Del Tapparo
1st Class Member
Fort Collins, Colorado
Foreman
Posts:208
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 | | 09/08/2008 7:24 PM |
| Rant ... I ordered a string of 6 Bachmann V-dump ore cars to go behind my LGB Diesel switcher. I have seen the ads for these things forever, and thought I knew exactly what I was ordering. Yes, they are labeled 1:20.3 scale ... but I still pictured them as being rather small. I was shocked when I opened the box. These things are 6 1/4" wide! A quick and very short run out on the layout proved that they won't even fit through my tunnel portals and they look way to big behind the LGB switcher. (They do look OK behind a Shay.)
While I will concede that this is my fault, I think it would never had happened if the manufacturer could have just provided the slightest bit of information, i.e. specifications, for the product, like dimensions? While scale of 1:20.3 is a clue that this might me something larger than something in 1:22.5 scale, it doesn't tell me how big it is unless they provide the dimensions of the prototype. The near total lack of specifications for large scale products just continues to urk me! " border=0>" " border=0>"\
This is the type of thing that can really burn you ordering on the web, compared to your local hobby shop. See it, touch it, feel it. | |
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Dennis Paulson
1st Class Member
Chandler In
Foreman
Posts:146
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| | 09/08/2008 7:38 PM |
| Me too
I cut about 1/2 or so off of the opening end to reduce the overhang , from hitting everything ...............and they were still some big cars .
Traded them off . | |
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altterrain
silver spring, md
Foreman
Posts:478
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| | 09/08/2008 8:28 PM |
| Those suckers are huge. I use them for 7/8's (1:13.7 scale) and they're even a bit big for them.
These figures are nearly 5 inches tall!
-Brian | |
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Larry Green
1st Class Member
Vermont
Foreman
Posts:114
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| | 09/09/2008 6:54 AM |
| Del,
If you had a PDF file for them, you could tweak the dimensions to get exactly what you want!
About the only thing those cars look right behind is the 1:20.3 45 tonner--it may be scale, but it dwarfs everything else on the RR. Had to get one, anyway
Larry | | | |
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pdk
Foreman
Posts:137
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| | 09/10/2008 10:45 AM |
| Further to Brian...
Yeah, even us 7/8ers were shocked. Luckily we had early warning from one of our brethren.
I've seen hundreds of skip photos and never seen any prototype that large (bet I will now). No idea why they made them so gargantuan. | |
cheers...pete | |
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altterrain
silver spring, md
Foreman
Posts:478
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| | 09/10/2008 11:15 AM |
| Pete,
One of the 7/8's guys posted this page recently - http://www.rail.lu/wagonmines.html which had a few similar prototypes (one third the way down the page) like this one -
-Brian | |
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DKRickman
1st Class Member
Salisbury, NC
Foreman
Posts:345
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| | 09/10/2008 11:22 AM |
| Posted By Del Tapparo on 09/08/2008 7:24 PM
Rant ... Yes, they are labeled 1:20.3 scale .... These things are 6 1/4" wide!
A quick touch of the caulculator reveals that they scale out to 10' 6 7/8"
That's as wide as, or wider than, modern standard gauge rolling stock!
Was there really a 3' gauge v-dump that was over 10' wide? Or was this a fictictious creation of Bachmann, labelled 1:20.3 to make people think it's suitable for a scale railroad? | |
Kenneth Rickman - krickman1@carolina.rr.com
Salisbury, NC
If at first you don't succeed, use a bigger hammer! | |
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vsmith
1st Class Member
SoCal
Conductor
Posts:996
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| | 09/10/2008 12:03 PM |
| I seriously thought they were 7/8scale also when I first saw them, bought a mess of HLW ore cars instead... | |
 Kitbashing, welcome to the Dark Side | |
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calenelson
Non-Paying Member
Foreman
Posts:392
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| | 09/10/2008 12:22 PM |
| Posted By vsmith on 09/10/2008 12:03 PM I seriously thought they were 7/8scale also when I first saw them, bought a mess of HLW ore cars instead... " border=0>
that would be my vote! | |
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CCSII
Norman Oklahoma
Foreman
Posts:173
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| | 09/10/2008 12:27 PM |
| | What's an "HLW?" | | | |
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calenelson
Non-Paying Member
Foreman
Posts:392
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| | 09/10/2008 12:39 PM |
| http://h-l-w.com/
Hartland Locomotive Works...Made in USA to 1/24 (or thereabouts).....their stuff is tuff!!!! Great for little kid hands!
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‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you. | |
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davidarf
Brakeman
Posts:40
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| | 09/11/2008 1:49 AM |
| I was also very surprised at the size of these cars, but the chassis is so good I decided to cut mine down and now I am very pleased with them running with my Accucraft C16.
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David
www.sdfr.info | |
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Dougald
Moderator
Foreman
Posts:427
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| | 09/11/2008 5:45 AM |
| I was unable to locate a pic on short notice but ...
I believe these cars are quite prototypical for modern (post 1970) open pit quarrying operations. I have also not checked my references for South American or Chinese ng but I doubt that such wide cars were used in regular mainline service. To give a sense of what we are looking at, consider the size of the dump trucks used in offroad open pit mining.
B'mann hasw a penchant for producing unusual stuff especially in the industrial field. Since most large scale modelers are not very familiar with industrial equipment (beyond logging locos) it would help if they would publish some dims with their ads. At least they published the scale which is more than most advertisers publish.
As an aside, most folks are very conditioned by the use of 1:22.5 or smaller scale combined with the choice of puny prototypes and often models shortened from the prototype. These same people are amazed at the size of a K-27 even though it is a small loco by sg practices and only the next step in modernizing had American ng survived in a viable commercial form. F scale is big ...
Regards ... Doug | |
Doug Matheson
Manotick Ontario
SA #122 | |
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altterrain
silver spring, md
Foreman
Posts:478
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| | 09/11/2008 9:24 AM |
| Posted By davidarf on 09/11/2008 1:49 AM
I was also very surprised at the size of these cars, but the chassis is so good I decided to cut mine down and now I am very pleased with them running with my Accucraft C16.
David,
How did you cut them down?
-Brian | |
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davidarf
Brakeman
Posts:40
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| | 09/11/2008 3:14 PM |
| Brian
I cut about 5/16 inch off the top of each side with a razor saw and then glued 1/8 inch plastic angle to the outside of the cut edge to form a new lip. The tipper buckets were then sprayed with matt grey paint and touched up with spots of rust colour paint.
I have a rake of 9 of the hoppers and so sawing them all by hand was a bit tedious, but once done I was pleased with the outcome and they now fit all my tunnel entrances. They ride the track really well - I think due to the very nice heavy metal chassis. | |
David
www.sdfr.info | |
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Dave Meashey
1st Class Member
Brakeman
Posts:76
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| | 09/13/2008 6:13 PM |
| I bought one of these cars in Fall of 2006. As others have posted, I was astonished at how large it was. I added the larger diameter wheels to mine and mounted the Kadee 830 coupler boxes to the top of the frame. This way it looks appropriate with the 7/8ths inch scale whimsical locomotive I use to pull it.
I may eventually get another car to modify in the same way. The cars really seem to fit with 7/8ths inch scale equipment best.
Yours,
David Meashey | | | |
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Del Tapparo
1st Class Member
Fort Collins, Colorado
Foreman
Posts:208
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| | 09/13/2008 7:50 PM |
| Thanks for the tip David. I am in the process of cutting one down now. Looks like it will work out fine.
And as an added benefit, my rotary tool, a Black and Decker "Wizard" bit the dust, so I went out and bought a real Dremel tool. I started out using a razor saw, but I think the Dremel with a cutoff disk is going to be easier. Just hack it off then clean it up with a file. | |
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pdk
Foreman
Posts:137
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| | 09/14/2008 7:59 AM |
| All sounds logical, Doug. But like flying saucers and bigfoot. I'll believe it when I see some photos.
Posted By Dougald on 09/11/2008 5:45 AM
I was unable to locate a pic on short notice but ...
I believe these cars are quite prototypical for modern (post 1970) open pit quarrying operations. I have also not checked my references for South American or Chinese ng but I doubt that such wide cars were used in regular mainline service. To give a sense of what we are looking at, consider the size of the dump trucks used in offroad open pit mining.
... Doug
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cheers...pete | |
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Semper Vaporo
1st Class Member
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Engineer
Posts:1226
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| | 09/14/2008 9:39 PM |
| Posted By pdk on 09/14/2008 7:59 AM All sounds logical, Doug. But like flying saucers and bigfoot. I'll believe it when I see some photos. " border=0>
Do you believe photos?
That is me "IN" the cab of my Aster Mike! | |
 C. T. McCullough
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
SA #37469
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Del Tapparo
1st Class Member
Fort Collins, Colorado
Foreman
Posts:208
Send Message
| | 09/26/2008 2:35 PM |
| V-Dump Article Here is an update on my V-Dump ore cars. I wrote an article for the club newsletter describing how I cut them down to a reasonable size.
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