Details West, Custom Finishing, and perhaps others make Hy-Rail conversion kits for light and medium trucks in HO. But there’s a problem…
Park one on your live rails and instant short.
I’ve never heard this discussed as an issue with these metal detail parts kits, but it seemed like an obvious issue when I was contemplating installing the DW kit (235-918) on a Busch Dodge PowerWagon. At the same time, I was trying to figure out a neat and easy conversion to 3’ gauge. Then it came to me…
As designed, the hyrail wheels are attached by driling at spots located underneath the bumper, then pins on the hy-rail wheel casting are glued in position.
To solve both problems, I took a piece of Evergreen 3/32" tube, cutting it so it left the hy-rail wheel castings spaced properly to 3’ gauge. I also traded the bumpers front to back, as this resulted in better places to bore holes in both locations for the bumper mounting pins. Here’s some pics.
The results are visually pelasing and plausible.
The secret? The 3/32" plastic connecting the two hy-rail wheel assemblies… The pins on the wheels fit in the end of the tube, insulating them.
That’s the kit’s rear bumper on the front, but the mounting pins nicely clear the frame rail if you drill them. For the front bumper, it turns out that drilling into the mounting for the bed is exactly their spacing and worked best for get the vertical location right.
The bumper swap just looks right.
Get the signal lenses painted right and no one will ever notice.
Neat solution Mike! Looks really good.
I can’t remember if you have mentioned this, but are you considering powering these guys? If so, one way to get around the problem that there is almost no space in something like the Power Wagon for a motor, is to stick something behind it with a motor and drive in it. Here is one example that I came across on eBay that could quite easily be converted into a logical car that your Unimog or Power Wagon could be towing:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/BACHMANN-JOHN-BULL-TENDER-POWERED-UNIT-FREE-US-SHIPPING-/141372532542?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item20ea75a73e
I think that this sort of option would be far easier and much less expensive than the (really neat) self propelled Unimog in the video.
Dave
Dave,
I have thought about powering at least one of them in standard gauge. I was going to use BLI or someone’s else’s powered/DCC hy-rail unit, but funds for that are in short supply right now, so I just went ahead with what I have on hand.
The John Bull trailer idea could work for standard gauge. I haven’ yet come up with neat idea in narrowgauge.
I’ve assembled a few Custom Finishing kits. They came with plastic inserts for one wheel, so the metal axle would not short out. These were original kits by founder Bob Rzasa, before the firm was sold to someone else, so perhaps the new maker does not still supply the plastic inserts.
Bob,
Thanks, good info to know. They’re probably still that way, I just assumed since they were metal parts and gave no indication they were designed for on-track use they might require a similar fix. I’ve only had the DW conversion kit to go by.