Building Leadville Designs Coal Car / Flat Car / Cinder Car Kits in C&Sn3

Posted by Jim Courtney on Jul 30, 2024; 1:49am
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Building-Leadville-Designs-Coal-Car-Flat-Car-Cinder-Car-Kits-in-C-Sn3-tp19966.html

Since folks have been receiving their Leadville Designs kits this past week, I thought we should have a new thread for construction of these guys.

I've looked through the kits and have started a-building 4 cars (making it 4 times as likely that I'll never finish).

Mike McKenzie, on the other thread, asked about trucks:

The 1898 St. Charles coal cars used the St Charles rigid/trussed 4' wheel base trucks, formerly offered by Cimarron Works in Sn3.

The 1902 C&S built copies used ASF 4' wheel base trucks on ASF cast bolsters, these were also offered by Cimarron Works.

The Cinder Cars were converted from St. Charles coal cars in 1904, numbered 0100-0108, so would have used the St. Charles trucks.
An additional cinder car  was constructed in 1909 from a Peninsular 30' coal car (4786) and was numbered 0109. It would have used the so-called type "B" 20 ton truck, offered by Leadville Shops in brass.

I'll post some photos of the trucks that I'm using in a day or so.

Having looked through the kit, it looks like you 1920s - 1930s C&S folks are in luck, as Bill has burned grab iron holes for all the USSA grab irons.

DISCLAIMER: Let's get this out of the way. Probably 99% of the folks building this kit model the C&S the 1930s. I only know of 3 people who build C&S stuff in the first decade. Besides myself there is Steve Guty, working in HOn3, and Geoff Hamway working in Sn3 (true, Geoff models the RGS in 1905, but has been known to build a C&S freight car or two).

I purchased 6 kits to build up:
1. An as built 1898 St. Charles coal car for my 1901 roster.
2. Three as-built 1902 C&S built coal cars, and
3. Two as-built 1902 flat cars, the coal cars and flat cars for my 1909 roster.

I will likely deviate from the kit design significantly, substituting some parts, fabricating other parts. All those laser burned grab iron holes are a problem for me.

More to follow in the next couple of days

Please feel free to post photos and questions of the construction of your kits here as well.