The two track cleaning devices have been removed from the Bachmann boxcars and are ready to be installed in the work train cars (above). Support wings were cut from Plexiglass and screwed onto the sides of the cleaning devices (above right). These will rest on the floor of the work train car. After measuring the cleaning device and removing the underbody detail from the
work car, the author marked off the area where the cleaning de- vice would go (below left). This area was then cut out using a Dremel tool (below right). The cleaning device was then inserted in the car from the top. The cleaning wheel and its dark gray housing protrude from the hole, while the plexiglass wings sit on the floor and hold the cleaning device in place (bottom left).
To begin, I removed the roofs from the
Bachmann cars to gain access to the track cleaning mechanisms. These were then removed by unscrewing the two 6- 32 screws that held each one in place. With the mechanisms out, it was time to make some measurements of the cleaning blocks and then calculate how to add them to the new cars. I in- stalled them pretty much the same way that they had been installed in the Bachmann cars, which meant remov-
ing the roofs and cutting a hole in the floor/underframe. Thankfully, I had only used a few
drops of cyanoacrylate when I originally installed the roofs on the two work train cars, so these were easily removed, al- lowing access to the insides of the cars. Regretfully, I also had to remove all the nice truss rods, queen posts and brake rigging on the undersides of the cars. (Sometimes, sacrifices need to be made.) Using my calculations, I transferred
the measurements onto underbodies of the work train cars and made some quick cuts with my Dremel cutoff wheel. I test fit the mechanism to allow it to slide into the new hole(s) cleanly. Then I cut two pieces of Plexiglass (what I had in my scrap box that was easy to work with and sturdy enough) for each car. These were secured on the ends of each cleaning mechanism with 6-32 screws. In one of the cars, the blocks sat too
low, which caused too much drag on the car. I added thin strips of styrene to raise the Plexiglass block up into the car and reduce any drag. The second car was fine as it was, so no additional shims were needed. A dab of cyano- acrylate was added on each of the Plexi wings to keep the block from moving should the car derail, but is not neces- sary to allow the car to function as a track cleaning (actually track dusting) car. I re-secured the roof on each car, then the brake staff and took the whole train out on the mainline for a spin. The easy conversion took only a few hours and thanks to the RMC article, I now have a realistic looking, working m.o.w. train which we can run as an ex- tra during our operating sessions.
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN 61
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