I recently built an Accurail Burlington Northern 40' Double Door Boxcar kit and thought I'd share some helpful hints on the build and some easy improvements that will make the car a better runner and much more durable.
The Accurail BN boxcar shell is a basic one piece affair with molded on ladders, grab irons and stirrups. The shell has received a coat of Testor's Dullcote to knock down the shine.
The boxcar floor with weight attached using double sided foam tape. The couplers are checked against the Kadee Height Gauge and the weight is verified easily.
Close up of frame. Metal wheels have been substituted for the plastic wheels included with the kit.The metal wheels have been weathered with a burnt umber acrylic paint
Underside view showing completed assembly which includes separate brake components, truck and couplers. Note the coupler boxes and trucks are secured to the frame with 2-56 screws instead of the pressure pins included with the kit. This simple upgrade, while not mandatory, make this car much more rugged and durable. I have found over the years that the coupler box pressure pins tend to loosen during operation and cause the coupler to sag. This has resulted in unwanted separations and derailments. The pressure pins holding the truck to the frame also loosen up and cause the car to wobble unnecessarily.
The completed car is checked against the height gauge to verify that the added shell has not caused the couplers to droop.
The brake wheel included with the kit is a bit primitive and comes molded in black. I painted it Kelly Green. Not a great match but better that the black.
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