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Coal Cars - 4
It just keeps getting better ...
When I wrote this article a year and a half ago, I used the Archbar
trucks available from Micro Trains. Since that time, many fine
modelers have created late 1800’s / early 1900’s trucks and
details using 3-D printing.
I recently received sets of wood beam and Allen / “California”
style archbars trucks from Panamint Models (Eric Cox) for some
ventilated boxcars I was working on. The trucks have great detail
and, while a bit fragile, they run and look great.
I tried out a pair of the Allen archbars on one of the 20-ton coal
cars and liked the look.
The trucks come from Shapeways and require careful cleaning
to remove any grease or residue left over from the 3-D printing
process. I spray painted mine Floquil Grimy Black then applied
NeoLube to the journal boxes and other “metal” parts.
A quick dusting of weathering powder helped to age the trucks.
NeoLube also stains the couplers, cutting the plastic shine, and
keeps the action smooth.
Modeling early steam keeps getting easier. Several models have
been released recently which fit this era:
The new Atlas 4-4-0
Bachmann’s 2-6-0
MicroTrains’ Civil War-era rolling stock
MicroTrains’ wood beam truck bulk packs
CG N Scale’s ventilated boxcars, stagecoaches, and steam
donkey crane
Panamint’s pre-1900 variety of trucks and link-and-pin couplers
Looks like 2013 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for early
steam in N scale! 
7
7. The Micro Trains archbars are on the two cars to
the left, while the Panamint Allen archbars are on the
car on the right. Panamint also makes Fox trucks, both
standard and short versions, which would probably
fit the smaller Nn3 20-ton cars even better as well as
look more prototypically accurate.
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MRH-Mar 2013