Model Railroading > Building a better MU hose set...

No solutions today, but something maybe for the manufacturer's idea file.

The atypical consist here -- a Southern Pacific "Black Widow" F7 connected in multiple unit operation to a Krauss-Maffei ML 4000 C'C' "Series Unit" -- nevertheless illustrates the typical look of MU connections. And we can't do this in HO. Yet.

There are air hoses available which can connect magnetically, and while that technique could certainly be adopted for MU hoses too, the glad hand connectors at present aren't finely detailed, nor does the connection look like the handshake that gave rise to the nickname "glad hand."

Here's the idea: a detailing part cast in flexible material, which models the (underline here) connected hose groupings (end underline) in three, four, and five hose options. Each group has a pin or tab at the hose fitting end. It's modeler's choice whether to permanently affix one end to a model, or use tweezers to attach when consisting a set of units.

Same concept for the multi-pin electrical jumpers. Flexible hose, pins on each end, one end permanently attached either for convenience or to model the later style of permanent attachment on one end.

Fussy? Sure, when consisting units. But if the pneumatic hoses had the proper flexibility, with that connected droop molded in, it could really be just a minute or two of messing with tweezers when consisting the units, for a true prototype look.

We demand amazing detail in most areas, then train our eyes to ignore other things because they're impractical -- or nobody's come up with a solution yet. Semi-scale couplers without trip pins are one step many have taken towards better appearance in this one holdover area. Disconnected MU hoses don't look right to anybody who knows full-size railroading. And it could be done. It's a little nutso... but it could be done!

~ BZ

Photo detail with thanks, from a Steve Patterson original published in Joe Strapac's "SP Historic Diesels Volume 2."

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If you want true prototype look, make sure to use scale draft gear and scale coupler housings as well. With nearly all mainstream (HO) models designed to accommodate track curvature as tight as 18-22" radius, all that extra length and play in the couplers would make interconnected mu hoses disproportionately long. Possibly to the point they could end up dragging if on the inside of a curve.

Mr. MRL

Good point. True.

It would be easier to send a man to Mars than to to develop hoses like you want.

Posted from iPhone

Not a bad idea, but how many could you sell? How many modelers would be willing to put up with all that fiddling? I can't even convince TT&TO operating layouts to drill little holes and use removable flags!

Barry Draper

Maybe model both sets of hoses and the brackets at each end and have the brackets magnetically attach to the pilots rather then each individual hose.

Chris

I've adding MU hoses on a couple of permanently coupled diesel-slug sets, and from my experiences, the couplers are way too long and have way too much slack. The length and slack combination requires the hoses to be very long. One solution is using Sergeants couplers, which have little or no slack when coupled (I've tried the Sergeants and went back to Kadee 58's; they are just too hard to get coupled). I've tried using short shank Kadee couplers and Hi-Tech Details real rubber MU hoses coupled between engines but the hoses were still too short to deal with the un-prototypical distance between the pilots.

Dennis

Well, I think getting men and women to Mars would take more combined effort. But the un-prototypical pilot-to-pilot dimensions, coupler and shank lengths, slack, and tolerances would definitely make it difficult.

How many could be sold? Well, lots more detail parts are sold than are ever installed, I think; many are fodder for "someday" projects, and many detail parts that have at least sold enough to sell out a run or two are too fragile or time-consuming to even assemble, let alone survive lots of practical use. And I agree, there aren't very many who'd fiddle with this kind of stuff, or clubs that would put up with someone fiddling for as long as it would take.

It would hardly be the 2-56 machine screw of model railroading, that's for sure. :-)

~ BZ

barrydraper Wrote:
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> I can't even convince TT&TO
> operating layouts to drill little holes and use
> removable flags!
>
> Barry Draper

I've been to two layouts that do just that and working on convincing a third fellow that just went to TT&TO to do the same. Don't give up hope!!

NZ

Seems like many brass models attempt the fine scale detail like you describe with steam lines and diaphragms on passenger cars and all types of stuff that looks awesome. However, when you try to actually operate the stuff, you need to bend-shave-trim so you can enjoy the operation. I think modeling will always be a trade off of sorts - what looks good vs what can actually operate trouble free. (We have VERY broad curves on our layout too).

Send a message to these folks. If they can do magnetically-connected brake lines, maybe they can come up with something for mu hoses.

http://www.pacific-western-rail.com/main.php