Dear M-R-Hers,

Collective "Brains Trust" time.

Just picked up an Atlas Extended Vision Caboose for a kitbashing project, and belatedly realised it uses press-in friction-pins to mount the trucks. (No biggie, the caboose just arrived in original sealed packaging, with one truck flopping around loose in the box).

A quick check suggests that a M2.5 screw will fit thru the existing truck hole, and can be tapped into the bolster. However, the typical M2.5 pan head is too big to fit within the Atlas truck recessed hole.

Almost done with the second crane build. This one will have 3 NCE decoders to animate the turret, boom and big hook. I just need to add a second set of pick-ups to the second truck and add the small hook. Then it's off to a good friend of mine Jim Otto of http://Ottovation.net  to have three NCE decoders installed and tested.

Here's a pic of what it looks like up to this point.

Bernd

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=95460 Heres a link to the loco it's ex SP 5858 ,where are the sand fillers on these SP 5xxx series alcos? This appears to be an SP mod rather than home grown.Also does anyone know where the cable,which runs from the socket housing above the rear truck, goes to .Finally the box above the intercooler is another SP quirk anyone point me in the direction of a good roof detail shot or is it just a simple box?

Although I can find how many cars every railroad owned (at least as reported in the ORER) in 1953 in this case (the year I am modeling) it doesn't tell me WHERE those cars went.  This is significant because how do I determine how far a typical car of a particular type travel.  Why do I need to know this?