How-To: MTL Huskys to Drawbar Units

HoboTim Oct 7, 2007

  1. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thought I'd post a How-To to change those drab single MTL Gunderson Husky's into the 3 or 4 drawbar units.

    Before I start with technical this, that and the other, I want to post the Who's that have/had the 3 or 4 unit drawbars. Please understand that two types of Gunderson Drawbar units were made. Regular 48' Husky Stacks and the 48' All-Purpose "AP" Husky Stacks. Since no manufacturer makes the "AP" Husky Stacks, I will keep the info to just the plain 48' Husky Stacks.
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    Burlington Northern "BN" used 3 well cars joined by drawbars to make up their units. They also had two different paint schemes.
    BN 64019 - 64049 were brown with white lettering and white BN logo.
    BN 64228 - 64327 were reddish with the white lettering and red/white/blue BN logo.

    When BN merged with Santa Fe the drawbar units were not immediately painted but they did recieve new patch roadnumbers.
    BN 64019 - 64049 became BNSF 230000 - 230030
    BN 64228 - 64327 became BNSF 230031 - 230129

    CRLE had only three units of 4 well cars. I cannot find any photos of these units.
    CRLE 5900 - 5902

    GBRX had only three units of 4 well cars too. No photos available for these either.
    GBRX 92004 - 92006

    Later these GBRX re-aquired and roadnumbers changed to
    ECXX 92004 - 92006

    TTX has sixty units of 4 well cars. You can find photos of these at Railroad Picture Archives.NET
    DTTX 270000 - 270059

    These are the only companies that have used the regular 48' Husky Stacks with Drawbars. BN/BNSF drawbar units have 3 well cars per unit while all the rest had 4 well cars per unit.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Now, here are the photos, with captions, of the MTL Huskys I modified into a BN three drawbar unit.
    [​IMG]
    Finished look!

    [​IMG]
    This is what the drawbar area will look like when finished.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Hobo Tim
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 25, 2010
    southernnscale likes this.
  2. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    #2

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Hobo Tim
     
  3. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    #3

    [​IMG]

    Oh, and snip off the brake wheel but leave the air tank and lines.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Hobo Tim
     
    Kurt Moose likes this.
  4. minzemaennchen

    minzemaennchen TrainBoard Member

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    Hi Tim,

    thanks for this instruction, that saves me key in a mail...:)
     
  5. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    Bump Up on Intermodal!

    Just wanted to bump up this thread due to the mention in the Z_Intermodal Yahoo Group!

    Enjoy!

    Hobo Tim
     
  6. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Tim, I cant wait for the ap version. For some reason, I have a weak spot for the all purpose cars.
     
  7. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    Drawbars for Husky's

    Greetings!!

    If you read the above "How To" and find that you would like to make some of these drawbar units, this might be your lucky day. In some artwork that I am having professionally etched, I had some small spaces that I needed to fill. In these spaces I placed a few sets of drawbars. Each set has 9 drawbars. If you have some of the MTL Husky's and want to make drawbar units, as described above, this is your chance. If you are interested, please post your comments and desires. I hope to return home within the next 2 weeks where I hope to find some etched brass waiting for me. I can make a few decals to make the drawbars complete. With a little research I'll probaby have decals to make the 3 BN (red, white & blue and the brown) drawbars, and the 4 TTX drawbars.

    Again, if you are interested, please let me know in this message thread!

    Have a great day!

    Hobo Tim
     
  8. BNSF Dash 9

    BNSF Dash 9 TrainBoard Member

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    I'd like to have a few.
     
  9. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Me too. I want couple kits also.
     
  10. pmx

    pmx TrainBoard Member

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    Put me down for a pair of drawbars, please

    ~Paul
     
  11. zmon

    zmon TrainBoard Member

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    Tim, put me on the list for a few sets for TXX... I would lkie to make up two or three of the four car sets..

    Tony B...
    Wasatch Z Club
     
  12. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    MTL Gunderson Husky "BN" Pre-Order June 2010

    [​IMG]


    MTL will be releasing a 4 pack of their Gunderson Husky single wellcars in the BN red with red/white/blue logo soon. I think they are still open to pre-orders, release is suppose to be June 2010.

    My only Problem with this release is that MTL modeled the paint scheme from a Husky All-Purpose 3 drawbar unit. This paint scheme was NEVER a reality for a single wellcar. Only 3 unit 48' Husky's and 48' Husky AP's for BN!!!

    So what can you do about it if you really like this paint scheme (Like Me!)??? You can modify them into a drawbar unit as shown on page 1 of this message thread. It is very easy. Matter of fact, I had a few of these drawbars recently etched by my normal pro-etcher. Will have them shortly. If anyone is still interested in modifying their MTL Husky's into Drawbars let me know. I'll even post the cheaper websites to acquire the hareware to make this possible, that is if you don't already have a nice tool supply!!! Just speak your mind here!!!

    Husky Drawbars!!!!!!

    Husky AP Drawbars!!!!!!!

    All a reality now!!!!!

    Hobo Tim
     
  13. zmon

    zmon TrainBoard Member

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    Tim,
    My post is right above your recent one..... Put me down for a few draw bar sets when you get them from the etcher....

    Tony B...
    Wasatch Z Club
     
  14. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    MTL Releases the BN Husky Runner Pack this Month!

    MTL caught me off guard!! They released the BN Husky Runner pack earlier this month. I forgot all about the Drawbars till I found all of the frets I had professionally etched. I am here to say, if you picked up one of these runner packs, now would be a great time to convert them into a 3 Drawbar Unit. Just read below an extract of the initial message I used to open this thread.

    If you think these have all been painted over by BNSF, just look at some of the photos in the following links. Dirty, but alive!!!
    http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/30757/IMG_9264.JPG

    http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/27262/100_5254.JPG C
    http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/27262/100_5253.JPG B
    http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/27262/100_5255.JPG A

    http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/33362/IMG_2310.JPG

    Their are alot more photos just like this on the web. If you are a master at weathering, then this too might be a good practice job for you. Build a BN Drawbar and then weather the heck out of it.

    I am going to work on making a set of decals for the BNSF patch so that it doesn't matter what BN number is pad printed on the side of the well car you can put the decal over the old roadnumber.

    Please note one last time. Burlington Northern NEVER had ANY single 48' well cars painted in this red with the red/white/blue logo. They were all 3 drawbar units. I did my homework!!

    I have many sets of these Drawbar Frets. Each fret has 9 drawbars on it. That is enough to make 3 sets of 3 drawbar units. Dang, I might need to get me two of these runner packs, maybe 3. Anyways, I have a good supply of these frets. If anyone wants to try this Scratchbuild/Kitbash and you don't want to make your own drawbars, I have them for $5 each. Just let me know.

    I'll work on designing and printing some BNSF patch road number decals soon.

    Hobo Tim

    p.s. When I get caught up on all my other projects, I'll use 4 of MTL's Husky's to make a 4 drawbar TTX unit. Stay tuned!!!
     
  15. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    Has anyone........

    Has anyone taken the new AZL 53' NSC wellcars and drawbarred them together yet?

    I have an idea in making them drawbarred, but not permantently connected as shown for the MTL wellcars.

    Give me time and I will work on the one set I have, then post photos here or in a new thread. If it works, will be simple to do.

    Stay posted!!!

    Hobo Tim
     
  16. up mike

    up mike E-Mail Bounces

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    Tim I don't have any of these but looking at them today I think these could be done using the stock trucks???

    What I did when I was in N scale I made some brass draw bars and used them in the stock coupler boxes this way you don't need to drill anything or use screws just a thought........
     
  17. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    Excellent thought

    and an excellent thought it is. I like it. I'll experiment with it to see what I can come up with that might clip in place from one coupler box to another. Maybe something simple and easy.

    Awesome!!!

    Hobo Tim
     
  18. up mike

    up mike E-Mail Bounces

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    Any update Tim?
     
  19. HoboTim

    HoboTim TrainBoard Supporter

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    This update is a doozie!!!

    If you haven't read this thread from the beginning, you are missing out on some real history!!

    Bumping Up!!!
     
  20. up mike

    up mike E-Mail Bounces

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    Tim tell me you made some drawbars to fit the coupler box?
    I just found a MTL runner pack of the TTX cars starting to build myself a double stack train...........
     

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