I was looking through some detail parts sites and started wondering. Anybody out there putting these and maybe brake line air hoses on your fleets? Or maybe just certain cars that you photograph a lot? The prices seemed cheap enough that it wouldn’t be that much of an investment for a smaller fleet.
Just wondering.
Nobody?
This must have slipped past them. Your not getting the cold shoulder, well at least for today.
To answer your question, I like to detail most all locos and cabeese. There’s detail on underbody that most will never even see on my equipment. The new stuff out these days has made me a bit lazy (RTR syndrome I guess).
The caboose was the most fun w/ scratch building brass end platforms and rails. Underbody brake detail right up to almost interfering w/ the truck movements.
I pay the most attention to my diesels though. Adding proper plows, anglecock air fittings, MU cables cut levers etc.
One of my favorite challenges on my first Atlas GP40 was to install the Chessie rock pilot. When using a normal plow you usually don’t end up with a coupler issue. The Chessie pilot is convexed and a long shank and plow height is critical to clear an opposing “glad hand” when coupled.
The Genesis and IM “F” units come already fully detailed but I still enjoy adding all the details to a Stewart (these are bare bone on details).
There’s so many prototypical add ons that can be done to any piece. You just need to figure out just how nuts you want to go for a particular piece.
Yes, I put cut levers on all cars that don’t include them with kit. Same with air lines. I use kadee (i think0 air lines, and detail associates cut levers, although I’ve scratch built some also.Since I cut trip pins off my couplers I like airlines and cut levers just look right on cars. If brake rigging comes with kit (branchline, intermountain, red caboose, p2k), I add them. On a few athearn cars I rebuild, I switch brake components to correct sides and usually shave off brake staff , use brass rod and put on better size brake wheel.mike h.