wanted, you could do the same as well. Atlas will also do another run of 53' Maxi- IV well cars also, and hopefully Lionel or MTH would take the chance and produce a Thrall or Gunderson 5- unit articulated 40' well car- they would sell well.
Geno