TTX Long Runners...


jbaakko

Diesel Detail Freak
Ok, starting a new tread about my modeling project, a TTX long runner set.

More here:
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7778&postcount=22
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7783&postcount=23

My question is, anyone tried one before? Anyone look into one before? I'm going to get as close as prototypical as possible in HO scale. What hitches should I look for? Drawbar? Paint, is it just TTX/Trailer Train Yellow?

Thanks for any help to come, and thanks RCH for linking the pics, I'm saving them to my hard drives' "modeling projects" folder ;) .
 
How about some more photos?

One in "new" condition, a double flush deck:
http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/rail/intermodal/ttx4063a.jpg
http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/rail/intermodal/ttx4063b.jpg
http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/rail/intermodal/ttx4063c.jpg

Another double flush:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ttx/ttex252742amm.jpg

Here's a pretty good view of most of a double channel, just like the Walthers model:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ttx/ttex161012age.jpg

Joe Shaw's page on the drawbarred flats:
http://www.krunk.org/~joeshaw/pics/ttx/ttex/

And, finally, the mother lode:
http://tinyurl.com/dsfn5

The RailArc page has options for selecting the size of each image, which can be pretty handy if you want to study details. Unfortunately, long freight cars like these don't photograph too well, unless you're willing to get only pieces of it shot in at once, so even the large images on RailArc aren't revealing like they are for say, a covered hopper.

Anyway, I hope this helps. One day I'd like to build a few sets of these myself. As it is now, I only have the one Walthers Long Runner. I'm not sure of the three types I've seen which is the most dominant, but I know from my experience in 1996 that the combination flush/channel cars were the most frequent visitors to the intermodal yard I worked at. The double channel side cars were the least frequent visitors.
 
Its only considered a long runner (or in some cases, a triple 57...) when its 2 draw bar connected cars. The biggest reason for them was the 48' & 53' trailers, but as you can see in shots, they get shoved into other service. I can't remember what a single 89' flat is considered, I think just Twin 45/Triple 28...

By the way that last link is nice...
 
I didn't realize there were any singles in any of the photos. I only searched for photos of flats with "TTEX" reporting marks, which are theoretically only used for Triple 57/Long Runner cars. I do not know of any distinction between the "Triple 57" and the "Long Runner" but that's not to say it doesn't exist, only that I'm ignorant of it. ;)

RailArc is an awesome website. I love the insanely high resolution photos you can download from there!
 
The days work, pic one, with flash, shows they've been painted now, not quite done though. pic 2, no flash to show the small gap in the middle ridges, with flash it gets lost.
 
I've been looking into it. The guys on the Model Intermodal group helped me out, and one of the RMJs from late last year had some hitch info.

Here is what one of the intermodal guys told me:

Kennedy, are we talking the 161XXX, 353-354XXX, or 357XXX series cars? Each is
unique.

If you are talking about the class F89F2 cars of the 161xxx series, there are a
total of five hitches. There are two end non-retractable hitches, painted
orange, for the auto-lock top plates, and three ACF Model-5C cushioned
retractable screw hitches. Unit A has a total of three hitches, all facing the B
end of that unit. Unit B has two hitches, all of which face the B end of that
unit. The walthers diagram was wrong IIRC. In case you can't understand what
I've said (I am having a hard time too.), here are a couple of photos:

TTEX 161089:
Unit B, with the black retractable hitch at the center of the car not visible.
http://amtrak2437.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=38741

Unit A, with the straddle hitch visible and the center one retracted. The
cushioning on the screw hitch looks to be painted red (at one time probably
orange).
http://amtrak2437.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=38742

I hope this helps. If you have no clue what I am talking about, look at Doug
Geiger's wonderful article on modeling these things on page 44 of the Intermodal
Modeler's Guide, Vol. II. I used it as a guide.

I think the Jim Panza RMJ article says the Details West ACF Model 6-2 hitch is useable, but I don't have the article in front of me to confirm.

Kennedy
 
Oops. Forgot to mention drawbars. They recommend we fabricate our own; one guy did some out of metal. I have a drawing of the Walthers ones as a guide, but not sure if it's of prototypical length.

But I did buy a State Tool and Die drawbar pack; they sell them for steel mill cars and stuff like that. Have not used them yet.

Kennedy
 
Oh nice, I'm not sure what series I picked but I'll look into it now! I think the ones I've seen that look the closest to what I want, only have 3 hitches. I'll look into the hitches at my LHS's and see if they got em. As for the drawbars, hum.... I think I saw the modelers volume II there also. I havn't really worked on them since, cause I needed the drawbar and hitches, and walthers.com was sold out of the decals. I did however, work on my GP30 and Dash 8.
Josh
 
Reopening the thread... I was standing there at my LHS today, I couldn't decide, 70T or 100T trucks!? I'd think 70T correct? Oh and I dunno about the Model 6-2's aren't quite what I wanted, maybe something else...
 
Dang am I dumb, I shoulda just done that in the first place! One shot, of a long runner like I'm building has 3 of the TH-1011, the theres a shot of one with 3 TH-1012, and lastly, one that looks simular to TH-1007. I think I'll go with TH-1012, but I might chop the hitch plate and replace it with the plastic one that came from the Accurail kit cause it matches better (*not sure if this will work yet, or if its just the pic*)...
 
The differences may be due to the block variations that I posted earlier. As long as your hitches are consistent with the car number, you're probably OK with the rivet counters....

:D

Kennedy
 



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