This kit for a Carter Brothers 28' ventilated box car has been carefully engineered 
for ease of assembly and a highly detailed finished model.  It is strongly suggested 
that you read through the instructions before starting work so as to familiarize 
yourself with the steps and assembly proceedures.

You will need:

An Xacto knife with a sharp #11 blade, 
a new flat file, 
#80, #78 and #63 drills, 
liquid plastic cement (Tenax R-7, MEK or similar), 
ACC thick (gel) cement, 
and paints of your choice.

1. Using the silhouette illustration, identify the various parts on their sprues.  

2. Carefully remove parts from their sprues with a sharp nipper, razor blade or Xacto 
   knife, being careful not to damage the detail. Using the knife and file, carefully 
   clean any flash from the parts. It is a good idea not to remove the door castings 
   from their sprues until you have painted them.

2. Drill the floor #78 for the eight truss rod holes at the dimples provided, #63 for 
   the two truck mount screws and the appropriate size for the coupler mount screws you 
   will be using.  Use the flat file to smooth the sides and ends of the floor, being 
   careful not to damage the floor boards where they extend into the door openings.
   If you wish, add detail to the ends of these boards with your knife.

3. On a flat surface, assembly the sides and ends. The ends fit inside the sides in 
   the recesses provided.  Be sure the assembly is square before you apply glue.  
   Set aside.

4. Add the body to the floor, springing the sides out to clear the protrouding floor 
   boards at the doors.  The bottom of the sides should be flush with the bottom of 
   the floor frame.  Glue in place.

5. Drill #80 for grab irons beside the bolt detail on sides ends and roof. 10 pairs.
   Using the template drawing, bend the .010 wire to form the 4 small and 6 large grabs.
   Note that the grabs on the roof and sides are smaller than those on the body ends.
   Insert the grabs and add a spot of ACC (thick is best) on the interior.  When
   this has set, trim off any excess with small nippers.

* If you wish to paint the interior of the car a different color than the exterior, 
  this is the time to do it.  Many of these cars had unpainted interiors, so a color 
  such as Floquil "Foundation" can be used, with an overwash of black ink and alcohol
  to weather it.  If you do this, apply tape to the inside of the four door openings
  at this time.  Paint the underside of the roof the same color at this time, if desired.

6. Add the needle beams, placing them directly at the small circular ejector pin marks,
   being sure they are square across the car.

7. Using the .012 nylon line provided, string the truss rods.  Begin at one end of the
   car, running the line through the holes into the interior of the body from below
   and adding a spot of ACC to retain them.  When this has cured, run the line over
   the needle beams and up into the holes on the other end of the car.  Clothes pins
   or small allagator clips can be used to hold the tension on the line while ACC
   cement is curing.  Trim off the excess flush with the floor and touch up the paint
   if necessary.

  If you are adding air brake detail do so at this time.  A K-brake cylinder has been
  provided with the levers and brackets. As built, this car did not have air-brakes.

8. Add the roof positioned with equal overhang. Cement the roof walk into the series
   of depressions in the roof casting. Cement both end facias up snug under roof ends.

* This is a good time to paint the exterior of the car, as well as the door castings.
  The masking tape placed on the door openings will keep spray off the interior and
  can be pulled out later with tweezers.


9. Install the doors.  The top door track is a part of the roof casting and the bottom
   is glued in place after the doors have been set in place.  If you want them to be
   positionable you will need to proceed carefully. Begin with either the right or left
   door, positioning it at the full open positon.  Apply a small amount of cement at
   the center of the door track.  This will hold the track in place.  Now add the
   second door, sliding them both either full right or left.  Add more cement at the
   opposite end of the track. Now, slide the doors to the end that has been glued and
   add cement at the other end.  Done carefully, this will allow the doors to move.

   The end doors top rail is the end facia you installed (8), add the lower rail like
   the side doors positioning the door fully open or closed, cementing the track at the
   other end, sliding the door to the cemented end and adding glue to the opposite end.

10. Add the top brake staff bracket to the roof, locating it just at the left edge of
   the door when it is in the closed position.  Scrape a tiny spot of paint away so the
   glue will bond well.  Slip the brake staff wire (.012) in place and use it to locate
   the bottom bracket which is glued to the underside of the floor frame.  Remove the
   brake staff so that it is not damaged during the next step.

11.  Mount the couplers and trucks (see truck assembly suggestions).

12.  Set the car upright and add the brake staff to which the brake wheel has already
   been glued with ACC.  A small drop of ACC will fix it in place and the excess wire
   trimmed off at the bottom.

13. Decals are available for the twenty some odd railrods that ran these cars, as new
   equipment and used. South Pacific Coast, North Pacific Coast, Southern Pacific, etc.
   You may also want to weather the car to show the years of service on your line.  

Truck assembly:  The Rio Grand Models Carter "swing beam" trucks provided are accurate
 models of those supplied when the cars were first delivered.  Clean any flash from
 the parts and pre-paint them, being careful to keep paint out of the axle holes in
 the back of the sideframe castings.  You may also want to paint the wheels at this
 time.  A good color for the trucks is Floquil Roof Brown.  It is important that the
 sideframes be parallel to each other and that they also be level across the truck as
 well.  Position the bolster on one sideframe, being sure it's bearing surface is
 level, and apply ACC cement.  When this has cured, put the wheelsets in place, check
 the alignment and cement the other end of the bolster to the second sideframe. 


 Note that Carter Bros cars of this era did not use turnbuckles or queen posts.
 The truss rods were tightened at the ends of the rods with the truss rod nuts.