Truss rod cars

Brass wire works and PSC has brass turnbuckles. Used with brass queen posts it can all be soldered together. Makes for a pretty rigid structure.  

Pete

I've done the brass wire route, but now routinely am using #0 braided silk, Tichy turnbuckles, Grandt Line queenposts, and either Tichy or Grandt Line nbw castings at the ends of the cars.

The silk is threaded through the car ends 4 times each time adding a turnbuckle and not putting the silk up on the queenposts while keeping it under tension. The silk is anchored at each end in all 8 holes with the large Tichy or Grandt Line nbw casting and CA.  After drying, the silk is lifted up onto the queenposts positioning the turnbuckles in between the queenposts. Anchor all with a little CA and trim excess silk off the ends. Now you have truss rods that are actually under tension.

Pete   I wish  I had asked  , before I epoxied the queen post in.   As I have 2 more pass car kits , and i will be ordering parts in brass

@Dave Koehler posted:

Pete   I wish  I had asked  , before I epoxied the queen post in.   As I have 2 more pass car kits , and i will be ordering parts in brass

You can still use brass wire and turnbuckles. Just use a dab of epoxy on top of the posts.

Pete

Pete  thats what i will go ahead and do,  I just worry about the epoxy joints holding up.

Dave

It is much easier to get the fishing line or braided silk taut.    I used the monofiliment fishing line on some labelle freight cars.    Brass will be much sturdier, but a lot harder to get tight so it looks like it is  under tension.

@Dave Koehler posted:

Pete   I wish  I had asked  , before I epoxied the queen post in.   As I have 2 more pass car kits , and i will be ordering parts in brass

You can still proceed with either process.

BTW, here's what I was describing; truss rods (silk) actually under tension and structural to the car.

I have only had 1 car react deleteriously to the tension but that car also had styrene needle beams and they warped twisting the car body.

Silk? , I think I have used that before 

@Dave Koehler posted:

Silk? , I think I have used that before

What I use is braid surgical silk, #0.

Thanks for the new to me idea of using braid surgical silk #0 for truss rods.

I will try it on my next LaBelle kit when I get back to the workbench.

@Purplepapa posted:

Thanks for the new to me idea of using braid surgical silk #0 for truss rods.

I will try it on my next LaBelle kit when I get back to the workbench.

They are wonderful kits, as long as nothing warps

@Purplepapa posted:

Thanks for the new to me idea of using braid surgical silk #0 for truss rods.

I will try it on my next LaBelle kit when I get back to the workbench.

I'll be bringing a spool of #1 and one of #2 to the Strasburg show this Sat.

Lots of choices here to choose from.

Here is what brass looks like. You could also use piano wire. It solders as easily as brass. Once secured neither bends.

And the prototype from my personal library.

Pete

@Norton posted:

Lots of choices here to choose from.

Here is what brass looks like. You could also use piano wire. It solders as easily as brass. Once secured neither bends.

And the prototype from my personal library.

Pete

Sweet