I bought the Bachmann scale car, mainly because the Walthers scale cars on eBay are ridiculously priced. I took it out of the box to examine it yesterday, and it looked pretty good when compared
to several CB&Q scale car photos. The obvious features that needed immediate attention were the McHenry #5 plastic couplers, which look huge on such a small car, and the cast grab irons and uncoupling levers. After a closer look, I realized that the grab iron
placement was incorrect for the CB&Q, and the car needed drop grab irons on the ends. All of the other grab irons are straight. I decided to file off the cast on details and install grab irons and uncoupling levers in their proper place. I bent my own uncoupling
levers because I refuse to buy Detail Associates 6215 at $5.20 per pair. I should have bought a lifetime supply when they were 8 for under $3. Maybe if nobody bought them, they would rethink their marketing strategy.
The attached photo shows the result. I just finished installing the grab irons and uncoupling levers, so I’m waiting a couple of hours to allow the CA to set before straightening a few grab irons,
but overall, I’m pleased with the result. I’ll prime and paint the car according to 1953 practice. Lettering is a problem, because there is no complete set available for this car. Most of the lettering can be pieced together from various sources, but the end
lettering and the lettering on the placard remain a problem. The BRHS MOW decal sheet has some of the lettering, but the print quality is poor. I asked Jerry Hamsmith is he was interested in offering a scale car set, but he declined. I’ve been meaning to send
Ted Culotta the lettering and herald to see if he’s interested, but I haven’t done that yet. We definitely need a complete decal set for this scale car.
Nelson Moyer
