Some time ago I found an IHC maintenance of way (MOW) set for sale second hand. The cars were all different colours and road names. I've always liked grey MOW cars so repainted and detailed them.
I kept the IHC trucks but replaced the wheelsets with Walthers Proto 33" wheelsets. I probably should have replaced the trucks too, as they are not the best. Even tuning with my MicroMark truck tuner hasn't made the wheelsets roll as freely as I would like. However, the train still rolls pretty well, stays on the track and doesn't spend a lot of time on the layout, so it's not really an issue. The one drawback is that several of the cars are very heavy relative to my other rolling stock. I find that the Jupiter and 119 cannot pull a full MOW train up my grade. In the future, I may put a couple of cars on a diet and remove some of the weight.
The train is made up of a blacksmith car, complete with forge and a stash of tools. A rail and tie car, a derrick car, and a gondola with ballast. Add a flat car to the mix and you have everything you need to respond to a wreck or maintain the tracks.
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| Blacksmith car |
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| Rail and tie car |
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| Derrick car |
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| The full MOW train parked on the canyon trestle. |
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