Vanderbilt tenders

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I want to make a model Vanderbilt tender used by the B&O on most of there Q4 Mikados. Since the way it will be made is shortening a Rivarossi Vanderbilt tender that comes with there “EL5” My biggest concern is how do I make it strong enough to withstand regular operation? the operations I had in mind are having it pull trains of 30+ cars it won’t happen everyday but whenever the local club is running trains.

Thanks.
Alvie.

2

Glue several pieces of .040" styrene inside each joint, lapping the joint by 1/4" and the joint will be stronger than the couplers.