I have five O scale RTR bobber cabeese (1 AHM, 4 Atlas) I’m going to redetail and I want to add Type K brake cylinders. O scale is big enough that you can actually see details like brake rigging, but since a toolbox blanks off one side and the Atlas cars have brake shoe and bracket castings, I only feel it necessary to install brake cylinders and reservoirs. I vaguely remember a drawing in MR or RMC, back in the ‘70s, but lost most of my magazine collection in a disastrous move, so I can’t hunt it down.
All I really need to know is whether the usual reservoir/cylinder combo was mounted or the two were disconnected and mounted separately—and how they were positioned. At 76, my memory “ain’t what it used to was,” so I’d appreciate any help I can get. Model Railroading is Fun!
Gidday Deano, in the couple of drawings I’ve found in the MR of Bobber Cabooses with air brakes, the reservoir and cylinder are separate and are situated opposite each other between the wheels.
This is about the closest diagram I’ve found on the web, hope it helps a bit.
Thanks, all. I’m using Grandt Line’s castings, which has the extra parts to separate cylinders and reservoirs, so that’s what I’ll do–and put the cylinder near the opening opposite the toolbox, probably with a lever in the piston rod’s clevis. The rigging for bobbers was more complicated and compact than house cars, and since you can’t see much of it when the car’s on rightside-up, I figure that’ll be all I need.
This is like cab details on steam locos and interiors of passenger cars: I’ve done it in the past (in my salad days!), but life’s too short to spend it putting in details you can’t normally see. (I never built a Pullman with Walthers’ interior details, but even in The Good Ol’ Days, I questioned the need for adding “hoppers” and corner sinks to compartment “facilities.”)
“Model Railroading is Fun” still applies if you’re building stuff for your own shelves in a studio apartment!
j. c., after I saw Doctor Wayne’s reply, with his excellent photos, I decided I wanted to see the actual pictures that accompanied the MR Clinic reference. So, I put on my reading glasses and dug out the thick envelope of Model Railroader indexes, which I kept after I lost most of my magazine collection (pardon me while I sob into my elbow).
I did remember correctly, as shown above. It was, indeed, an article in the Clinic, “Brake rigging for old-time 4-wheel caboose,” on Page 163 of the February, 1979, MR. Like I said, I think the cylinder from the Grandt Line K-brake set would be seen through the opening in of an Atlas or AHM bobber truck, and I’d cap the cylinder and place it nearby–all painted Grimy Black, of course. I think I remember now where the handbrake chains and rods would go to each end on a simple four brake shoe setup, but I’m still unsure where to put the reservoir. It’s awfully tight quarters under a bobber, what with the lever system and the toolbox!
I know MR will photocopy articles for customers, but I don’t know how to go about it (maybe Steve Ott could coach me) or maybe somebody will know how to copy it out and add it to this stream. At any rate, thanks again for your help, j. c., “Bear,” and Dr. Wayne.
Happy New Year, everybody, and keep up the good work.
Pardon me, j. c., “PM?” I know there’s a way to connect with members via email, but I can’t figure out how it’s done: all I get when I query is a list of posts.
