Let's see your "opening doors"

 

Otherwise know as a feature which adds cost but no benefit?

 

They are thicker than a scale bank vault door! Since no one has ever exited the engine or car train thru them we glued ours shut so no underachieving adult sticks his finger in for no reason.

I keep them shut. To date it has been highly effective in preventing my 1:48 scale crew members from leaving their posts! If those little suckers ever got away, I'd never get them rounded back up again.

 

Gilly

Actually, that's exactly what you can do with them:

But Martin, that is not a "engine and high end caboose" model as original posted. Side doors on baggage cars and boxcars are pretty nice when left opened, at times.

I will need to ask Herbie he sure did a number on one of my 40' box cars.

without this feature how would you throw momma from the train?

 

 

Very nice Martin

Thanks for sharing


       

Good point.

Making a note:  Check to see if crews are in place if engines or sounds don't fire up.

Exactly Hot Water-

Frankly my friend I agree it is a waste-- bragging rights. Even in high end brass they are more accurately thinner but still they are spring loaded and why? Good point. I would rather have more accurate details than a door that opens in my opinion. GGD did this with my SC cars and I am happy. The heavyweights they could have skipped them.

Good topic worth bringing up.

A neat gimmick on passenger cars nonetheless.

These images photo copyright (c) Erik C Lindgren for Wasatch Model Company

A truly magnificent gimmick - working Dutch Doors on a passenger car.

That's a Custom Brass freight motor powered with a Q-car drive, not a baggage car - note the 2 trolley poles. 

This is how the elephant traveled when he missed the circus train.

 

Vandals were run off by the railroad police before they could steal a drum of chemicals.

 

John in Lansing, Ill

That is really cool


       

I didn't say it was a baggage car, but it sure isn't a "engine and high end caboose" either, which is what the original poster was inquiring/complaining about.

It's an engine as far as any trolley or traction modeler is concerned.  There is more to engine than just diesel and steam.

 

I was inquiring.   I have a few pieces with spring loaded opening doors and didn't think it right to have a figure hanging out of them all the time... and could think of anything else to do with them.  The forum is full of creative people.  I thought maybe I was missing something.  Loads in the boxcars, YES!  Opening end door on the caboose, not needed... Even if I was going to put a figure on the caboose, it'd be "get in or get out" as my mom used to say.  

My only complaint about opening doors on cabooses is that if you want to prop them open (as I sometimes do), the springs are so strong that it can be difficult to do without scratching the paint.  Please, manufacturers, be a bit more delicate with the door springs!

 

I don't mind them.  My 2 year old on the other hand loves him.  He's spent a lot of time laying on the floor next to my locomotives pushing the doors with his finger.  That alone makes them worth all the while to me.

I'm glad this topic was posted.  I have had many K-Line heavyweight sets with a spring loaded provision door in the dining car.  For many moons I've been looking for a

thin chef to stand in that door while the train is moving.  He would be grabbing a

bit of fresh air before returning to his crowded galley.  I have not found him.  Anyone have one or know of a supplier.  The height is the governing factor.

John

The doors let the sound out.

You could open and close boxcar doors with a model airplane servo, a simple circuit to do "bang-bang" open/close PWM values, and the ERR Mini Commander ACC kit.  I've posted the circuit to generate the two PWM values, it's the one I used in my Tie-Jector mod with the airplane servo.  With a little thought, it should be possible to put a delay into the PWM value change so you got a slower movement of the servo.

 

 

This will open any door! LOL

Don

If you must have opening doors why not use a magnet to hold them shut. Then you could run them open or shut. Don

Good Grief Charlie Brown !!  Don, what the ---- is that thing? It looks like it could fire 12 gauge shotgun shells.

What about one of those slow motion switch machines, John?

 

 

 

 

 

Nice work Drew.

That second pic is a winner.

The majority of boxcars and reefers I have have opening doors - always have.  this was probably a "high-end" feature back in the 1930s.

 

 

Many (about half) of the various passenger cars I have have opening doors.  Many seem like a silly features, particularly the spring-loaded ones like on these lovely MTH 18" cars.

 

 

 

Opening doors on locos are fewer and farther between.  The most interesting I have are on the front of the Vision CC2's cab, where the eprator could walk out along the front of the loco. . . 

 

 

Both my Legacy Sharks and Legacy E-9s have spring-loaded cab doors.  Not sure why.  Those on the Sharks won't open more than halfway due to obstruction from motor, etc., inside.  Utterly worthless feature.

I have made a few with grain doors, but most of my weathered stuff, I just glue them shut it they were sealed when dull coated.



Thanks,
Mario

 

Left - Lionel legacy E9.  Right, MTH Premier E8.  What do I do with these opening doors?  Absolutely nothing. This the only time I have ever opened them.

They serve no real purpose for me, although it brings back memories of using them when I was a kid on a passenger car that looked similar to this one.