Hi everyone!
I have just purchased two kits through eBay for Distinctive Scale Models model T rail trucks, Here is the kit:
I bought them on spec because I love critter stuff, and the price was very low. My problem is that the kits came without any instructions.
As you can see, this is a true ‘craftsman’ kit since the only finished pieces are the wheel sets and the motor. The rest is wires, flat stock of various materials and some rail pieces and rail joiners. I can identify the roof part and there are clear plastic castings for the radiator and hood plus a couple of other parts which I can’t identify and there are lead weights. However, without detailed plans or at least pictures I think constructing the models as intended will be pretty much impossible. That is not to say that the kits are not usable - there will just have to be a lot of improvisation.
I know there is a web site where assembly plans for model engines etc. are available so my first question is - can anyone provide the address for that web site?
Second - has anyone every built one of these? If so, do you have pictures? Or, does anyone know where I might find pictures of a prototype?
As always, thanks for your help.
Dave
From NMRA website:
Walthers Collection
Over 1,900 model manufacturers are represented by catalogs and kit instructions in this collection. If you have a kit without the instructions, we may be able to send you a copy from one of ours. Catalogs and price sheets also provide valuable information.
Note: The following is a list of companies represented in the Walthers Collection of the Kalmbach Memorial Library. Companies listed have varying amount of material in each folder, so please contact us with the exact kit instruction you need.
http://www.nmra.org/library/walthers.html
Distinctive Scale Models is on the list.
DSchmitt:
Thank you for the lead to the Walthers collection at the NMRA. I was totally unaware that such a resource existed.
Recently I have been debating whether or not to rejoin the NMRA. I was a member a few years ago but I didn’t feel I was getting good value for my money at the time. That was then - this is now, and even if the NMRA can’t provide the plans I need, I think that the discovery of this resource will push me over the edge.
Thanks again
Dave
DSCHMIDTT
I got a quick response from the NMRA Walthers Memorial Library and they do indeed have an instruction sheet for the railcars. They are sending me a copy.
Thanks again for the lead. You have been very helpful.
Dave
Got the ‘instruction sheet’ from the NMRA today. Turns out it is only an order form but it did have two key pieces of information. One was a picture of the finished model and the other was a reference to an article in the January 1963 Model Railroader where author Sherman T. Dance explains how he built the original version of the model. Thanks to my 75 year dvd I was able to look up the article. Although the materials Dance used are not quite the same as in the kit the article clearly shows how to build the front truck assembly and the frame/motor mount, as well as making several suggestions for the body.
Again Dschmidtt - thanks for the NMRA lead!
Dave
Should be a fun build. Will you be posting pictures?
I will post pictures when I start the project(s). I have two kits.
However, before starting to build them I will be spending a lot of time figuring out how to build them. The 1963 article is a little vague on details and uses a different motor. I think the biggest challenge will be designing the frame and mounting the drive system so that it runs smoothly. The kit has two axles on the front truck and the wheelsets supplied have both wheels insulated from the axle. I will have to come up with a method of picking up power from them if I want the thing to run reliably without making the pickups too obvious.
I won’t start building until I have a clear idea of how to proceed, so please don’t hold your breath!
Thanks for your interest.
Dave