They designed a new narrow gauge reefer slightly wider and higher than their 30 foot narrow gauge cars...and one heck of a lot longer. They liked the results so much, the Alamosa shops built a total of nineteen. A few still exist.

As it happens, I prefer long cars. One day I was looking at some Bachmann reefer kits and I had an idea: I could bash a pair of short reefers into one 40 footer. Bachmann kits are of good quality and design, they are inexpensive, they virtually cry out for bashing, and they offer a way to build a unique car unavailable commercially.

This article will be about cutting and splicing, decisions, and just having fun. Even if you have no interest in a Rio Grande 40 foot narrow gauge reefer, I hope you'll read about the project anyway because I have tried to include many ideas you should find helpful for any kitbashing attempt.

RESEARCH AND PLANS

I immediately rummaged through my collection of books and magazines for plans and made an appalling discovery: None of the hobby magazines seems to have published one for a D&RGW 40 foot reefer! I have plans for two foot gauge cars, even more exotic plans for rolling stock no railroad ever built, but none of my sources could find a plan for the Rio Grande's long reefer. Finally I found a full side view in a color photo on page 44 of Slim Gauge Cars by Carstens Publishing and I scaled the major dimensions off the photo to make my own rough drawing.

I compared my dimensions with those of the Bachmann reefer. In 1:22.5 scale, the Bachmann car would be a little undersize but acceptable. If you plan to build the model in 1:24 scale, the Bachmann dimensions should be much better.

For various reasons, then, my model is not an exact copy of the original. But the key to kitbashing is often compromise. In the same spirit, I also made no attempt to represent all the hardware; the idea was to capture an overall impression. If you want a precise model, I suggest you build one from scratch. (I plan to do that soon myself.)

After I had built two cars, I checked with Uncle Russ. He found more photos and an almost illegible copy of an original blueprint in Robert L. Grandt's Narrow Gauge Pictorial, Volume IV.

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

I cut the center section of one carbody ("A" on the drawing) to a length of 10.990 inches by measuring 4.355 inches in both directions from each edge of the door opening. That allowed the cut to occur at a joint between boards instead of on a board face. That's important because the finished side must show no seam or indication of modification. When I made my cuts, I left the groove intact and took material from the next board over.

A note about tools: When I built my models, I was temporarily living in an apartment and had no access to my usual array of tools. I normally would have used a table saw to insure perfect cuts but, instead, I had to use a razor saw. As you may be able to tell from the photos, the results were the same. So here is how I made my cuts with a razor saw:

I clamped a metal ruler across the car side at the edge of the material I wanted to keep, then carefully used the saw to cut a groove tight up against the ruler. It was a clumsy arrangement because the clamps and ruler interfered with the saw so, each time, I removed the ruler as soon as the groove was deep enough to keep the saw on track.

Work on one end at a time. First cut the two opposite sides, then into the floor as deeply as the saw will go. Cut across the rest of the floor with a single edge razor blade. That was tedious. Maybe the whole job would have gone better had I used a hacksaw.

When you have separated the body center piece, "A", from its ends, smooth the cut surfaces with a file. At this point it is necessary to do only a rough clean up. Cut or file away the remnant of the roof clip at the cut line; it will interfere later when you fit on the roof.

Next, go to work on the second carbody. Measure 5.1 inches in from each end, starting your measurements from the corner plate (not the wood). That length brings you to a joint. Cut it as you did the first carbody, so the ends are free. Again, roughly clean up the cut edges.

Be sure the bottom edges of all three usable body parts are smooth because we will rely on them to align the car when we glue it together.

For the next step, find absolutely the flattest smooth surface you can. I used the Formica counter top in my kitchen. Set one of the ends against the body center to see how it fits. You may have to remove some floor but that's okay; you'll never see a gap unless you turn the car upside down.

ASSEMBLING THE BODY

Now comes the only critical part of the project. It's time to fit together the three body pieces. The idea is to end up with the boards across the joint exactly as far apart and as even as they would have been had we made no cuts. I set a Vernier caliper to 2.157 inches so I could measure the boards. That distance equals the width of twelve boards and the thirteenth groove. Actually, the number of boards is arbitrary but you should have enough for accuracy.

Very carefully file the cut ends to a close fit. At this time a crack or an imperfect fit is of little concern; that's why they make plastic filler! Just be sure the joint has a groove of the proper width. When you have mated one end section to the center section, mark it in some way. The idea is to know exactly what goes where when you glue everything together. Fit the other end in the same way.

I used a lot of reinforcement to splice together the body sections to avoid relying on the strength of the butted joints themselves. I used a liquid solvent type cement generously, but was careful to keep it away from the model's visible surfaces. Appropriate cements would be Plastruct Plastic Weld, Testor's Liquid Cement for Plastics, or Tenax.

I cut 1/4-inch Plastruct angle stock into four pieces, each 4 inches long, for the car body. I used a file to round the outside corner a little. That allowed the floor and side joints to fillet slightly. Beginning with the body ends, I glued 2 inches of the angle into the corners where the sides and floor meet. Put one angle in each corner, and let two inches stick out. The angle pieces will help align the body and provide a gluing surface. Let the glue dry thoroughly before going on to the next step.

Position all three sections together; the angles will align them. Then cement the angles to the center section. For the first time the three pieces will hold together and the car will begin to take on its ultimate appearance.

Cut four pieces of .100-inch thick Plastruct sheet into 2- x 4 1/4 inch rectangles. Cut two more into 2- x 3 inch rectangles. Glue the smaller pieces to the inner surface of the sides across the joints. Glue the larger ones across the floor joints. And remember: When you cut plastic sheet with a razor, it creates a lip. You must smooth off the lip or it will be impossible to fit the piece flat.

Use a plastic filler putty to bring the joints to the same condition as the undisturbed grooves. That means you must fill the cracks and sand the grooves to the proper contour.

THE ROOF

I built my roof from two sections. The roof ribs at the car center almost join, but require a filler strip. After some cogitation, that was the best solution I could devise. The alternative was to remove one or both center ribs, smooth the roof, and replace the two ribs with a single new rib. I gave up on that idea, even though it might please the purist, because the roof surface has a pebbling I am unable to duplicate. So I compromised on a single, wide rib instead of attaching a rib of the correct width resting on a smooth stripe. I filled the gap between the ribs with a .100-inch wide strip of .035-inch thick PVC sheet.

We will cut and join the roof sections so the original clips in the two end ("B") sections still retain the roof as Bachmann intended. Clip one roof section in place, then saw off the end at the middle of the car. Clip the other roof section in place and, by flexing it, note where you must make the cut. I suggest you allow some extra material, then file it until the fit is tight. It's a lot easier to remove plastic than to put it back!

Cut a pair of 2- x 1 1/2 inch rectangles of .100-inch thick plastic sheet. Mount the two roof sections in place and, by reaching through the car doors, glue the plastic reinforcing plates to the underside of the roof across the joint. Be careful to avoid blocking the roofwalk mounting holes. Then glue the .100-inch wide filler strip between the ribs and allow the assembly to dry very thoroughly before attempting to unclip the roof.

Use the plastic filler again to make the top surface of the new wide rib smooth and even.

Adding the roofwalk is relatively simple. I found it easiest to assemble it from four pieces so each could fit into the existing holes in the roof. Cut and fit the four pieces. Two unmodified walk sections ("A" and "B" on the drawing) fit from the car ends inward. You must cut the two short sections ("C" and "D" on the drawing) to fit in the middle. As you test fit the parts, it will be obvious how to do the cutting. But wait before cementing anything in place; it will be easier to paint the parts separately.

TRUCKS AND COUPLERS

Mentally turn the car upside down. The original underframe needs drastic surgery and the plastic truss rods are too short. We'll have to make more decisions to solve those problems, this time about trucks and couplers.

If you plan to change to some other trucks or couplers, you must think about the implications. Some thoughts about wheels also are necessary. My car uses Kadee® 820 body mount couplers and Gary Raymond's half-inch scale metal wheelsets. They are standard issue on all my equipment. Since the kit comes with archbar trucks, and archbars are standard on the shorter D&RGW reefers, I used them. But an Andrews truck is actually correct for the longer reefer and, since Ryan Equipment Company makes them, I plan to convert my car.

As it turned out, when I kept the Bachmann truck but used Gary Raymond's smaller wheels, the body dropped to the correct height above the rails and required no modification. It will easily negotiate LGB 1600 (4 foot radius) curves. But if you couple together a pair of long reefers and try to back them through a 1600 reverse curve with no straight track in between, the roof corners will touch. The cars are very uncomfortable on LGB 1500 (2 1/2 foot radius) curves but will stay on the track. If you use the larger Kadee 830 couplers, you may run into trouble.

Make whatever modifications may be necessary for body mount couplers now, but wait until you have painted the model before you attach the couplers permanently. I modeled no coupler extension casting. If I had, I might have alleviated some of the tight radius problems.

Next time, we'll modify the underframe, add hardware to the superstructure, paint the model, and letter it. In the meantime, the work in this installment should keep you busy.

Materials

2 ea. Bachmann 98902 reefer kits
1 ea. Phoenix box car detail kit
1 ea. Ozark Miniatures short queen post set
4 pr. Gary Raymond Metal Wheels
1 pr. Kadee® 820 couplers
1 sheet Larry Larsen dry transfers
1 set brass turnbuckles
1 ea. brakewheel casting
1 pkg. 0-80 nuts
1 pkg. 0-72 washers
1 pkg. .052-inch dia. brass rod
1 ft. 1/4- x 3/8-inch scale lumber
1 sheet Plastruct .100-inch PVC
1 sheet Plastruct .035-inch PVC
2 ft. 1/4-inch Plastruct angle
1 bottle Plastruct Plastic Weld cement or similar
1 tube plastic filler putty
1 roll masking tape
1 can Krylon Ruddy Brown sandable primer
1 can Krylon School Bus Yellow
1 can Floquil Grimy Black
1 can Testor's Dullcote

Tools

scale rule
razor saw
Vernier caliper
C-clamps
files
single edge razor blades
cross point screw driver
2 pair pliers
0-80 die
0-80 tap
0-80 wrench
drills: #55 and #49 or 50
marking pen
small paint brush