This thread is for posting anything related to details applied to freight cars, passenger cars, and cabooses either by the manufacturer or the Frisco RR itself.
Where do you go to search for this thread after it's no longer under the "What's New" tab or under recent threads? Is it in the modeling section? HO or other? Or prototype? I don't see it listed?? Tom
Tom, look near the top of the page, just above the Reply to this Thread box. You will see where the thread exists in the forum navigation tree: Forum > Historical > General > Freight Car, Passenger Car, and Caboose Details So, if you are on the Frisco Portal page (where you arrive when you first enter the site), you click on the Forum link, then you can click on the Historical link, then the General sub-forum, and look there for this thread.
In addition to the type of trucks, one other detail I always try to get correct on my Frisco freight car models is the type of brake equipment the car used. Most of the brake system details, or course, are down below, mounted under the floor and frame of the car. But, one system that is always out in the open and apparent is the handbrake wheel and brake operator housing on the car end. The handbrake wheel is the most prominent feature of the brake system on a model, and is the easiest to change to the correct wheel. The operator mechanism housing is often cast into the car end, and is far more difficult to change. But, this is often not a problem as most of the housings were similar, and only a severe rivet counter will notice any difference. I usually don't let rivet counters see my stuff! There were/are several prominent railroad brake equipment manufacturers - Ajax, Champion, Equipco, Miner, Universal and Ureco being the most common, but there are several others as well. In HO (sorry, I know little about N-scale detail parts), the two best brake wheel suppliers by far are - my opinion - Kadee and Details Associates. The DA brake wheels are very nice, molded in black plastic, but I think the Kadee wheels are even better. They are highly detailed, and are supplied in three colors - black, boxcar red, and red oxide, so you usually don't need to paint them. I think the Kadee wheels are tougher as well - I don't think you can break them. Not much sticks to the material Kadee uses, so I usually apply them to the brake mechanism with a dab of Walthers Goo to hold it on. Kadee's HO RTR freight cars use a lot of press-fit parts, the brake wheels being one example. The type of brake equipment on any given car is usually specified on the freight car diagram, along with a bunch of other details. A quick look at several Frisco freight car diagrams shows Ajax and Universal equipment being very common, with Equipco and Miner equipment also showing up as well, but less often. So, you really ought to get a selection of all the different wheel detail parts for your Frisco freight car models. Refer to the car diagrams to determine which to use. Yes, each wheel does indeed look different. The best reference I have ever seen regarding railroad handbrake details and facts, with many drawings and pictures, is found in RPCyc #10, published by Ed Hawkins and Pat Wider, pages 1-59. The article covers the topic in great depth and was authored by Pat Wider. After reading this article, the reader will rank among frisco.org's model railroad brake experts! Ken
Richard - Good idea, but there are at least two significant problems with doing what you suggest: - Pat Wider and Ed Hawkins are good friends of mine, and they are trying to sell these RPCycs that they are publishing, and doing a great job on - There are some significant copyright issues. Ken
Am desperately searching for a MR issue from late 70 - early 80 that gave drawings and photos of many different brake systems and appliances - wish I could remember which one.
Richard, If you do not have a local shop that carries Railway Prototype Cyclopedia you can order them directly from the publisher. Please see http://rpcycpub.com Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
Somewhere I have a diagram from an old "Mainline Modeler" that shows different manufacturer's brake equipment. I think I saved it from a stack of old magazines that Tim Cannon gave to me ages ago. I'd never really paid attention to them, but as I've aged and wisened, they're an interesting detail that should not be overlooked. Best Regards,
