Building A StromBecker Tank Car & A Controversial Choice

 I recently received a StromBecker H0 gauge tank car. This one is for Shell Chemicals, though I'm unsure if there were other variants.

While I feel that the StromBecker hopper car was probably their most complex from a manufacturing standpoint, this one is more complex for the builder. 

As usual, I made sure to scan and take measurements of all the parts before constructing the model. Again, I do this for preservation sake. 

There was some warping of the thinner wooden pieces, which made the construction of the frame a little tricky. There was a constant need to bend the pieces to get them to lay flat, If I make another one or reproduce this, I will probably use the old model airplane method and pin the pieces down to a building board. 

Once I was satisfied with the fit, the frame was painted flat acrylic black. I found that color that best matched the wrap to be Apple Barrel Country Gray. Only the ends of the tank and the dome were painted. The rest would be covered by the wrap. 

When the tank wrap was applied, a problem surfaced that I had worried about. There were slight wrinkles in the very thin wrap, and when it was attached to the wooden core, these wrinkles manifested as large "bubbles". They refused to lay flat. Using a combination of burnishing and slits, I was able to get them to lay flat. In hindsight, I wish I had printed a copy and used that.

The two "valves" on the top of the dome were missing. I hand turned to replacements from what was supposed to have been 1/8" doweling, though I suspect it actually thinner. 

Another problem was that the end "decals" had to have multiple slits and wedges cut out to fit properly. One of these was damaged when I tried to move it, so I simply removed it. They are actually very oversized and probably should be replaced entirely. 

I used Mantua Bettendorf trucks with brass wheels. These provide additional weight. Again, I made a brake wheel from a clothing snap. 

While not perfect, I'm content with the model. Since I have enough information to build another, I probably will, and provide it with a decorative wrap and colors, as the grey Shell Chemicals wrap is rather bland. 

X2F Y?

In other news, I have decided on couplers. 

Good old Paul Mallery NMRA committee designed X2F "hook & horn".

Why, you ask?

Before you lecture me on the benefits of Kadee, yes, I know. It must be remembered that I was in the hobby business, sold hundreds of them, and used them on my previous H0 equipment. 

My reasons for going back to X2F are many, but boil down to two. 

First, I plan on running a lot of vintage equipment, and the old X2F couplers were quite common. At this point, swapping them out is pricey for me. And let's face it, X2F are plentiful and cheap.

And they do work. I've heard some wild claims about their performance, but when my layout is built, it will be small and fairly simple. These will do. 

That's The Way The Plastic Crumbles...

 One of the locomotives I have a real soft spot for is the Marx battery powered 0-4-0. It is a cantankerous beast, yet looks so much like what one would imagine early American made H0 might have looked like if, say, companies like Marx or American Flyer (pre-Gilbert!) had gotten into it earlier. In fact, it is very similar to the Trix Twin 00 scale/H0 gauge "American" 0-4-0 from 1938.

(From the TCA Western Trix page)

By itself, I think it resembles any number of locomotives from the Pennsylvania Railroad, what with its somewhat Belpaire-esque firebox, as witnessed by my conversion of one into an ersatz E6 Atlantic.

I had another one arrive, specifically to have spares, but decided to try and resurrect the little beast.

Things went wrong rapidly. 

It arrived on the heels of some more parts for a planned PRR H8 conversion from a Tyco "Chattanooga Choo Choo" Consolidation. Again, I found myself thinking of how similar the Marx boiler was to the Trix and Pennsylvania Railroad designs, and wondering how easy it would be to simply use those parts. But now I had this new "parts" Marx arrive, so naturally I decided to restore it. To that end, I carefully removed the chassis and wheels. That spare Marx "Green Valley" boiler was the one planned for another project.

Sadly, this was the end result.

Aside from the boiler, all the chassis plastic was remarkably brittle. It crumbled, right down to the gears. I've never seen a hard plastic disintegrate like this. 

In the end, the intact boiler will be used to replace one that is not quite in the best shape on another of my Marx models. However, the Green Valley unit boiler is now facing a future as the one for the Pennsylvania H8 Consolidation project. It's just too close. That, however, is for another time, as I have other projects in queue. 

Repairing A Sad Faced Marx F-Unit

 When I started back into H0 trains, I was picking up parts lots. Over time, I built up enough parts to rebuild a couple of locomotives, including this one. 

This is an early Marx F-7. No headlight, and what can only be described as a "sad" face. There are a number of theories about why Marx and American Flyer/Gilbert H0 F units look so much alike. Some have said that they are actually the same dies, but elsewhere it's been pointed out that there are minor differences. I suspect that Marx either copied Gilbert's design, or rhey used the same die maker. 

Either way, this one was almost complete. There are a couple of steps knocked off, something I need to repair at some point, but my biggest concern was getting the motor running.

As usually happens with these models, the brush holders break in time. Usually, these are made from an insulated board, akin to Bakelite. Sometimes they are made from electrical insulation paperboard. In this case, it was the Bakelite. 

Originally I had planned on using a PET type plastic, but this motor runs very hot, so I looked for other materials. What I ended up using was a thin, sturdy carton board. 

It worked. 

These old Marx diesels have such a great growl when they run. 

Repurposing Gift Cards

Another model that I have in my "to-do" stack is this New One "Teakettle". After the parts that I had purchased to repair it went into restoring that Camelback, I was left without a motor. I decided to use one of my 12 VDC can motors, and to that end purchased a supply of worm gears. 

After much consternation, I managed to get one of those gears hammered onto the motor's shaft, and then came the matter of mounting it. I would have preferred to have made a proper metal motor mount, but I didn't want to waste the matereal just yet, Instead, I decided to simply use E6000 adhesive and bits from a plastic gift card (it was nearby). 

This was meant to be a temporary mount. Even though E6000 is a tough adhesive, it can be removed. 

Which is what is going to have to happen here. 

The motor could not engage the gear properly. I suspected there was a gear pitch problem, and this confirmed it. 

Alas, the only way to repair this locomotive is with the proper motor. Once more, it returns to the repair pile.

Megow Uh-Oh

 While I should be working on things like the bridge and general layout design, I am also wanting to have enough rolling stock ready. A lot of that I want to be vintage. 

I have a real soft spot for 1930's through 1960's craftsman kits, and especially the Megow cars. 

The problem is the cast parts.

In the short time that I bought these two hopper cars, the metal rot has accelerated. The hoppers themselves (the actual chutes) have become brittle but are still usable if glued into place on the undersides, which will stabilize them, while the paint will seal them.

The trucks are another matter. 

As the metal deteriorates it expands as microscopic crystallization occurs. The cross bars have now pushed both sets of trucks horribly out of gauge, by as much as a 1/16".  I could trim these pieces down, but then there is the problem of the sideframes becoming fragile as well. One of the B&O kit's truck had a journal just fall right off.

I know I can cook up a solution, but for now my plan to build either one of these kits will be put on hold.

Finishing The StromBecker Hopper (Mostly) & The Unexpected Restoration

 The long awaited StromBecker hopper has been finished, sans couplers. I have run out of dummy couplers, but I am reaching a point where I need to consider what sort of operational couplers to use. My biggest concern are the radii on my layout, so more than likely truck mounted couplers will need to be considered. As for the trucks on this model, they are an unknown 1940s - 1950s heavy diecast variety, which resemble Megow, though they do actually use what appears to be rubber cushioning for springs. 

As with my other StromBecker builds, I used clothing snaps for the brake wheel. 

Overall, I'm pleased with it. I can't wait to see it on the line.

The Unplanned Camelback

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was unsure what to do with those parts I purchased. I decided to simply reassemble the shell as nest I could, using E6000 with aluminum tabs for the initial assembly before moving on to J-B Weld for the permanent repair. After some sanding/filing/grumbling, I managed to smooth the joint down as best as possible. For some time I wondered if these parts may have come from two different shells, but on closer inspection believe this was just one shell. What has happened is as the parts have aged there has been some warping, as happens with these castings occasionally. I suspect we have reached the end of that... I hope. 

Once I had that done, I decided to just go with rebuilding the Camelback. A previous owner had reversed the motor's position on the mounting strip, and the only way to undo that was to take the motor apart and rotate it 180º around. This resulted in hours of grief, as the bearings and armature were now improperly aligned. I should mention that before this I had reassembled that mounting strip using copper sheet and our friend E6000. 

After getting the motor to run again it was attached to the chassis using E6000 again in addition to the couple of mounting screws remaining. I needed it to be in position as firmly as possible. 

Test fitting the shell revealed another problem - the top of the motor was preventing the shell from going all the way to the chassis. Further inspection revealed the reason - the chassis and steamchest had been modified as well. 

Using J-B Weld SteelStik I fashioned replacement sections, which were filed and sanded into shape as best as possible, based upon pictures of New One Camelback kits. 

With that accomplished, the entire model was reassembled, and for the first time on who knows how long, the little locomotive's motor was run.

Now, we just need to wait for warmer weather to prime the model and prep it for its final paint. 

One final observation. 

Philadelphia & Reading A4 and A5 Camelbacks were actually kind of small. Compared with my other 0-4-0's, this locomotive is not. In fact, it's kind of chunky and not correct in proportions. Measuring it reveals that it is probably 1/80 scale, common for H0j (Japanese H0) than 1/87. This means that if the model were regauged it would probably look right on proper 00 scale track, 19mm. American OO Today, if you're reading this...

Indecision & Decision

 When I sought batches of junk locomotives, I would occasionally find items that had once been of prize importance to me. In previous early H0 plans, one such locomotive was the LifeLike "Teakettle" 0-4-0T. This was actually a plastic version of an even older diecast model imported by Aristo-Craft, manufactured by the Japanese company "New One". 

Some months back, I found a seller who had that latter version, sans motor. They made me a great offer, just a few bucks, for the unpowered locomotive. 
When it arrived, I discovered that the later motor that LifeLike had used would not work in the diecast design. It was set aside while I would occasionally search for the correct parts. 

And lo! The correct motor appeared!

It came with a box of parts, which included another motor and parts to another Aristo-Craft/New One locomotive, their 0-4-0 Camelback switcher, listed as "parts".

Once the boxload of parts arrived, after taking a circuitous route (thanks to Mike Sullivan of Wandering Iron for the great service), I discovered that, in fact, most of the parts to the Camelback were there. 

There was just one problem.

Some previous owner had cleanly cut the boiler shell in half, just behind the front of the cab. I am unsure what they were doing. 

Regardless, the motor needed a little work, but would mostly fit in my Teakettle. I needed to trim a piece off the brass mounting strip, however, but instead of being fastidious I simple bent the piece back and forth until it snapped. 

That was when a problem became apparent. 

The worm gear is mounted further down the shaft on this design, with the end result being it wouldn't sit properly in the Teakettle's frame. Either I had to drill out the well in the frame, or dismount the worm gear and reattach. 

Which presented another problem. 

The Japanese model workers, much like their American and European counterparts at the time, would solder these gears into place. In my experience, the Japanese solder was found to be a higher temperature mostly silver variety. 

Makes for a strong connection, but makes replacement a chore. 

I considered raising the motor's mounting location up a little, perhaps with washers or metal shims. However, this now presented another problem - space. It would be pressed up against the cab roof of the Teakettle, probably resulting in shorts. 

And shorts are bad. 

There was another motor in the parts, also apparently from New One, but it has a universal of sorts. There was a long shaft in the parts and another set of gears, but I think these will be set aside (I really want to know what these parts came from). 

Therefore, planned work on the Teakettle came to a halt.

My attention turned to the Camelback. 

One thing to note about these two locomotives. They used identical motors, these squarish, squat, powerful little Japanese open frame DC motors. This motor was a derivative of a universal ("AC") motor that the Japanese had been using in their H0 gauge models. But Japanese H0 isn't the same as everybody else's H0. Instead of being 1/87, the Japanese models were (and still are) 1/80. 

This is known as HOj. 

If these models had been made to proper H0 (3.5mm = 1'), they'd have been too small. They are actually closer to HOj, and in the case of the Camelback, probably closer to 1/76 - 00 (it could probably be regauged). The Reading Railroads A4 and A5 classes really weren't that big, and this model is oversized, specifically in that cavernous cab.

Yet... it appealed to me.

Using aluminum shim stock to shore the pieces up, I used E6000 silicone glue and reassembled the two parts. Part of me is wondering if these are even from the same casting, as the fit wasn't quite perfect. This is something that calls for J-B Weld, which will be deployed tonight. 

In short, the Teakettle will wait. I'm going to see what we can do with this Camelback. 

More StromBecker H0 Arrives And We Work On The Hopper

The StromBecker hopper kit was long sought after, but not long after it arrived I located four more of their cars at a very good price. 

 Not only did I manage to score another hopper, I also managed to obtain two more boxcars. If you look at the side of the M-K-T double door, near the left end, you'll notice a ding. I'm afraid I did that in my zeal of unwrapping them. Easy fix, though. 

The M-K-T car is sitting on archbar trucks, which would be wrong, and unlike the other two boxcars, these are improperly positioned, being too far from the ends. 

There was also one remaining coupler on the M-K-T boxcar, which was covered in a thick layer of contact cement. After removing it and then soaking it in acetone, I got this. 

Unsure which brand at this point, but it definitely predates Kadee. 

The hopper is carrying a partial load of what appears to be real ground up coal. 

Current plans are for the cars to be restored, and maybe slightly detailed. I have a StromBecker tank car arriving soon, and now we just need the vinegar car and caboose.

Building a StromBecker Hopper

While we await the arrival of the tank car, this is has proven to be the most impressive of StromBecker's freight cars so far. This model really shines, given its simplicity. 

First order of operation was sanding the main frame piece as well as possible. When wood ages, the darker grain sections, which are normally heavier in sap content, grow very hard, and that was definitely the case here. I don't like using power tools for projects like this, so I decided that it was best to simply leave that grain somewhat visible. The rest of the assembly proceeded easily. 

There was one area of concern, and that was the gussets ("RF4 - Crossbearer Arms"). These were attached to the top strips and the center peak of the hopper floor. This left a gap of about 1/16" from the sides. My concern was that this might allow the sides to pinch in a little over time, so I added small filler pieces. Once these had set all of the areas that would be exposed were painted black, leaving sufficient areas for glueing.

Attention was now turned towards the cardboard pieces, the sides and ends. StromBecker had enough foresight to die cut the smaller sections. It would be up to the builder to do the rest of the cutting. The die cut sections came out easily and only needed a modicum of cleanup. 

(Yes, one of my cats was helping)

Next, I used an alcohol ink marker and colored in all the edges and insides of the ends and sides. 

Once these had dried we added them to the frame, ends first, making sure that the tops were level with the wood strips.

Then, the ends were added. It was important to make sure that the edges of at the ends were glued together, which would give us rigid cardboard braces.

Finally, the hopper bay doors were cut out, edges colored, and glued into place.

At this point the hopper's body has been assembled. Now, we have to wait for trucks and couplers to arrive. I want to use heavier metal trucks on this model due to the lack of internal weights. Also, I will probably add a brake wheel. 

For now, it waits.