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I cut the doors out of each end being carefull to include the door jamb on each
side of the door. Cut top to bottom beside the jamb.Then with the door at each end removed,
I cut the interior floor in
half down the center removing one scale foot in width. This leaves a splice down the
center but it is inside the car and won't show.
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Trim the end walls right up against the window trim top to bottom both sides.
Thats four cuts per end top to bottom .... straight. Cut rough and finish with
a file to square the edge and only file down until the doors fit back in the hole.
Almost all the wall between the door jamb and the window trim is removed. This makes
the coach 8' 9" wide when finished. Not perfect but as you can see in the finished
car the proportions look great.
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Now cut both sides of the roof right at the ledge that fits down inside the car.
Then cut the ledges off flush with the bottom of the roof the entire length. Now sand and
file the edges of the roof to round and contour them to the right shape (easier than it sounds).
Also cut the second outside floor to this same width. Cut each side all the way down and
it will fit up under the side-ends that you made. Sand it to fit .... doesn't need to be perfect.
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I assembled the car as normal using these narrowed parts. I didn't glue the roofs
on ..... instead I made little tabs to fit them in place so the roofs are removeable.
All the underside parts fit just fine and the steps don't really stick out much at all.
I didn't feel the need to change these steps at all.
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These are the seven cars that I have narrowed and I sprayed some of them with army
green. Kind-of a kahki green. I think the little cars will do just fine. I have some
old PFM passenger trucks that look superb and each car will get a pair .... using the
R.E three point bolstering. The little combine is running just fine (first one finished).
In fact the little plastic people stay in the car. They won't get out no matter how long I
leave them sitting in the station. I guess they love the little cars too.
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The basic proportions of the MDC coach looks very good overall. Some of the details
are large, but in the actual impression you get of the car, your eye is satisfied by the
the cars appearance. I cut down most of the body bolster under the car to get rid of that
bulky look under the car. Now the bolster looks right. It also lowered the car so that the
truck swing just barely clears under the car.
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One of the dividends of building these Standard Gauge Overton Coaches into Narrow Gauge
cars is that the building and assembly go VERY quick. One week of modeling time, and I have
three cars up and running with four more 90% finished. Getting a fleet of these little cars
running, has been a very satisfying and therapeutic exercise.
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