wind,
the empty car now stood more than 20' tall! Before the success or
failure of this technique could be judged, it became a moot point
when someo ne
realized that the InterBox Connectors (IBC's) that locked
containers together on ships could be used on
trains too. Seemingly overnight, the bulkheads became nothing more
than decoration. Gunderson's subsequent double stack designs had no
bulkheads. Ironically, the Twinstacks are so rigid that only a couple
of wrecked cars have been retired with the re st
of the fleet intact and in operation to this day. We set out to push
the envelope on this model. The car is ready
to run with free standing brake detail and scale sized open lattice
floors. The distinctive circular depressions
on the inside faces of the side sills are accurately reproduced. The
end platforms and grab irons are made of etched stainless steel to
better reproduce the open gridwork of the prototype. The model is
semi-permanently coupled together to make handling and railing the
car easier. The model is designed to run partially or fully loaded
a nd
container weights are included. If the car is to run empty, we follow
the guidelines of the prototype, and suggest that you run it at the
end of the train. The car halves are assembled with steel
pins in the bolster boxes, as that is the only place that one could
hide weight. Thank goodness it's right over
the trucks! Make sure all of the articulators are free and loose,
and away you go! |
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