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Good afternoon, This Sundays project was installing Kadees and lowering the ride height of a MTH NYC caboose. This thing was extremely high. Completely cut out the mounting pads from the steel frame and replaced with a flat piece of .080 plastic from the car ends to the truck mounting area.The original frame is still there. Couldn't use the original body mount screws, the wheels hit the heads so I used countersunk screws.

Clem 

 

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Last edited by clem k
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Very nice! I did the same on one of my MTH cabooses that sat too high. Not only that, but it wobbled while going down the tracks. I didn't want to cut apart the frame, so I carefully put it in a vice and compressed the mounting pads until I liked the way it looked. I didn't do it to solve the wobbling, but it did get rid of it which is a plus. The only problem I've had with it was the silver rivet that holds the roller in place (pictured) rubbed up against the frame and caused a short. I just put a small piece of electrical tape on the top of it, and it's been working great since.

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  • mceclip0

Very nice work. As much as I love MTH most of their rolling stock sits way too high for me and I've lowered quite a few myself. Wish I had known about Keith's compression approach earlier. Would have save me the trouble of drilling through the metal frame on a couple of cars.

I've flipped the steel floor over on a couple of my MTH boxcars and used a piece of aluminum sheet to mount the trucks and couplers:

aluminum plate 001

aluminum plate 002

I'd have to check my cabooses, but it seems like I did one like this too.  The coupler shown is using a Weaver box I think, may even be a Weaver coupler but I don't think so (seems like I run out of coupler boxes before I run out of couplers!).

The 2 screws showing are the ones that go into the posts inside the car body.

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Nice job man! I lowered one by flattening the the steel floor and then building it back up so the flanges barely clear the floor. It was a PITA so next time I will do what you did and just cut them out  It was just a "beat on something with a hammer" kind of day. I replaced the MTH trucks with Atlas trucks anyway so the originals mounts wouldn't work. I did feel better once I pounded the floor flat though.

 

I did a pennsy porthole and n8 caboose lowering job by making a whole new floor out of .80''plastic material.

I cut an opening in plastic floor so springs from 3rd rail pickup would swivel and not be hitting floor.

It makes a huge difference in looks. I ground lobster claws down to clear end sills.

Painted floor and trucks with rustoleum camo earth makes a good base for eventual weathering.

 

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