Modeling Branchline Coaches Ray Grosser, Division 10, MCR

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I just completed a Branchline L&N coach for Scale Reproductions hobby shop in Louisville KY. It has turned out to be a very nice model.

I found several items of concern while finishing it up.

1. The couplers are too high, and when I lowered the bolster on the car, the wheels touched the angled section, so I ended up having to file that down some to clear the wheels. Next time, I will lower the coupler draft gear box and not use the box supplied with the kit. I finally got it running well, but it was a fair bit of work. It is possible that I missed something in setting this all up, but without someone again pointing out the obvious, I will not find it in this decade.
2. The diaphragms are working but they do not cover the coupler face to allow them to fully contact the adjacent car. I will use the American diaphragms on the Soo Line cars I will eventually build for our layout. I like to have the diaphragms touching between cars as I have 40-inch radius curves and the cars look so much better if they are engaged.
3. The car wobbles a little when run in a train. My next car will weigh more to help ease this common problem with cars that are too light. I will also install Intermountain 36-inch wheel sets on the next cars I build, I prefer metal axles in the plastic journals rather than having both of them plastic as on these Kadee type wheel sets that are supplied with the kit.
4. The leaf spring details on the truck side frames do not have lugs long enough to go into the side frame, and they come off with frustrating regularity. I finally fixed them more securely with the rubber type ACC cement, I had some difficulty with the liquid plastic cement keeping the details on.

These cars will be a great addition to any railroad. They go together very well, all the parts fit as though a real tool maker made the molds, and the shrinkage of the plastic is obviously very well designed as all the parts fit in the holes they are intended to fit in. The cars are time consuming to build. I spent 6-hours on this one including the weathering, but not including the time I spent adjusting and getting the couplers the correct height. It will go faster the next time, so those of you who have 3-packs, do not be discouraged.....just keep working on them. BTW, I took the photo before I weathered it.

Ray Grosser

Grosser's Nostalgia Trip

Revised: 12 October, 2009

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