Aerojet
Active Member
Well been at it again! The daughter found this item at a rummage sale, and for $2.00??? Why Not? Dad could make it work ... sez here ..
Basically it is a Bachmann HO gauge 89 foot tri-level car transporter. I had seen these for N gauge, but never HO. It is obviously the middle car in that ATSF set.
A lot of work went into getting this hook and horn unit running with full Kadee's and running around 18 inch curves. This photo celebrates the final triumph of getting the thing to run without derailing or hitting tunnel walls, or other scenery. It had made 12 trips around as of this photo, so I am sure it will work perfectly in the future.
Normal sized HO auto transports are the two on the ends. I have six, of three different types on my pike -- The pair you see here, two black auto loaders from the 60's and two orange Tyco cars as well. This is the normal running length for this type of car. With this photo I have taken it one step beyond.
Anybody know how old this car is? It came from a garbage sale - so - your guess is as good as mine. It had crummy hook and horn, really long couplers on it and needed tons of work ...
The bottom?
Here you see the work which went into getting this done. First the hook and horns were removed, then a plastic arm was attached to the existing Talgo truck. Next Kadee 148's were put on the end of the thing. To stiffen up the ride, special thin blocks were made to keep the car from yawing from side to side. The original mounting is under them. It had a tendency to flip from side to side hitting all kinds of things like tunnel portals and walls. Now it rides solidly on the trucks.
Adjust to suit.
Probably not run it all the time, but for fun it will go out and deep in the auto rack special.
Enjoy
the Aerojet
Basically it is a Bachmann HO gauge 89 foot tri-level car transporter. I had seen these for N gauge, but never HO. It is obviously the middle car in that ATSF set.
A lot of work went into getting this hook and horn unit running with full Kadee's and running around 18 inch curves. This photo celebrates the final triumph of getting the thing to run without derailing or hitting tunnel walls, or other scenery. It had made 12 trips around as of this photo, so I am sure it will work perfectly in the future.
Normal sized HO auto transports are the two on the ends. I have six, of three different types on my pike -- The pair you see here, two black auto loaders from the 60's and two orange Tyco cars as well. This is the normal running length for this type of car. With this photo I have taken it one step beyond.
Anybody know how old this car is? It came from a garbage sale - so - your guess is as good as mine. It had crummy hook and horn, really long couplers on it and needed tons of work ...
The bottom?
Here you see the work which went into getting this done. First the hook and horns were removed, then a plastic arm was attached to the existing Talgo truck. Next Kadee 148's were put on the end of the thing. To stiffen up the ride, special thin blocks were made to keep the car from yawing from side to side. The original mounting is under them. It had a tendency to flip from side to side hitting all kinds of things like tunnel portals and walls. Now it rides solidly on the trucks.
Adjust to suit.
Probably not run it all the time, but for fun it will go out and deep in the auto rack special.
Enjoy
the Aerojet