Lionel Pere Marquette caboose

Nice looking leaf-spring trucks with plane bearing journals too. Sure looks a LOT better lowered!

Thx. I didn't snag a photo of it before lowering it but I think I was able to drop it about 1/8". Here's the coupler that I took off, the thickness of it set the ride height:

  I'm "push toy easy", but that has got to be the worst looking lobster claw  I've seen yet. I think its the tack post that's most distracting. I hope it at least functions well.

   Thanks for posting this. PM got me here, but I was very curious about what you guys would have to go though with those to get it lower.

Adriatic posted:

  I'm "push toy easy", but that has got to be the worst looking lobster claw  I've seen yet. I think its the tack post that's most distracting. I hope it at least functions well.

Please note that this is the 3-Rail SCALE Forum, thus those of us that model in this format, really don't care about ANY of those "claws". They simply wind up in the trash can.

   Thanks for posting this. PM got me here, but I was very curious about what you guys would have to go though with those to get it lower.

I basically cut the mounts off and sanded the center section flat. Not sure what to make of the thick Kadee shim. It set the coupler too low even with the stock ride height.

Hot Water posted:

Adriatic posted:

  I'm "push toy easy", but that has got to be the worst looking lobster claw  I've seen yet. I think its the tack post that's most distracting. I hope it at least functions well.

Please note that this is the 3-Rail SCALE Forum, thus those of us that model in this format, really don't care about ANY of those "claws". They simply wind up in the trash can.

 Whoa!!!  What brought that on?!  Bad day?

Good job Norm!  I have one of those cabs and was wondering what to do with it.

Did you get the first one that they are trying to sell for 200-250 bucks on the bay? I was thinking that had different trucks but I don't know. I bought this thinking it would be good/close enough. I see that Atlas is making a C&O style caboose in Trainman. Is that the same caboose PM ran?

Dealt with the oversized smokestack. I forgot to snag one from P&D yesterday so I made one out of brass.

 Norm, that stack came out great.

Norm Charbonneau posted:

I see that Atlas is making a C&O style caboose in Trainman. Is that the same caboose PM ran?

The C&O and PM cabooses were essentially the same although some of the PM cabooses had their ladders on the left side of platform right next to the brake stand. The new Atlas Trainman caboose should be OK to use as PM cab. Definitely more accurate than the Lionel 4 window Northeastern caboose. The only question is when will they be available?

Ken

This is the Atlas T-man:

http://www.atlastrainman.com/Freight/tmococab.htm

I may snag the C&O to run with my Allegheny. 

Norm Charbonneau posted:

I ended up grinding the mount completely off and rebuilt the pivot with a more low riding height spacer by CAing sleeves of brass tube.

Nice work as always, Norm...thanks for sharing!  Can I ask how you attached the modified trucks (with your homemade brass sleeve pivots) to the body?  Thanks.

This method of attaching trucks came to me when modifying my B6. Instead of drilling out holes in the trucks and frame and risking making them off-center, I found that sleeving tubing together could adapt different hole diameters and keep everything aligned. The hole in the frame is 3/16" dia., and the truck is 7/32". I cut thin slices of 1/4" tube to retain the 7/32" tube in the truck, then a thin slice of 7/32" tube to retain the 3/16" tube in the frame. The 3/16" tube nests in the 7/32" tube. The lower pic shows the stack-up before mounting in the frame. The top 1/4" retainer on the truck set the ride height. I used my mini table saw to cut the brass tubing using a fine blade. This method also provides a hollow mount to run wiring through if needed.

Norm Charbonneau posted:

This method of attaching trucks came to me when modifying my B6. Instead of drilling out holes in the trucks and frame and risking making them off-center, I found that sleeving tubing together could adapt different hole diameters and keep everything aligned. The hole in the frame is 3/16" dia., and the truck is 7/32". I cut thin slices of 1/4" tube to retain the 7/32" tube in the truck, then a thin slice of 7/32" tube to retain the 3/16" tube in the frame. The 3/16" tube nests in the 7/32" tube. The lower pic shows the stack-up before mounting in the frame. The top 1/4" retainer on the truck set the ride height. I used my mini table saw to cut the brass tubing using a fine blade. This method also provides a hollow mount to run wiring through if needed.

 

Very creative, Norm!  So if I'm following your explanation correctly, there are no screws, bolts, nuts, retaining clips, etc. holding the trucks on...just the tube from the frame inserted into the tube in the truck, with a retainer/spacer setting the proper ride height. 

What happens when you pick the caboose up off the track?  Do the trucks fall off...or is there enough friction between the different diameter tubes to hold them together?

Sorry forgot to mention they are CA'ed together. I soldered the ones I made for my B6. I should have put a pin through one end for easier removal if I ever need to take the trucks off. 

Got around to the weathering last night. Now the grabs are really bugging me!

Interesting, I would replace the railings on the sides and those attached to the cab going up the steps with smaller wire.  The basic shape looks good so it could be turned into a sweet 2 rail caboose.

The cupola roof grab supports are bad too. Just sloppy loops. I may play with it some moreif I get the time. Right now I am in the process of 3RSing a bunch of Lionel cars I dug out from beneath the layout. Lionel stuff is so much work to get set up right.