Grabs

Based on the vehicle in the background of the picture I would say that you are modeling in a post 1906 era.

In that case the safety appliance act would require stirrups at each corner and then gab irons that lined up with the stirrups.  If there are grabirons on the ends they must line up with the grab irons on the sides.  However since your cars are those one off sand cars they really don't have ends.  My suggestion would be to look at tank cars or flat cars and do something similar.  That would involve a  stirrup at each corner, a horizontal grab above the stirrup, a horizontal grab on the end at each corner.  4 stirrups and 8 grabs per car.

A major modification would be a post at each corner with a vertical grab iron, like on a tank car.  If you really wanted to get excited about it you could put a stub ladder about 3-4 rungs high on the side at the right end, but that would be more of a modern application.

Gravel car

I did a few of these a long, long time ago. There were rush jobs as I has many other projects going for my freeland railroad, and I am happy with the way they look.  

Looks good!

Is that a different car from the one I showed a photo of, or a major rebuild of an existing kit?  It looks good!

If it is a rebuild, would you please share how you did it?

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I would leave the large wheels off, Seeing as how they were a bit large [and almost felt like an O scale detail]

Oops,

This is also an old roundhouse car. I had been given a number of them and posted the wrong picture. I'll repost the same car as yours a little later.

Large wheels...

Should I put something like brake wheels on in their place, or some other method of manually opening or closing the doors?

I appreciate all the feedback found ehre

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I don't know.  I'd first research regular 2 and 3 bay hoppers and look into what those use, and then adapt that equipment to the roundhouse hopper.

I'm sure somebody has a picture of a prototype with the large wheels, but...well, it just doesn't feel right

Mistake made in building

I intend to chronicle the building of some of these cars, hopefully learning and sharing what I learn.  I used some plastic putty to fill in the holes and irregularities made in casting the main body. 

The body and frame are intended to be screwed together, resulting in a vertical column just under the sloped end that looks like a pillar to hold a model together.  I cut this off with a razor saw and used glue--all well and good.  It would have been better if I'd waited until AFTER adding things like brake cylinders.  I'll still be able to do it, but it will be harder.

Those big handwheels will be used for something else--not sure what.  I hope I can find something for them--I'll have FORTY of them in my parts box at the end.  A few will go into a gondola scrap load, but there's got to be something to use the rest for... 

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Machinery pulleys and gears, if they're mounted into a rim...

The Large Wheels are correct.

The wheels provided the leverage necessary to open and shut the hopper doors for these very early cars used in the LA Basin by Consolidated Rock Company prior to WW I.I.

Thanks!

I haven't been able to locate any prototype pics, but I had a feeling it was something like that.  I'll still have 20 extra wheels for something!

here's the right hopper.

Nice...and handwheels

That Roundhouse car looks GREAT   It's dirty, but clearly well cared for by its owner.  I'll be trying for that look on a lot of my rolling stock.  (One one car, there will be a panel or two that are a different color due to repairs. )  What is  the other one called?  I'm going to attempt to find some.

I can see the huge wheels being needed for leverage on an old car, but not needed on a more modern one.  I still need to decide if I should use them.

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It also depends on what kind of crank system is being used.  If it's been mechanized, there's no need for it again...

Progress

I've been detailing one of the roundhouse cars, and thinking that I decided to do too much.  I wanted some underbody detail--just enough to suggest something was there--so I quickly and easily added the brakes and mechanism for the doors.  All good.  But, then I decided to add grab irons, and that's taking forever!  And I'm committed to a least one car looking just like this--a loaded and unloaded version.

She just needs the brake wheel, and the side dump wheels, then she's ready to paint and weather.  (Couplers, also...)

Nice

May I ask where the details came from? I would like to do the same to my shortened version. 

Details...

The stirrups and grabs are Tichy 18" straight grabirons; they come  ~100 to a pack for a few dollars.  The brake lines are brass wire, and the rods attached to the doors of the car are more brass wire, bent at a right angle and cut off.

The funky bits and pieces on one side of the car, opposite the brake line, are bits from the 3 in 1 kit that aren't used, made to look like a plausible (I hope) linkage mechanism to connect with the big wheels.

The supports for the brake line come from the same place.  The brake pieces were in the 3 in 1 kit.

If you don't have the spare parts that came with the kit, any small bits of sprue evrgreen strip plastic would be able to be made into miscelaneous linkages.

Incidentally, on your shortened version, I would suggest only one big handwheel, since there's only one bottom door.

If you--or anyone else--want more pics/details, let me know   I'm glad to share.

That looks very nice

    I like the level of detailing, enough to look good but not so much as to take forever. Since you've gone this far I'd suggest adding some cut levers and brake airhoses and perhaps metal wheels. It's easy to bend up some cut levers from brass wire(  for HO I like .012 brass in the little packs from details associates). I don't bother with eye bolts to mount them I just bend a piece of brass and melt it into the car end then solder the cut lever to it. If you use the Kadee trip pins to uncouple the cars then I would not add brake hoses cause it would look like the car has double hoses but if you uncouple with skewers you could cut off the trip pins and add body mounted airhoses. and generally metal wheels look better when weathered as the treads can be left shiny..DaveBranum

Thanks!

It has taken what seems like forever, but I am new at this whole thing as yet--speed will come with time.  The trucks and wells are just place-holders; they will be replaced by Kadee arch bar trucks, and the roundhouse trucks ill go into my parts box.  Also, Kadee couplers, for now with the attached trip pins, are going on when all is ready.

I'll have to try to make a cut lever at some point, too.

Thanks for the thoughts

Thanks for the information Irish

I decided long ago I did not want to include the handwheel(s) for various reasons. I have a bag of Tichey grab irons,  and many leftover 3 n 1 kit bits and pieces.

Thanks again

Opening the bay?

I am still considering using the handwheels; they do look clunky, but I need some way for my little people to open and close the gravel bays...any suggestions?

I'm always happy to help--this is the best forum I've seen

Brake handwheel?

Where should I locate the hand brake?  It seems that the most logical place, on the end, would be a nightmare to reach.

Brake Wheel

I put mine on the side. I had some small plastic pieces from another kit that I didn't use and used them as pillow blocks for the brake wheel that I mounted on some brass wire. 

Looks good!

And this is a nice, convincing build, with a lot less work than mine--especially having the brake cylinders located where they are--and no brake lines UNDER the car.    Of course, I suspect that the same general car design could have different arrays of brake gear, even on the same railroad.

Thanks!!!