The introduction of the HO Mantua's 1860 car by Model Power makes early rail HO modeling easier. The cars have an eight foot high side. Most cars of the period have a side height in the seven foot range. The 1870's cars are short and squatty.
The stock "high cube" Mantua box car and our seven foot side conversion shown with the Bachmann 4-4-0. The original Mantua height made the cars commercially viable with the other era cars when the tooling was developed in the 1950's.
Disassemble the car by slicing off the mouting lug with a single edge razor blade.
Pry off the metal parts with a screwdriver and pliers.
An 1860-70's Central Pacific boxcar, it is short and squat.
Cut off the couplers mounts from the trucks
Nip off the truck lug with flush cutters
File the lug down until it is flat using the paint as a stop guide.
File the bolster at a taper from the side up to the truck lug to give the trucks some side play.
Glue a .040 thick coupler pad to give a coupler mount surface. Drill and tap for your favorite coupler.
I use a link and pin system.
The trucks aren't really correct being too long in wheelbase and have a passenger configuration. I remove the area above the arrow to make them look more "freight" looking. Replacement metal wheels fit the trucks.
Mark the cutout in the body for the amount of height reduction. Here we are reducing it by a scale foot.
I nibble out the majority of the plastic with a flush cutter.
Break the corners of the frame at the yellow to allow the body to sit flush with the frame. Finish file the body to sit flush on the underbody.
Cut away the excess at the corners.
Make a notch at the corner to make a cutting guide. Make sure the molded on corner plate is left on the car. This will act as a cutting guide.
Using the corner plate and notch as a guide use a razor saw to mark the car side for the cut. Carefully make a saw cut over the entire side. Don't cut through just use this cut to make a guide mark.
Use a razor saw to cut along the mark. Come from the ends into the middle.
After cutting off the side sand the body flat with 220 grit sandpaper.
The stock Manuta and the lowered body car
Fill the area under the door with a section of the side with the scribing for the cutoff portion.
Add details. Here I used the modified stock door turned 180 degrees and .020 wide strips as door guides. The corner steps are bent staples.
