# MU Hoses on Diesels



## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

I have heard a few people say that there is a company who produces flexible MU hoses but I have not been able to find them. I have built 7 sets using the rubber coating off of 16 gauge wire but this is very tedious. I know Ozark Miniatures produces the train line hose but I don't think they sell the cluster of three (or 4 for that matter). If anyone knows a company who makes these, or has a better way to make them, please let me know. Thanks.


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## NavyTech (Aug 2, 2008)

Try using heat shrink.

http://cableorganizer.com/heat-shrink/

It is very cheap to buy and can get it at most hardware or electrical stores.


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is a picture showing shrink tubing.











I cut the plastic air hoses that came with the model and put shrink tuning that just fit on the plastic stub. I shrunk only the part over the plastic stub. That way, the center of the hose is not unusually small. You can actually bend the hoses. I did this to the MU hoses and the train line hose.


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Michael,
I went through the same thing years ago. Only commercial ones seem too big for 1/29. What I finally ended up with and still use are the castings from Lionels 1/32 line. I cut off the ends and drill a small hole in them,then use 22 gauge wire for the hose. Strip just a little and ca the wire in the hole. It is a little tedius but they look pretty good. I haven't bought any for years now. Purchased quite a few when I last bought them,they were very cheap at the time,maybe 25-50 cents for a casting with four of them.


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## John McGuyer (Jan 2, 2008)

Ozark now does a cluster of hoses. 

John


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

John,
What scale are they? And what is the stock number? Dave does good stuff but his website doesn't keep up.


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## mrh044 (Oct 11, 2008)

Paul, those air hoses are very good looking. I have just been using the standard air hoses, cutting out the middle, and replacing with 16 gauge wire. Do you know if those are still available??

John, I just contacted them about a week and a half ago asking if they made these and I got no reply. Do you have a part number?? Thanks.


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## John McGuyer (Jan 2, 2008)

They are for the 1/29 diesels. I don't know the part number, he just sent me a picture of them. 

John


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

John,
Can you post the picture. Nice air hoses would be a welcome thing. Are they from your patterns?


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Michael,
Just getting back to this. I wanted to make sure the Lionel hoses werer still available. I just received a bunch in the mail today. The price is only 20 cents each for either the casting with four hoses or the one with three. You can order direct from the Lionel website under parts. Here are the stock numbers. 4 hose,8-18-5000-365. 3 hose,8-18-5000-355. They also make a decent amber casting for a roof beacon,8-18-5003-705 for 40 cents apiece.


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## John McGuyer (Jan 2, 2008)

Paul, 
I do not post pictures on MLS, but will look around and see if I still have his shots and send them to you directly. I did not make the pattern for the cluster but was pushing him hard to use my gladhands in the kit as they are far more detailed and closer to scale than his original ones. 

John


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## bnsfconductor (Jan 3, 2008)

I use O scale airbrake hoses for the MU hoses, and then use 1/29 scale hoses for the brake pipe line. The MU hoses are slightly smaller then the brake pipe hose in real life. Also if you want to get detailed the MU hoses face different then the brake pipe. The glad hand of the brake pipe faces left, while the first MU hose faces to the right, and then the last two hoses face into the first MU hose. In other words brake pipe glad hand faces left, main resevior glad hand faces right, independent and accuating hose face left. 
Craig


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