does anyone know the correct ends (3/4,4/4,4/5) go on early mechanical reefers, both smoothside and outside braced, I have a few athearns with the wrong(5/5) ends and would like to change,other wise car is reasonably close to protospecs.
Mike, the Athearn mechanical reefer model is based on the PFE R-70-7 cars of 1953. The B end should have a 4/4 Improved Dreadnaught end. The A end - the end with the refrigeration machinery - is correct in having a 5/5 Dreadnaught end. I’m sorry, but I don’t know about the exterior post cars. I would hazard a guess that they had 4/4 Improved Dreadnaught. All the best, Mark.
thanks Mark,now off to get some ends…
My pleasure, Mike. Do you have a source for the new ends? I have some injection moulded plastic IDE’s in my parts box, but I have no idea who made them… Cheers, Mark.
I’ve got some extra ends from Branchline Trains blueprint series undec. kits I purchased a while back, the nice thing about their undec. kits is they give you all the ends for that series car, so I’ve got them covered, thanks though, Mike
Mike, I didn’t know that the Branchline undec kits had extra ends - thanks for posting that bit of news. I’m off to buy some kits! Cheers, Mark.
If you just want the ends, don’t buy the kits.
http://www.branchline-trains.com/blueprint/parts/detailparts.htm
Well, there you go! I didn’t know they sold the parts separately, either! Thanks for letting me know, Eric! Cheers, Mark.