# tooter's next shorty...



## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

This MTH hot metal car was on sale for $30 so I got it to make a shorty out of it. 
Here's a pic before I chop it up...


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

If you shorten it much and keep all 4 trucks, you'll have wheels rubbing against wheels!! :laugh:


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

Fire21 said:


> If you shorten it much and keep all 4 trucks, you'll have wheels rubbing against wheels!! :laugh:


No joke. 
That's always a consideration for shortys not to get them too short. The twin trucks roll freely around my O16 track curves with no clearance issues, so as long as I space the inner wheels the same as the rest, it'll be just fine. 

It's surprisingly well made with the wheels, trucks, end platforms, tank supports, and pivots *all* die cast metal.

Greg


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Nice find Tooter at a great price.....


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

I thought it was a pretty good price for an MTH Premier car. I liked it because it's so unusual. The four 6 spring metal trucks all have live suspension. I really go for all the oddball stuff.  When I saw the description in a mailer from westerndepot.com, I never knew anyone even made anything like that. So I went online to find a pic and it looked like it would make a really neato "long" shorty. 

Not quite done yet, but here it is so far...


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Very nice looking job. Modifying, I love it. I don't do very much but a couple of my friends make amazing changes to engines and create some unique train pieces.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

It looks good - much shorter and better than I expected. How did you blend/fill-in around the top over the slanted sides, given it now has no cylindrical middle section?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It went together pretty cleanly, better than I would have expected.


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## Guest (Jul 14, 2015)

Nice purchase, Tooter.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

Lee Willis said:


> It looks good - much shorter and better than I expected. How did you blend/fill-in around the top over the slanted sides, given it now has no cylindrical middle section?


I haven't figured that out yet, Lee! :laugh:
Right now, the spout is just sitting on there.

Greg


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> It went together pretty cleanly, better than I would have expected.


Yeah, I learned how to do it trial and error by doing quite a bit of removing sections and mating up ends. The new center seam on the tank is as good as the original factory seams.

The secret to getting really precise end fits is fine emery cloth on a 1/2" sheet of plate glass. I just scoot the ends around on the sandpaper till they're nice and flat and true. The more exact they get, the more loud screeching noise they make when they're scooted! :laugh:


Greg


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

That is a good price do they have anymore?
Seems like a lot of bucks for you to shell out on a RR car?


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

big ed said:


> That is a good price do they have anymore?
> Seems like a lot of bucks for you to shell out on a RR car?


Yeah Ed, it is. I'm normally a bottom feeder, but that particular car was so unusual and on sale, I went ahead and got it. They might have more:

www.westerndepot.com

edit: Just checked. They have five in stock.


Greg


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Yes I just went there, I put one in my cart ( I have bought from them before) to see the shipping. Shipping was $16 something, making it $47 something all together.
Too much for me, I will keep on looking.hwell:
But thanks.

Looking good for the Shorty line RR. :smilie_daumenpos:

I thought that was a little too much for you to spend on a car, but it will look nice on the RR.
And...You got to pay "to play".
I guess shipping was a lot cheaper for you being out there, where they are.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

My shipping was $10. The cheapest buy it now on Ebay is $49 and free shipping, but there are a couple are up for auction. Although one starts at $50 with no bids on it, the other is $12.50 with three bids on it.

I have to say it's the nicest piece of rolling stock I have, and never too much to spend if I want it. 


Greg


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

WoW I like it!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I bought three of those at York a year ago, $14, $20, and $30. I had a couple of silver ones, and I'm looking for more. I figure a unit train with a bunch of these will look pretty cool.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

They sure would look neato ganged up, John. 
I looked for O gauge ingot buggies like these HO's but as far as I can tell no one makes them.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've seen the slag car, sort of on the same idea, only different.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

That's a really nice one, John. Couldn't make a short out of that one! :laugh:
Do you know if anyone makes O gauge ingot buggies?


Greg


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## highvoltage (Apr 6, 2014)

tooter said:


> They sure would look neato ganged up, John.
> I looked for O gauge ingot buggies like these HO's but as far as I can tell no one makes them.


Lionel made one:

http://train-station.com/Pages/archives/Library/023922217431.html

Finding one might be a different story.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

They do appear to be vary scarce, a search on the Internet or eBay turns up none, now or in the past.

Greg, those look like they wouldn't be too hard to kitbash, maybe that's the way to get a few of them.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

highvoltage said:


> Lionel made one:
> 
> http://train-station.com/Pages/archives/Library/023922217431.html
> 
> Finding one might be a different story.


Thanks for the info! 
Now I know they won't work as they use O31 minimum and I need them to work on O27 and O16 track.

Greg


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> They do appear to be vary scarce, a search on the Internet or eBay turns up none, now or in the past.
> 
> Greg, those look like they wouldn't be too hard to kitbash, maybe that's the way to get a few of them.


Yeah, I made a little industrial utility buggy out of a locomotive bogie a while ago, and might adapt it.


Greg


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I wouldn't put too much credence into the O31 requirement, I think that's their standard boilerplate. MTH doesn't make track smaller, and they don't recognize the fact that Lionel exists.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I wouldn't put too much credence into the O31 requirement, I think that's their standard boilerplate. MTH doesn't make track smaller, and they don't recognize the fact that Lionel exists.


From the picture they appear to be quite closely coupled.










From the lack of internet information it looks like a failed product that was only briefly manufactured. In the few pictures that turned up for "ingot buggies" I did find my own! :laugh:












Greg


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

I believe the ingot buggies Lionel made were actually produced under the K-Line by Lionel name, so they probably went away when that brand did a few years ago.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

Makes sense. That's why there are none to be found... but I did find some neato pics of bottle cars.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

...and how's this for fancy trackwork?


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Incredible! I particularly like the rails that lead right into that fence!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lee, you have to be going pretty fast to use that track that goes through the fence, with luck you pick up the rails on the other side.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Wow, that's quite a plate of spaghetti!!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

A few weeks after that picture was shot, the town was wiped out by the big flood,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnstown_Flood

I think that rail was for a trolley intersection.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Nicely done tooter, I am surprised you didn't cut the trucks too


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

Fire21 said:


> Wow, that's quite a plate of spaghetti!!


I discovered it's called a Grand Union.


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

sjm9911 said:


> Nicely done tooter, I am surprised you didn't cut the trucks too


I considered it, but it would mess up the stuff on the platforms. I did get a set of three of these slag cars when I saw the pic John posted. ( thanks John!  ) They're really neato. They haven't arrived yet. This is just a store pic.










Greg


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

tooter said:


> I considered it, but it would mess up the stuff on the platforms. I did get a set of three of these slag cars when I saw the pic John posted. ( thanks John!  ) They're really neato. They haven't arrived yet. This is just a store pic.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those a VERY cool. I wish I had a place for cars like that on my layout, but no room for steel mills here.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

tooter said:


> I considered it, but it would mess up the stuff on the platforms. I did get a set of three of these slag cars when I saw the pic John posted. ( thanks John!  ) They're really neato. They haven't arrived yet. This is just a store pic.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They will make a nice addition to the Shorty line. :thumbsup:
They have no slag?
Somehow make up some kind of clear liquid and add some red/orange LED's to simulate the molten slag inside of them.

Lionel did make this, The cars include a realistic, flickering slag load. 
http://www.lionel.com/products/find...ywords=&CategoryID=506&RailLineID=&CatalogId=


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## tooter (Feb 26, 2010)

big ed said:


> They will make a nice addition to the Shorty line. :thumbsup:
> They have no slag?
> Somehow make up some kind of clear liquid and add some red/orange LED's to simulate the molten slag inside of them.
> 
> ...


Those go for over $100 each so I went for the cheap ones. 


Greg


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Tooter, Nice thread, those slag cars are very cool. I'm staying tuned in....


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

tooter said:


> Those go for over $100 each so I went for the cheap ones.
> 
> 
> Greg



Wouldn't be that hard to add some clear (or red?) goop of some kind with some flickering lights under it?

I forgot I had these,
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showpost.php?p=223972&postcount=438

I don't think these ever kept too much paint on them?
Man, they must be heavy!


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