I want to build my own HO scale Old Time (circa 1870-1890) passenger train featuring open platform cars, and I turned my attention towards LaBelle´s wooden carbodys, that are really nice looking. But they only the deliver the carbody without the couplers, trucks, and window panes. Also the wood is unpainted, so you have to apply decals on your own. LaBelle recommends Kadee Nr. 5 for couplers, but about the rest I don´t know. Can anyone tell me what couplers (maybe some other one´s than Kadee Nr. 5?), Old Time trucks and windows panes of which manufacturer can be used or would be matching to these cartypes? And do you know a manufacturer who is specialising in Old Time passenger car decals?
Here are the drawings of the LaBelle wooden carbody that I talk about:
Number 5 Kadee couplers are the standard size, and most commonly available. I use them when ever possible. These cars want 4 wheel passenger trucks. In the old days, Central Valley made some excellent ones. Unfortunately, CV is long gone and the trucks are too. I built a Northeasteastern/Ambroid all wood kit of this general nature some years ago and the best trucks I could find then were a plastic Eastern Car Works Pennsy truck kit. Kit required a good deal of home made bracing before it would stay together. I brush painted the car with ordinary Floquil passenger maroon and decaled it with ordinary Microscale 87-1014 B&M passenger car decals. On the B&M these cars stayed in service into the mid 1950’s so contemporary decals looked right.
I would not use the Kadee #5. I have a bunch of old time shorty cars and the #5 make them look like a little boy wearing his father’s shoes. I use the Kadee old time #711 couple which is more to scale size. The downside of this coupler is it is not quite prototypical looking. I have put the #5 and #78 and #711 side by side and you can see the difference.
Sometime ago I picked up an HO old time wood kit Superior Detritus boxcar and it came with the Kadee #78 coupler which is a little smaller than the Kadee #5 which is over size.
Microscope slide glass makes nice windows as does the glass kit from Clover House. I use both.
MDC Roundhouse made “Old Timer 4 Wheel Wood Beam” passenger trucks, sold separately as item #2936 that worked very well with LaBelle cars for low cost. They are very free wheeling, although the glossy plastic sideframes needs a little weathering to look right. I do not know since Roundhouse has changed hands if they are still available.
Roundhouse changed hands many years ago. Right now steamers and RTR rolling stock that sometimes sells out rather quickly until another load comes from China.
About the Kadee Couplers: Are the screws for mounting the coupler pocket to the LaBelle carbody delivered within the package or do you have to buy the screw seperate?
Same thing about the Bitter Creek trucks: do they also include the screw for mounting the truck to the LaBelle carbody?
How deep must the holes for the screw of the coupler pocket be drilled into the LaBelle carbody? Or do the LaBelle carbodies already have pre-drilled holes for the screws of the coupler pocket?
About the window panes: I searched at Grant Line products and Rix Products but all I could find were window frames but no window panes for the car windows…or what do you think, is microscope slide glass cheaper? How much is it approximately per glass? Or what do you think about cutting transparency sheets into fitting pieces?
About the decals: I have not decided yet, but I think running my old time train either as Southern Pacific, Texas & Pacific or Katy train. I searched at Microscale for decals, but they don´t have any old time decals at all…is there a chance to get them somewhere else?
I don’t believe Kadee includes screws. For an all wood car you want wood screws. Try for some #2 screws, 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch long.
Probably same-same as Kadee. You might get lucky, but you will probably have to find a source for screws.
You want to sink the screws as deeply as possible. Drill clean thru the car floor/ truck bolsters and use a screw that pokes up thru the car floor a little bit.
I cut windows out of those clear plastic packages that submarine sandwiches come in.
The Kadee 711 comes with screws but you probably will not want that coupler.
I recently purchased a bulk pack of #5 for my newer era rolling stock and there were no screws.
The #78 coupler came in a kit with screws.
The trucks I got from Bitter Creek did not have screws,
I you are going to do much modeling, get 00-90, 0-80, 2-56 machine screws and some #2 sheet metal or wood screws. I use #2 sheet metal screws for attaching to wood.
I first drill a small hole to help the screw to start. I then remove the screw, put a drop of thin CA into the threaded hole to harden up the threads. When the CA hardens, I attach the trucks.
Jewelers screwdriver set. Pin vise.
Get drill and tap sets for the machine screws. Micro Mark is a pretty good source for this stuff.
Below is a link to Kadee site. Store the link in Favorites.
It has been a while since I was on the labelle website,I have built a couple of their wooden interurban cars in HO scale. at one point they offered freight trucks for their wooden freight cars and passenger cars that were designed for their kits. Take a peek around their website the trucks were listed in the accessories section of their site. Beyond that for that vintage of car I would see if Athearn has some of the Roundhouse passenger trucks for the old Palace car line they made still available. once and a while the old Roundhouse Palace cars will surface on EBay or at train shows. I agree with the recommendation of the kadee number 78`s as a coupler for you though.
Hello My name is Dale I suggest you check out PROTO87.COM . They have scale operating couplers and scale trucks & wheel sets I have been using the proto 87 couplers & AM VERY IMPRESSED WITH THEM . They will mate with kadee 58 couplers I cut the uncoupling shank off so I can add scale glad hands.
Hoping for some answers!
