Sourcing brass details for IM boxcars

Dear Chris,

     Check with George Peckman or Mike Rahilly. With George you never know what he has acquired over the years and Mike may have a different source/supplier, and, of course,they are both in your back door, with you living in CENTRAL Jersey. That one's for my Edison born DIL Dana. John

Chris,

If you want the parts done in metal why not have them burned out and cast in brass.  Lost plastic castings, if you will.  I have it done all the time.  Not only will they be done in brass but they'll fit the car without any mods.

Jay

Chooch Enterprises sells an Intermountain AAR box car super detail set made of engineering plastic with much improved scale dimensioned ladders, grabs, and end platform.  A friend how has upgraded several cars thinks they are more durable and better looking. Click for link to the Chooch IM upgrade kit.

Ed is correct.  I have quite a few sets of the Chooch details and they are really nice however, if you're concerned about parts being fragile, they are far more delicate than the IM parts.

Jay

I found IM parts to be among the more durable compared to the other plastic kit manufacturers. A few years ago I was looking to replace some detail on some K-Line (made by IM) and IM cars and emailed them on the possibility of getting some from them. This was after the sale of the O scale line to Atlas. They sent me 3 sets of sprues with all of the add on parts including grabs, ladders and brake part for no charge.

Pete

Thanks Jay - I agree IM and other scale detailed rolling stock require care in handling.  I wouldn't recommend them for someone operating on a club or modular layout where handling/packing is the norm.  That said, I've been running 30+ IM cars for over 15 years and have only had to replace 3 or 4 grabs over that span of time.  With spare grabs molded on the sprues in IM kits replacing them hasn't been an issue.

Chris - let us know what you find.

Ed Rappe

Ed

Guys,

Just use All nation and Athearn cars and you can throw them around all day with no breakage.

Just kidding! I know they are not as well detailed but they are still my favorites. I guess it is a nostalgia thing I have several IM cars too and about to add a couple more to the collection, I hope.

Malcolm

Ed, I was aware of the Chooch detail set, and am encouraged to learn the pieces are more durable than the IM styrene parts. It's a possibility.

Jay C, I am intrigued by your 'lost plastic' process, please tell me more about going about it.

I'll dive into the PSC catalog to see if they have the correct grabs, then perhaps as John mentioned I can contact my fellow Central Jerseyan George Peckman.

I'd still like to know what that style of hand grab is called. Thanks for your input.

They're called bracket-type grab irons, a term I first learned from a Ted Stepek article in the March 1956 Model Railroader. I looked for a good photo. The best one I found is this detail associated HO part.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/141092300057?lpid=82

Larry Kline

Pittsburgh, PA

...from the P48 website...

For intermountain kits' I now forgo the Plastic grabs as they are easily broken. I replaceed the with either tichy train group Phosphorous bronse wire or o scale america brass grabs.  Even some of the molded bars break and I replace then with Piano wire. see below...

Tichy Train Group Phosphorous bronze grab for the gon

Piano wire to replace broken stifing bar

Tichy Train Group Phosphorous bronze wire for grabs

O scale America[formerly Bob Rza] from des Plains hobbies for the boxcar.

Chris;

I don't think that PSC has the bracket style grab irons.  I've used Chooch replacements on about 45 IM cars and so far so good.

Allan

I agree the IM details are indeed delicate, but I grab my IM models with four fingers over the roof and my thumb under the lower edge of the side...zero breakage. I guess being a solo operator helps too. I have a supply of spare IM details from George Peckham should the need to repair arise.

Bob