Although I am a scratchbuilder and have assembled many resin kits,
this
process that most modelers are capable of doing. The observation car does in- clude a lit tail sign as well as marker lights. That certainly adds a touch of class to this already superb model. All of the cars feature truck mounted oper- ating knuckle couplers with optional metal trip pins (included). The rear coupler on the observation car is body mounted. I was very pleased with the coupling distance between the cars and locomo- tive. The cars are fairly close together but not prototypically close together. Doing so would severely limit the ra- dius curvature that these cars can op- erate on. The cars ran flawlessly on my 9″ radius test loop. The diaphragms be- tween each car are plastic and not sprung. It would be quite simple to add American Model Builders sprung di- aphragms to further enhance appear- ance. This is possible but not neces- sary.
Overall I am highly impressed by the Kato Silver Streak Zephyr. Kato has a winning formula with their all- in-one approach to famous named pas- senger trains. The train can be stored safely in its book style case between runs and is completely self-contained. Between the brand new E5 and the stunning corrugated passenger cars, you can’t go wrong with this set. I am a modeler of the Northeast railroad scene and totally enjoy running a train like this. Seeing the sleek lines of that E5 together with the shiny stainless cars in tow is a pure delight. The Kato Silver Streak Zephyr is available now and has an retail price of $250.00. The individual E5’s Silver Pilot and Silver Speed are also currently available and have a retail price of $110.00.—SCOTT LUPIA
Great Northern caboose: HO scale Mfd. By Mullet River Model Works, 118 Hudfson Ct., Plymouth, WI 53073;
www.mulletrivermodelworks.com.
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
was my first attempt at constructing a laser-cut kit. The directions for the Mullet River Models Great Northern caboose are very good and logical, al- though a photo or two of the finished caboose would be helpful. I like to research the cars I build, so I obtained from a friend a copy of Refer- ence Sheet No. 168 from the Great Northern Historical Society, dated Sep- tember, 1990. The caboose series mod- eled was built between August, 1941 and March, 1945. Each car weighed 52,700 pounds and measured 30′-0″ long and 36′-0″ over strikers. Original- ly, all the cars were built of 3¹/₄″׳/₄″ tongue-and-groove boards. Later, some of the cars were sheathed with ply- wood, as on this model. Each sheet was a standard four-foot width but was made longer to avoid horizontal joints when applied to the sides. Each car received eight sheets (six sheets of four-foot width and two sheets of three-foot for the ends), which were fastened directly to the body framing. Each vertical joint was then sealed and covered with a two-inch wide galvanized metal strip nailed to the plywood. The cupola exterior side walls were sheathed, but not all the sides, as some retained their tongue- and-groove sheathing.
Most cars rode on Bettendorf swing- motion caboose trucks, although some ran on Andrews trucks before being re- placed with Bettendorf trucks. The arched wooden roofs were covered with fibrous roofing material, painted either silver or black.
I assembled the kit following the in- structions, but with a few modifica- tions. I cut out the parts for the sides and inner core from the sheets and as- sembled them using carpenters glue diluted with a little water. I used a small brush to apply a thin coat. I made sure the parts were lined up cor- rectly, weighted them, then put them aside. Clean off any excess glue with a brush, then laminate the three pieces that make up the cupola ends. When the glue is dry, attach the bulkhead piece to the lamination. This leaves a ledge to glue the roof on. Take one of the sides and install the cupola ends in the notch. With the glue still tacky, next install the other side. Make sure everything is square and al- low everything to dry. I used rubber bands to hold the pieces together. While this was drying, I glued the met- al frame to the floor. I used epoxy ce- ment for this. To line this up, there are scribed lines on the floor. I drilled and tapped 2-56 holes for screws to hold the trucks, then drilled and tapped 1- 72 holes for screws to attach the cou- pler boxes. I added AB brakes (not sup- plied) as per the diagram.
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