AQNY AZKY Assembly Tips

Parts List (for HO scale model)

• Bogies: e.g. Kato 31-602 Barber S-2 Roller Bearing Bogies with 840 mm (33") wheels. 
• Couplers: Kadee #148 or #158
• Coupler boxes: Kadee #252 (supplied)
• Air Brake Hoses, e.g. Detail Associates #6206 or Kadee #438.
• Brake wheel e.g. Kadee #2025 or similar
• Brass wire: 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm for handrails, and brake piping
• Fixing screws: (see below)
• Glue, paint, decals
• The AQZY (ammonia tank wagon) requires a tank from a Frateschi chemical tank car.  These cars are available from some Perth hobby shops or online.  The Frateschi tank is slightly smaller than scale size but is a pretty good representation of the prototype tank.

Marbelup Models has limited stocks of the Kato bogies for sale.

Removing Support Structures

Carefully remove the support structure from the wagon.  It is suggested to use a sharp knife to cut the supports away from visible areas and delicate parts.  Take particular care around the bottom of the steps, and the triangular bracing inside the centre portion of the wagon.

The following image highlights the more delicate parts, some of which are only visible once the outer layers of supports have been cut away.

Once the majority of the support structure has been removed, carefully go over the wagon and cut away the small supports which typically extend from one part to another including, for example, on the end ribs and bogies bolsters.  An Exacto type hobby knife with a sharp pointed blade (Exacto #11 or similar) is quite useful for getting into the nooks and crannies.

Go over the model and smooth off any remnants of the fine supports, expecially in the visible areas.  A sanding stick or small file can be useful for this.

Bogie and Coupler Mounting Holes

The mounting holes for the couplers and bogies have been printed at 1.8 mm diameter to suit 2-56 screws.  

Due to the difficulty of tapping the blind holes for the bogies, the 3D print includes vertical grooves in the sides of the holes to help the screws cut their own threads, so tapping the holes is not required nor recommended.  Note that the depth of the blind holes is 3.3 mm.  The bogie fixing screws may need trimming to avoid damaging the floor of the wagon.

The wagon includes projections from the bolsters, to match the height of the Kato bogies, and provide "3-point suspension" to minimise side-to-side rocking of the wagon.  If fitting other types of bogies, these projections may need to be modified or removed.

The holes for mounting the couplers are also blind, but should be drilled right through the floor with a 1.8 mm drill to obtain a strong fixing.  These holes should be tapped 2-56.  Note that one end of the wagon has two blind holes for couplers.  The one closest to the end of the wagon is for a Kadee coupler and the hole closest to the bogie fixing holes is for the rotary coupler option.

Note: An economical source of steel 2-56 screws in various lengths is Little Bird Electronics.  

Bogies

The suggested bogies are Kato 31-602.  These are pretty much "exact", differing only in having 2 springs visible at the bolster ends rather than 3. Note that the Kato bogies have the correct size wheels 840 mm (33") which are smaller than those fitted to most other Westrail standard gauge wagons.

Note that the depth of the blind holes for the bogies is 4.3 mm.  The fixing screws may need trimming to avoid damaging the floor of the wagon.  Do not drill the bogie mounting holes right through, as they will be visible on the finished model.

Note that the height from rail level to the top of coupler mounting surface should be 11.5 mm, the standard for Kadee couplers.

Couplers

Because of the thin floor section, the model has been designed so the coupler and draft gear box slide into a recess in the end sill.  Make sure that any remnants of support structure from the 3D printing process have been cleaned up from inside the coupler mounting recess.

You will need to remove the cylindrical projection from the top of the Kadee #252 draft gear boxes - highlighted in red in the diagram below.

The draft gear box will probably be a snug fit inside the mounting recess.  A hole has been provided for a 2-56 fixing screw to prevent the coupler from being pulled out.  Note that the maximum length of the screw is 3.9 mm, so it is likely the screw will have to be cut to length.  Provided a metal screw is first used to create a thread in the provided hole, a nylon screw (e.g. Kadee #256) can be used for the permanent fixing.  A nylon screw is much easier to cut to the desired length.

Kadee nylon 2-56 screws are available from good hobby shops.

Brake Piping

The brake piping can be formed from 0.3 and 0.4 mm brass wire.  There are long, angled pipes at each end, and short 90 degree pipes connecting to the brake valve/cylinder assembly.  The main pipes running along the inside of the wagon frame are printed in place.

The diagram below shows the approximate dimensions for forming the brake piping.

The shorter pipe to the brake cylinder is 0.4 mm as is the long pipe at the same end.  The other 2 pipes should be 0.3 mm.

Small starter holes have been provided for attachment of the brake piping.  These should be opened out with a small drill bit or broach.  (Sets of tapered broaches are available from good hobby shops.)

Handrails 

The wagon has short handrails at each corner, and an L-shaped handrail attached to the brake wheel supports.  These can be formed from 0.4 mm brass wire.  Small starter holes have been provided to locate the handrails, which should be drilled out, e.g. with a 0.45 mm drill bit in a pin vice.

The holes for the horizontal four handrails are 4.3 mm apart (centre to centre).  These handrails should be bent with an inside radius of approx. 0.6 mm (e.g. using a 1.2 mm drill bit).  The total height of the handrails should be approx 2.5 mm and, when installed, the top of the handrail should be 1 mm above the wagon deck.

The L-shaped handrail should also be bent with a inside radius of approx. 0.6 mm.  The horizontal leg should be approx. 6.5 mm long, and the vertical leg approx. 7.5 mm long.

All handrails should be fixed into position with superglue.

Air Brake Hoses

Small brackets are provided next to the couplers on each end of the wagon for air brake hoses.  Cast plastic hoses are available from Detail Associates, part number 6206.  Carefully drill out the starter hole provided in the supporting bracket to suit the diameter of the "pipe" on the air hose.  A suggested drill size is 0.65 mm.

An alternate (cheaper) brake hose is the Kadee #438.  These have a rectangular mounting pin which requires the holes to be drilled out to approx. 0.8 mm.  It is suggested to drill the holes out in a number of stages, using successively larger drill bits, to avoid over-stressing the brackets.

Uncoupling Levers

Notched brackets have been provided at both ends of the wagon for the uncoupling levers, together with a longitudinal hole just below the coupler.  The uncoupling lever can be shaped from 0.4 mm brass wire.   The diagram below shows the approximate shape to aim for, but feel free to adjust the measurements to suit your model.

After positioning the uncoupling lever, check that the coupler can swing freely and is not obstructed, prior to gluing it into position.

Handbrake Wheel

A 0.5 mm spigot has been provided on the handbrake assembly, to which the wheel can be glued.  If necessary, open out the central hole in the handbrake wheel with a 0.6 or 0.7 mm drill bit to fit over the spigot.

Weighting

With the suggested Kato bogies, the completed AQNY weighs approx. 24 grams.  For this length wagon, the NMRA recommended weight is 125 grams, although some modellers feel that the NMRA weight recommendations are excessive.  A total weight of somewhere between 100 and 115 grams is probably about right.

Due to the "skeletal" design of the wagon, there is not much scope to add weight where it can't be easily seen.  Weight can potentially be added to the container "load".  If using the Marbelup Models BIS sulphur containers, provision has been made to fix weights inside the containers.  It is suggested that any added weight be concentrated over the bogie ends of the containers, to avoid causing the wagon to sag in the long term.

Painting

Either enamel or acrylic hobby paints can be used to paint the finished model.  The model pictured has been painted with Testors Model Master Enamel colour "Gelb RLM 04".  (Gelb is German for yellow!)  A white undercoat (e.g. Testors Model Master 2748 enamel) is recommended to enhance the yellow colour.  

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WO Assembly Tips

Parts List

• Bogies: e.g. "100-ton roller bearing" by Kadee part no 569 or 1569 (see below) or Tichy #3009 (1 pair) or #3036 (10 pairs)
• Couplers: Kadee #148 or #158 or Glatzl rotary & dummy couplers (see below)
• Replacement Metal Wheelsets 36" diameter - if using Tichy bogies, e.g. Intermountain #40051 (4 per wagon).
• Coupler boxes: Kadee #262 (supplied)
• Air Brake Hoses, e.g. Detail Associates #6206
• Brass wire: 0.4 mm for handrails, etc. (approx. 1.5 x 300 mm lengths required per wagon)
• Fixing screws: (see below)
• Glue, paint, decals

Marbelup Models can a supply "Parts Kit" containing all of the above items, with the exception of glue, paint and decals, with a choice of Kadee or Tichy bogies.

Removing Support Structures

Carefully remove the support structure from the wagon.  It is suggested to use a sharp knife to cut the supports away from visible areas and delicate parts.  Take particular care around the bottom of the ladders, and the various items of brake gear on the bottom of the wagon.

The following images highlight the more delicate parts, some of which are only visible once the outer layers of supports have been cut away.

Once the majority of the support structure has been removed, carefully go over the wagon and cut away the small supports which typically extend from one part to another including, for example, on the end ribs and bogies bolsters.  An Exacto type hobby knife with a sharp pointed blade (Exacto #11 or similar) is quite useful for getting into the nooks and crannies.  

Go over the model and smooth off any remnants of the fine supports, expecially in the visible areas.  A sanding stick or small file can be useful for this.

Bogie and Coupler Mounting Holes

The mounting holes for the couplers and bogies have been printed at 1.8 mm diameter to suit 2-56 screws.  

Due to the difficulty of tapping the blind holes for the bogies, the 3D print includes vertical grooves in the sides of the holes to help the screws cut their own threads, so tapping the holes is not required nor recommended.  Note that the depth of the blind holes is 4.4 mm.  If using Kadee bogies, the supplied screws may need trimming to avoid damaging the floor of the wagon.

The holes for mounting the couplers are also blind, but should be drilled right through the floor with a 1.8 mm drill to obtain a strong fixing.  These holes should be tapped 2-56.  Note that one end of the wagon has two blind holes for couplers.  The one closest to the end of the wagon is for a Kadee coupler and the hole closest to the bogie fixing holes is for the rotary coupler option.

Note: An economical source of steel 2-56 screws in various lengths is Little Bird Electronics.  

Bogies

The suggested bogies are Kadee #569 or #1569, the only difference being the width of the wheels.  Atlas and Athearn and others make similar bogies, but the advantage of the Kadee ones is that they add some weight to the wagon due to the use of a relatively heavy plastic material.

Tichy Train Group also makes an economical 1-piece plastic bogie #3009 (1 pair) or #3036 (10 pairs), however these are supplied with relatively low quality plastic wheelsets which are also too small in diameter (33").  Intermountain Railway Company sell high quality all-brass wheelsets which fit well in the Tichy bogies and are the correct size, i.e. 36".

Note that Intermountain do also sell complete roller bearing bogies but these are supplied with 33" wheelsets only.  Be wary of other brands of bogies as well.  In general, US roller bearing bogie (trucks) described as "100-ton" have 36" wheelsets and "70-ton" have 33" wheelsets.

Note that the depth of the blind holes for the bogies is 4.4 mm.  If using Kadee bogies, the supplied screws will need trimming to a length of 7.5 - 8 mm to avoid damaging the wagon (or shorter screws substituted).  Do not drill the bogie mounting holes right through, as they will be visible on the finished model.

Note that the height from rail level to the top of coupler mounting surface should be 11.5 mm, the standard for Kadee couplers.

Couplers

Option 1 - Kadees

The WOB is designed for Kadee "whisker" couplers.  Either the #158 (scale size) or #148 (normal size) couplers can be used, with #262 draft gear boxes.

The draft gear boxes supplied with the couplers do not fit as they have a different mounting hole position.  The #262 draft gear boxes (supplied) are narrower and have been used because they allow details such as the brake hoses to be positioned the scale distance from the wagon centre line.  Also, the #262 draft gear boxes are easier to use as the lid snaps into position.

Ideally, the coupler fixing screws should be trimmed to exact length so that the end of the screw is flush with the inside of the floor.  Nylon screws (e.g. Kadee #256) can be used, as they are much easier to cut to the desired length.

Kadee nylon 2-56 screws are available from good hobby shops.

Option 2 - Glatzl (Sergent) Rotary Couplers

If desired, the wagons can be fitted with a rotary coupler at one end, as per the prototype, to facilitate unloading in a rotary car dumper (tippler).  Glatzl sell working rotary couplers and matching dummy couplers which are available from Sergent Engineering in the US.  The Glatzl couplers will couple with "scale" size Kadees but not with "standard" size Kadees.

Note that it is preferable to use Glatzl dummy couplers rather than a "scale" size Kadee for the "fixed" coupler as the relatively tight fight between the Glatzl rotary and dummy couplers results in better operation with a rotary car dumper.  On the Sergent web site, the dummy couplers are listed under the "economy" tab.

Typical steps to fit a Glatzl rotary coupler are:

1. Cut the rear portion off the Glatzl draft gear box leaving 16 mm of the draft gear box remaining.
2. Drill a 2.3 mm diameter hole exactly in the centre of the circular mould mark in the coupler box.
3. Fix the coupler to the end of the wagon opposite the ladder and handbrake wheel using a 2-56 screw.

To fit a Glatzl dummy coupler:

1. Use a round needle file to slightly enlarge the hole in the shank of the dummy coupler so that it pivots easily in a Kadee #262 draft gear box.
2. Cut away a small amount of plastic from the rear of the coupler knuckle to allow the coupler to fully swing from side to side in the Kadee #262 draft gear box.
3. Assemble the couple in the #262 draft gear box and snap on the lid.  Fix the assembled coupler to the end of the wagon with the ladder and handbrake wheel using a 2-56 screw.

Ideally, the coupler fixing screws should be trimmed to exact length so that the end of the screw is flush with the inside of the floor.  Nylon screws (e.g. Kadee #256) can be used, as they are much easier to cut to the desired length.

Kadee nylon 2-56 screws are available from good hobby shops.

The height of the installed Glatzl coupler (rotary and dummy) should match the Kadee coupler height gauge.

Brake Rods

There are 4 brakes rods which can be formed from 0.4 mm brass wire.  The following diagram indicates the locations.

Typically, the holes for the brake rods are printed at 0.4 mm diameter but all will require cleaning out using a pin vice and drill bit, e.g. 0.45 mm.

The two shorter brake rods should be approx. 15.7 mm and 16.2 mm long, with 90-degree bends at both ends.  The bent ends fit into the hole in the brake levers.

The two longer brake rods should be approx. 19.5 mm and 21.5 mm long, with a 90-degree bend at one end, approx. 1 mm long.  The straight end fits in the hole provided near the bogie pivot hole and the bent end fits into the corresponding brake lever.

Handrails and Safety Rails 

The WO has short handrails at each corner, mounted on the side of the rectangular "buffers".  Small starter holes have been provided to locate the handrails, which should be drilled out, e.g. with a 0.45 mm drill bit in a pin vice.

The handrails can be formed from 0.4 mm brass wire.  They are actually semicircular, and are 1.5 mm wide (centre to centre) and 1.75 mm high, which allows for 1 mm to be inserted into the holes.

This great photo from Rail Heritage WA of a WO under construction at
Midland Workshops clearly shows the semicircular handrails.

There are also "safety rails" running along the bottom of each side of the wagon, between the ladders.

The safety rails are approx. 95 mm long - check this measurement on the actual wagon before cutting the wire.  They require a slight bend 10 mm from each end, so that the ends fit behind the vertical members of the ladders.  Small grooves have been provided on the rear of the ladders to locate the ends of the rails.  Along the sides of the wagons, the rails fit into the base of the side ribs, on top of the protruding flange.

Air Brake Hoses

Small brackets are provided next to the couplers on each end of the wagon for air brake hoses.  Cast plastic hoses are available from Detail Associates, part number 6206.  Carefully drill out the starter hole provided in the supporting bracket to suit the diameter of the "pipe" on the air hose.  A suggested drill size is 0.65 mm.

Uncoupling Levers

Notched brackets have been provided at the handbrake end of the wagon for the uncoupling lever, which runs across the full width of the wagon.  Note that there is no uncoupling lever at the other end of the wagon, as this is the rotary coupler end on the prototype.  The uncoupling lever can be shaped from 0.4 mm brass wire.   The diagram below shows the approximate shape to aim for, but feel free to adjust the measurements to suit your model.

Diagram to be added.

After positioning the uncoupling lever, check that the coupler can swing freely and is not obstructed, prior to gluing it into position.

Handbrake Wheel

A 0.5 mm spigot has been provided on the handbrake assembly, to which the wheel can be glued.  If necessary, open out the central hole in the handbrake wheel with a 0.6 or 0.7 mm drill bit to fit over the spigot.

Weighting

Details to be added.

With the suggested Kadee bogies, the completed WO weighs approx. ?? grams.  For this length wagon, the NMRA recommended weight is ?? grams, although some modellers feel that the NMRA weight recommendations are excessive.  A total weight of somewhere between ?? and ?? grams is probably about right.

Painting

Either enamel or acrylic hobby paints can be used to paint the finished model.  The model pictured has been painted with Testors Model Master Enamel colour "Gelb RLM 04".  (Gelb is German for yellow!)  A white undercoat (e.g. Testors Model Master 2748 enamel) is recommended to enhance the yellow colour.  

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WAGR Clerestory Roof Z Van

WAGR Clerestory Roof Z Van (also Commonwealth Railways NY and NYA)

These guards vans date from the late 1890's and there were versions with platforms at one end or both ends.  Some lasted into the 1970's in departmental service so, even in the diesel era, it would not be out of place to have one parked on a siding or as part of a work train.  In the early years of the 20th century, these vans were the main type to be found on goods trains.

Quite a few were transferred to Commonwealth Railways during WWII as class NY and NYA.  New Zealand railways had some very similar vans (single ended) which have been previously available as brass models in  Sn3½ scale.  Correct bogies are available for the Sn3½ version from North Yard in New Zealand.

For more information on the prototypes, please see the WA Wagon Pages for Single Platform and Double Platform vans.  For information on the Commonwealth Railways vans see the Comrails web site.  There are also a few photos of the vans at Rail Heritage WA.  Tip: Search for "clerestory" with both the Title and Caption fields ticked.

Screenshot of Single Platform Van (including dogbox)

Marbelup Models currently has both single-platform and double-platform versions available to order in  Sn3½ scale, and also in 4 mm scale.  The vans can potentially be produced for HOn3½ (or even HOn3) and O scale if their is demand.

The model consists of two 3D-printed parts, containing most details including running boards, brake stand(s), brake hoses and chimney.  The modeller must add some details, including handrails (on the ends and side), and truss rods.  The modeller must also obtain bogies and couplers.  Marbelup Models has ordered a small quantity of NorthYard bogies which will be available for sale.  For more information on the parts required and construction techniques, see the Assembly Tips.

As with many rail vehicles, there were variations between different batches of vans and modifications carried out during their long lifetime.  The model depicts the vans generally as they were later in their life, but is not necessarily 100% accurate for any particular van.  The clerestory windows have been opened out on the model, but some vans has "solid" windows.

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