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I just bought a G&D "replica" 36' Meat Reefer from Roundhouse, on eBay. These are the old Roundhouse kits with metal frame/floors. The only problem is, the floor is poorly cast, and too wide, does anyone have a quick way to narrow it down, or replace the floor, or am I stuck with a milling file?
Josh, I have the same car and found nothing wrong with the cast metal underframe's actual width. All of those older MDC cast underframes need touching up with a file, or coase sandpaper, to clean up the flash and smooth the edges for a good fit with the plastic car body. Often one finds the openings in the stirrup steps completely filled in with similar flash that needs to be cleared with jeweler's files. Is this what you are talking about?
Yep' your stuck with the file,though i have a number of these kits and never had that problem,is it just flash or is the floor really to wide? also you may be able to find a old junker at a swapmeet and just swap out the floors.
It's wide. It warps the body outwards about 1mm on each side! The edges around the stirrup steps are the correct width, and you can see where the floor widens out at the bolster.
So basically, I just got one bad chassis out of the bunch, and a replacement one should be fine?
Roundhouse was notorious for making their cast zinc floors with just about any tolerance that happened to come off the machine that day. Some floors were fine, and some, like yours were way off. All had flash that had to be trimmed and files away. Another floor will probably be better but plan on spending some time with a file truing things up.
Have you thought of the plastic truss rod underframe from the newer Roundhouse cars? I have the 3 in 1 MOW set and I think one of those plastic under frames might work. Let me know if you want one to try.
Josh,
Let me measure what I have left out of that kit. The only car I've built from it was a 30 foot caboose. It has the truss rod underframe in plastic.
Have you looked at the 36' boxcars and reefers at River City Railroad on ebay? They have apparently bought up a lot of the unused Roundhouse parts that Athern didn't take. They are cobbling kits together. The photos on their page make it look like they have plastic underframes. http://stores.ebay.com/RIVER-CITY-R...19QQ_sidZ287414219QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em322
*smacks self in head* Jeff I completely forget about checking RCR. I've been referred to them for my Copper Range 40' boxcar projects, and now this. I've used them in the past for the cars I'm using for the QHS boxcars, and the Turtle Creek Central cars... I'll have to place another bulk order.
Only problem, they're 36' truss rod frames, where this car is a standard steel center sill...
