I have been free-lance kit-bashing some ready to run trailer flat cars. The scheme was to convert two styles of totes; those cars set up for two 40-foot trailers and those flats equipped to carry two 40-footers or three 28-footers. For the 2-40 trailer variety, I chose two Atlas Master Line American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) Great Northern 89”-4” flats. For the 2-40 / 3-28 equipped cars, I utilized two Athearn Genesis XTTX Bethlehem Steel F89F 89' flats. The plan was to develop a method to convert each car to carry two 45-foot trailers while still maintaining the triple 28 capacity on the XTTX cars. .
The kit-bashing is simply moving and/or exchanging trailer hitch systems. The free-lancing part is making changes that may or may not happen to the prototype cars having the four reporting marks in this project.
At the start of the project I attempted to research exacting measurements to find the new location of the bases of the hitches. Then it dawned on me, find the center of the deck, use a fixture with a 0.030” shim (about two and one-half HO scale inches) to off set from the center of the deck, press fit a hitch to the king pin of a 45-foot trailer (the king pin is a bit too large the first couple of times it is inserted) and set the trailer in place with its doors touching the fixture. Then square up the hitch base to the deck and mark the location. Remove the trailer, remove the hitch from the trailer and attach the hitch to the deck at the mark.
Once the newly installed hitch was firmly attached – I use Plastruct Plastic Weld and allow it to cure at least twelve hours – place the trailer on the hitch, place a 0.060” shim against the doors and repeat the hitch placement process with the front of the second trailer holding the shim against the back of the first trailer, mark the hitch location...and attach the hitch. Simple.
Two above photos shows the fixture in place on a GN car that has yet started the conversion. It is simply a block of wood with a 0.030” shim. At the end of the day, this fixturing process produces a gap of about 5 inches between the cars. (45' + 5” + 45' = 90'-5” of load on an 89'-4” flat. That sounds about right.)
Simple. Not SO much: the Athearn Preferred 45' trailers are just a bit longer than the Walthers UPS 45' trailers. The UPS trailer does measure 45 feet (45' - 3/4”) long, the Preferred trailer measures 45' - 10 5/16” long. I don't know why. Since this is a freelance job, I really don't care what the trailer measurements are. The Athearn Preferred trailer, due to it actually being longer than the Walthers UPS trailer on the layout became the basis for this project. The Preferred trailer's extra length results in a bit longer total length load (45'-10 5/16” + 5” + 45'-10 5/16” = 92'-1 5/8” of load on an 89'-4” flat. This Preferred length leaves about 1'-5” overhang on each end of the flat car. I like it, that sounds about better.
These measurements really have no meaning for this project and may or may not be accurate.
Jersey Regional Manufacturer Railway - Engineering Department
An aerial view of a sample the project results. The cars at the bottom are straight out of the box. (The GN car to the left has the hitch temporarily set in place for this photo.) The XTTX car to the right is set up for two 40-foot trailers in this photo.
The top two cars have gone through the shop. Note in particular the different distances from the hitch plate king pin holes and the end of the car decks. The modified position of the car hitches are much closer to the ends of the cars. Also note the different position of the XTTX third hitches – the TWIN 45 hitch is also moved as described in the above fixturing process. Looks like the JRMRy repair facility didn't put grease on the new hitch plates – it's hard to find good help!
The JRMRy repair/fabrication shop has identified a supplier to furnish TWIN 45 and TRIPLE 28 / TWIN 45 graphic emblems – order processing underway.
Follows are some snaps.
The modification leaves a small gap between the Preferred 45' trailers.
Resting on the main, a modified XTTX has the three hitches raised for three 28-foot trailers while the middle hitch for the center 45-foot trailer is in the lowered position. When I modified these flat car decks, I left the second and third 28-foot trailer hitches in their original positions. This causes the extra distance between the first and second trailers seen in this photo. The first hitch is used for both 28 and 45 foot trailers.
The Walthers KTTX flat car (hitch on both ends – trailer doors together in the middle of the deck) can carry two of the Preferred 45' trailers straight out of the box. Here is a XTTX coupled to one of the modified GN flats near the top of the escarpment on the Alcovy mountain range. With the slack stretched during this climb, the gap between the trailers across the coupling is at the maximum.
Easing down grade, the slack rolls in and the distance between between the trailers is quite a bit closer. While the trailers are quite close, there is no NASCAR bump and rub going on. Across the layout the gap doesn't close that much more. There is still a minimum gap when the cars are in a shove. The curve radius here is thirty inches.
The first time I was on the Tilford Yard 'tote ramp' (actually, a double track double ended lift) and walked “under” the end of a trailer hanging off the end of a car's deck, I realized just how large TOFC equipment really is. Looking up and seeing the bottom of the trailer past the end of the deck was an eye opener and led to these modifications some 45 years latter.
SO, the best couple in model railroading, you think? This is a groovy 'old school meets middle age' photograph – something I have wanted in a camera since September, 1977.
BJB