These are the topics covered in this article:

    A. How to disassemble this car

    B. Converting to Micro-Trains Z-scale couplers

    C. Adding weight

    D. Replacing the load




A. How to Disassemble This Car
The model comes with a "load" that definitely needs to be removed! Simply slip a small jewelers screwdriver between it and the long side of the car body to make it pop out.

The two lines in the next photo point to the two truck pins that can be popped out to remove the trucks. When I did that, the center part (the metal structure that provides the model's weight came loose as well (shown in the second photo below).

B. Converting to Micro-Trains Z-scale Couplers
The original model has truck-mounted Rapido couplers. My fleet standard was body-mounted Z-scale couplers. First I needed to check the body's height as compared to the Micro-Trains coupler height gauge. This photo shows a close-up of the check. It is very close.

Before being able to install the new couplers, I needed to remove the old couplers from trucks first. Using a small jewelers screwdriver the lid from the old coupler can be removed. The old Rapido coupler can then be removed.

A part of this hopper car is the metal sub-structure of the car. It adds the (small) weight of the car and holds the trucks. There are two small holes that are a perfect fit for Micro-Trains N-scale couplers' screw. The Z-scale screw is thinner and shorter, but it doesn't fit the hole. I decided to use the N-scale couplers' screws to mount my Z-scale couplers.

C. Adding Weight
Adding weight to this car is trivial considering I also plan to put a load in it. The model originally weighs 0.5oz (14g). It needs to weigh about 0.95oz to comply with the NMRA recommended practices. I use shot balls to provide the weight. They are superglued to the bottom of the car after I evenly distributed them.

D. Replacing the Load
Since the car has a sloping interior, it is relatively easy to create a fake bottom from 0.040" styrene. The original load was used to determine the size of the piece of styrene.


















The photo below shows the piece of styrene installed in the car. I glued it in place with Testors Plastic Cement, since I wanted a permanent load.

Should the edges be visible, I painted them black (paint is still drying in this photo).

I kept adding layers of coal and glue, forming a raised ridge down the center of the car. I determined the load height based on prototype photos of these PRR hoppers.

Here's the final result of all the above work. The model also sports painted plastic wheels.