The Mod "S"quad

Although my modeling interests are stuck in the late 50's - early 60's, I occasionally have visions of the future.

I've been dancing around these at every Des Plaines Hobbies Anniversary/Christmas/Tax Day sale for the past few years. Finally, the spirit moved me (and my periodic affliction with the SP) to buy an S Scale America ACF Centerflow and FMC boxcar.

Nice cars, I'm familiar with the Centerflow from Pacific Rail Shops days, but not so much with the FMC box. So, I scalified the cars with the included scale wheels and added Kadee's. I noted the couplers were sitting too high vs my coupler height gauge. Fair enough, on other PRS Centerflows I have from the olden days I had to shim the couplers down and figured to do the same with the boxcar.

Then, I happened to examine the broadside photo of the FMC car:

Arrrrgh.... The "looks too high" light bulb went off in my head... I checked a prototype photo I gleeped off the web:

Ee-yup... Too high. Nerts... (And here we thought only Circle L was guilty of this...)

Fortunately, the fix was easy-peasy. I had installed the included SHS-style spacers to the trucks when I changed out the wheelsets. I removed the spacers and presto! Not only did the car get lowered to what appears to the proper height (or close enough to it,) the couplers also now are at the correct height, no shimming down required. Huzzah!

Trouble is, now I'm starting to eyeball some of the other modern SSA cars from Des Plaines...

Rusty

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6/22/1411:45 AM

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Colin StewartOGR Forum Member

Hi Rusty

I recently picked up nine of the SSA double and single door boxcars from a friend and agree they are really nice cars, Ron did a great job with these cars.

Colin

6/22/1412:22 PM

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StrummerOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER

SSA stuff IS really nicely done...I wish they offered some less modern items,but WTH; for quality they can't be beat...

Mark in Oregon

6/22/148:23 PM

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John AlbeeOGR Forum Member

Thanks for the info. I have 12 or 15 SSA cars, primarily Rio Grande hoppers.
I've noticed on the cylindrical hoppers and the FMC cars, while nicely done, sit high with high couplers and don't want to ride level. They tend to lean one way or the other.
This is particularly true (lean) on the TTX well cars.
So, thanks for the heads up...they are in the repair shop until they're right.

6/22/1410:03 PM

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Rusty TraqueOGR Forum Member

Originally Posted by John Albee:

The one thing I noticed on the SSA Centerflow is there's a small ring (about .020") molded on the bolster. This ring wasn't on the original PRS bolster. Outside of raising the car by that amount, it does make it a little more wobbly if the truck screws are little loose.

I trimmed the ring flush with the circular base of the bolster. This lowered the car height to match my earlier PRS Centerflows, but the coupler still needs a .060" shim to be at the correct height.

Rusty

6/23/149:49 AM

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Rusty TraqueOGR Forum Member

Mod "S"quad part 2...

This SSA Evans double plug door boxcar was the NASG convention car in 2004. It has been languishing in deep storage since then, mainly because of the lack of coupler mountings to simulate the cushion underframe.

Now, all the time's I've been in Des Plaines Hobbies since then, I never thought to ask Ron if he ever had mountings available. Still haven't... Maybe next time...

So, using the FMC boxcar as a guide, I knocked together mountings using Evergreen styrene, laminating together 2 .040"x .188" strips for width with some .020" sheet to help keep them together.