I have built three of Central Valley Model Works http://www.cvmw.com/index.htm N.P. Stock Cars and 2 N.P. Flat Cars and find these to build into excellent models. The design of these kits are probably the easiest-highly detailed kits available. Design wise they are very well engineered and include all the brake details and underside details everyone seems to want, now-a-days. Price wise they are very reasonable with prices averaging around $13.00 for the stock cars and $10.00 for 2 Flat cars as one kit. These are not difficult kits; but, are also not “Shake-the-Box” to build kits. You will need to add trucks and of course, couplers and decals. The body of the stock cars, which are usually one component in simpler kits, is made up of two sides, two ends and a roof. Detail parts are added to the body and the undersides are two parts, the actual car floor and the steel frame, channels, bracing, bolsters and almost all the brake rods, bell cranks and piping, then the triple valve is glued to the floor/frame assembly. The fit of all parts is great and in a few hours’ time assembly is complete and it’s time to paint, add decals and weather.
I did find it difficult to hide enough weight under the empty flat car to bring this car to NMRA standards. I cut up rails in 40 foot lengths for the 2nd car so that one’s load brought it up to standards. Central Valley Model Works suggests these 41 foot flats were mostly used in MW during my era on the N.P., so that is what I have put them to use, doing.
Since I am an N.P. modeler, these cars are right in my “Wheel House”, but N.P. cars would have been sighted on most class ones, so if you need some stock cars that will look d
I’ve got three of the Central Valley stock cars, but modified them for use on my own free-lanced road.
CV also offers the floors and roofs separately. I used the floors under eight of these modified Athearn cars. The low side sills relieved me of modelling the brake gear, so the two-piece floors saved some effort, even though they had to be narrowed to fit within the modified Athearn body:
I’ll be using the roofs on some scratchbuilt cabooses.
Wayne, I only meant I don’t like to do pictures and was hoping if people wanted to see photos of the cars, either some nice folks would post them; or, who ever wanted to see a photo of the car would go to the website address I listed with my original post.
Yeah, but that’s not the same as seeing work done by fellow board members. I did go to their site and the cars look great…I just wanted to see YOUR work.
or, who ever wanted to see a photo of the car would go to the website address I listed with my original post.
Yeah, but that’s not the same as seeing work done by fellow board members. I did go to their site and the cars look great…I just wanted to see YOUR work./quote]
To take a photo, load it onto my confuser, then figure out how to post it here is just to much work and like I said, I’m not interested in photography.!
Rail length: when flat cars and gondolas were 34 to 36 feet, standard length for rail was 33’ When 40 foot cars became the usual length, rail was 39’ Rail stayed at 39’ for some time even as cars became longer because of manufacturing and handling issues with longer rail.
Dave Nelson
P.s. Added to the posting. This was not meant as a finger-wagging lecture. The topic came up and I thought it would be of interest and use.
I’m only attempting to promote the fine, reasonably priced products from Central Valley Model Products and the act of building models. That is the thrust of this thread. Two people did give you photos of one of the two models I was talking about. Why is it you feel I need to provide you with photos of my models, or else the thread is BORING?
