HO Scale Narrow Gauge Coaches

I'm designing a series of passenger and baggage cars suitable for an American narrow gauge railroad.
There are 30 ft and 40 ft long versions suitable for HOn30 and HOn3.

Some general notes:

The HOn30 version is a scale 7 ft wide (25mm) , for Microtrains 1015 couplers

The HOn3 version is a scale 8 ft wide (28mm) , for Kadee 714 couplers

The body and chassis are separate parts , connected by linking 'sprue' which needs to be cut and removed before assembly.
The body is designed to clip onto the chassis , no need to glue it on.

No interior detail is included as yet. I am working on separate interiors which can be fitted later. Or you could make your own.

There are holes in the floor to allow trussrods to be formed from EZ line or something else. See my other rolling stock thread for more details.

5 ft wheelbase passenger trucks are also being developed.

I will post more details and pictures when my test prints have arrived , next week.

Update.

As I'm happy with the test prints I've made the 40ft cars available.
None of the cars as yet has an interior. I'm awaiting test prints of these before I finalise the designs.
The interiors will be available separately, I also plan to add them to the existing cars. So if you want a car with an interior it's best to wait until I release the final design. The baggage cars won't have an interior.

Trucks.

The first of the passenger trucks is available (version 1). This has 8 coil springs per truck. Version 2 will have 4 coil springs per truck.
This first truck is for British N gauge wheels only. Versions for American wheels, and Kadee HOn3 wheels will follow. Eventually there will be 6 variants.

The interiors have arrived and I've been busy painting most of them, as you can see below.



The HOn30 and HOn3 versions have different types of seating.
These will be available on there own. I'm currently adding them to the coach chassis so that you will be able to order a coach with or without an interior.
Also included will be some roof details (vents) as they are printable in WSF, these will be found inside the toilet compartment, . They will also be available separately in FUD.

Versions of the passenger trucks suitable for American N gauge wheels and Kadee HOn3 wheels will also be available soon.

Here are some assembly instructions and notes.
The passenger cars with interiors come as two separate parts.
The cars without interiors, and the baggage cars, come as a single piece. The body and chassis are joined by 8 links. These need to be removed first.


Check the inside of the body is free of Nylon dust, there may be some residue in the corners. Carefully remove any remaining.
The chassis should have 4 small holes in it, they may have become clogged with dust. These are for the truss rod wire.


For the truss rods I used EZ Line, other things such as mono filament could also be used. Thread it through the holes and fix one end using a thick/gel superglue (cyanoacrylate).


When set, pull the line through until it is taught, fix the other end with more glue. Use something to hold it in place while the glue sets.


This is what the underside should look like.

The same method for the truss rods applies to coaches with interiors. The line will disappear once painted.


On the inside of the coach sides are small clips to hold the body on the chassis. Do not remove these.


Inside the toilet compartment are some roof detailing parts. A vent for the toilet and an exhaust for the stove. The number will vary depending on the type of coach. these parts are also available separately, in the higher quality Frosted Ultra detail material.


Holes will need to be drilled into the roof for these parts. They should line up with the relevant parts of the interior.


This shows the parts glued in place.

Couplers

For HOn3, a Kadee 714 coupler can be glued to the underside at the end. The floor isn't thick enough to accept a screw.

For HOn30, a Microtrains 1015 coupler can be screwed to the block at the end of the underframe. Drill out the pilot hole to accept the screw.
I used a 0.95mm drill.

End Handrails

If you are stuck for handrails for the ends of the cars or caboose, I have made a jig to help you bend them to the correct shape and size.
There are different versions for HOn3 and HOn30 coaches. Unless stated otherwise, cabooses use the HOn30 jig.

https://www.shapeways.com/model/1337362/handrail-jig-hon3.htm l?li=my-models&materialId=6

https://www.shapeways.com/model/1328568/handrail-jig-hon30.ht ml?li=my-models&materialId=6

I've used 0.5mm brass rod for this demo.

Place the rod onto the jig as shown, up against the small block.


While holding the rod in place with one finger, bend it around the end with another.


This should result a bend of 90 degrees. Adjust if necessary.


Now place the end onto the other side of the jig as shown.


Bend the free end around the jig. It may seem like you need 3 hands to do this, but it is possible with practice.

The resultant bend will not be the full 90 degrees needed. This can be achieved with the aid of some pliers This bend is sharper than the other one.


Cut the rod so that the two sides are equal in length.


Repeat until you have enough of them (2 per end). The gentle curve goes on the outside.


This indicates where you need to drill holes for them. Also drill out the handbrake support bracket.


Handrails and handbrake in place.


That took a lot longer to explain that to do!

As I've had several models arrive with the stove pipes missing (must have broken off before packing), I'm going to remove these and instead put a hole in the top of the stove. Use some 1mm diameter rod instead.
I will also be changing the brake gear, as per the freight stock. There will be separate air and vacuum brake parts (attached to the bolsters), to be fitted as required.

Where can I get the brass rod?

Do you plan on adding any more HOn30 coaches with regular style seating instead of bench seating? I think the HOn30 40ft Combine Coach E with Interior B is the only one that doesn't have bench seating.

I must apologize, it seems what I was asking was already done. I didn't see them because I was only looking under the tagged stuff.

Is it possible to enable White Processed Versatile Plastic on your line of HOn30 coaches?