This was so funny, it’s was the Tangent #10923-03 black 52’-6’’ 70 ton Reading repaint gondola. As I started out of the yard with 35 loaded gondolas each weighing anywhere from 5.1 oz. fake loads to 12.0 oz. live loads with three Deisels pulling. As I walked along with the train, I glanced back and 3/4 of the train was missing. Oh that’s strange I thought, I guess a coupler’s (Kadee) coil spring popped out. Nope, the whole draft gear with coupler and cut bar was laying on the track with the stopped train. It looks like the draft gear is only held in place by two small (.032’'/#67 drill size) plastic pins glued to the frame/body. Just two small plastic pins molded on the draft gear with very little glue holding it all in place. I guess I need to reweigh my live scrap loads of gondolas.
That is great example why 90% of my freight cars use the Kadee coupler in a Kadee coupler box held in place by a 2-56 screw.
.
My maximum train length will be 12, no grades. 5 on the only grade.
.
-Kevin
.
Have you contacted David at Tangent Scale Models? That’s the first I’ve ever heard of that issue.
.
If the STRATTON AND GILLETTE extends to the Rockies, we will need to survey a route with 0% grades! It will probably require an extrordinary amount of excavation.
.
-Kevin
.
[:O]
What are your loads made of? Actual steel scrap?
Maybe the OP is transporting mercury in his live loads…
I just built one of those kits and the two pins did not even engage with the body. A lot of glue was expended on the coupler box to make sure it did not come out.
Kevin, based on the construction Kadee pockets would not wirk easily if at all.
Rick Jesionowski
That load would be in tightly sealed and wrapped containers and the containers would be filled to capacity, because you know what can happen when the liquid/solid gets to slopping back and forth or side to side. Oh and shipped in a refigerated car. With a two man crew in a cabin car attached at the rear of the loaded car.Yep, your right, I know nothing about shipping Quicksilver.
I use live loads of scrap, too, with similar weights, and in this case, the empty car weighs in at 7.25oz…
…and with this particular live load, its weight is 11oz., although with some other loads, could be heavier…
This hidden weight explains its LT.WT. …
My loaded Athearn two-bay hoppers weigh 8oz. when loaded with “coal” (Black Beauty blasting medium).
I did have a number of Rivarossi 85’ heavyweight passenger cars, with interiors, that weighed 15 or 16oz., each. They rolled in a manner similar to that of a real car - very ponderously.
However, the soft plastic sideframes with which these cars’ trucks were equipped soon began to wear at the pockets in which the axles turned, and I had to removed much of the weight. They’re slimmed down to about 8oz. now.
W
I used to hang out with my brakeman friend who worked for Penn-Central. He would set up cab rides for me and I recall one morning, leaving Collinwood, east of Cleveland, I was riding along on the head-end of ONF-8 a train from Cincinnati to Buffalo.
Only minutes after getting the train started we went into emergency. I walked back with the head brakeman and about six-cars deep there was a big gap.
Just as you describe, the whole draft gear yoke was yanked out from the end of a hi-cube auto parts car. We hadn’t even cleared the yard. There was lots of back and forth on the radio. Finally the dispatcher convinced the crew to use the nylon tow strap (replaces the heavy chain) to pull the car ahead to set it out.
Well, the crew wanted nothing to do with this maneuver so they hooked the strap up but “forgot” to pull the pin on the other end of the car. Now, the tow-strap was no longer an option.
Shift change for the dispatcher came and went, we still sat. Ten hours had passed then the crew bus came to pick us up. Things were a mess back then.
The welding job on the repair to the draft gear assembly was awful. It is no surprize it pulled right out.
So your scenario does have a prototypical background.
Cheers, Ed
Steel, yes and no. I’d like to post photos but I’m not with any photo hosting site yet, someday maybe. Someday this site may allow a person to upload from that person’s files, I hope.
Anyway, I have live loads with anything made of scale metal scrap, shredded aluminium fin, centrifugal cast motor weights from garbage disposers, the flint striker wheel and parts from lighters, springs, rod, cog wheels from old clocks, the parts from inside water gages, outer heads from electric razors, inside guts of faucets, cutter heads from old pencil sharpners, punched steel tune wheels from small music boxes, old steam loco tires and complete driver wheels, the wheels from outdated date stampers, inner plastic tubes from desktop printer paper cut to make rings, real thin steel plate that was soaked in water to acheive real rust, broken pieces of hard perferated screen from some electrical gadget, scale corregated steel, scale large stamping, rolling and shear machinery, all weathered, bent and cut or broke into pieces. I live near a scrap yard with rail service so I see loads going somewhere.
The down side of live loads is a bad derailment…but that’s real railroading.
Some times in winter the shreaded steel/iron is still smoking in the gondolas as it goes by. I need to find a old smoke unit from a BLI steam loco and then with a DCC decoder in the gondola under the fake scrap load, just
I just looked at the draft gear and car. The two pins are not on the draft gear box and are not stuck in the holes/bosses. Sheared right off, or was never there? There is not a good platform to glue the draft gear to, just thin edges along the sides of the body/frame/center sill what ever you want to call it. You will need to build up with shims to meet the top of the draft gear box and glue it all together. This is the Achilles heel of a wonderfull looking car.
But of course I was using the car in a manor that it was not intended for by the manufacture to be used for.[B)]
That’s it, that’s it, how cool is that. So the Tangent 52’ 6’’ 70 ton gondola is built prototypical correct. Thanks Ed.
Nope, I’m sure they will figure it out at some point if they are paying attention.
An easy fix would be to scrap the paint off the center sill bottom and the draft gear box bottom where they meet, there is a joint there. Lay in a piece of styrene to overlap that joint and glue it down, then paint to match the car.
I was at the LHS on Tuesday evening and there were more Tangent Gondolas. One in particular was calling my name and saying "take me home, take me home’‘. So #10916-07 52’ 6’’ 70 ton Reading #25913 Gondola now has a new home hauling scrap to the Mills. You can never have to many gondolas, can you?