A Little Scratch-bashing to Start Your Day

[jonathan]

Started with a Red Caboose, undecorated, ARA/X-29 box car body.  Scratchbuilt the roof, greatly modified the underframe, and added B&O details.

Tried to create an M-27f auto box car that was later used in freight service until the end of steam.

The decals came from three different sheets, so some are thicker than others.  Hopefully, a little weathering will make them look a little more friendly with each other.

Stirrup steps are old A-line brass or bronze.  The plastic steps were brittle and kept breaking on me.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jbrock27]

A treat, as always to see your work.

All I did this weekend was add some weight to an Athearn chemical car, move one of the wheels to gauge, add EZ Mate Mark II couplers, glue the ladders in place and make up a top railing to replace one that was missing.

[ebtnut]

I remember seeing one of those B&O auto cars down at Camden station a good number of years ago.  I believe it was just being used for company storage.  I didn't do much modeling work this weekend.  Spent most of Saturday in the warm sun cruising the old WM (now Maryland Midland) looking for trains (there didn't appear to be any).  Did take some pics of a classic lineside grain mill complex in Linwood, just east of Union Bridge.  Finally wound up in Frederick and had dinner at the new Family Meal restaurant on East Street, along side the remains of the old PRR line into town.  Lot of people don't recall that Frederick once had a nice city trolley system along with the country lines to Hagerstown and Thurmont.  It was the Hagertown and Frederick line and passenger service lasted till 1954 and freight till 1960. 

Oh, I did get my old brass Ma and Pa No. 6 out of the box and test run it.  It runs almost as well as the Bachmann model.  I now have two No. 6's, along with the Bachmann Ten-Wheeler and the Ma and Pa No. 4.  If I ever leave On3, I've got a nice start on a Ma and Pa-themed layout. 

[rogertra]

Nice work, well done.

Cheers

Roger.

[electrical whiz kid]

Jonathan;
Having always admired your work in this hobby.  I am pretty much a scratch-builder/basher/cross-kitter.  I enjoyed seeing your encouraging photos here.  A lot of people who are getting into this hobby for the first time are probably a bit gun-shy about approaching this endeavor, however, with a little more in the line of photos from guys like you, I think a lot of people will be encouraged enough to give it a try.  Thanks again for sharing all of your work and effort with this site.
Rich C.

[Doneldon]

Jonathan-

Your work is so consistently excellent. I envy you!

                                                                  -- D

[jonathan]

Thanks, guys.  Never considered myself particularly skilled... just obsessed.    It only took me eight years to try a little scratchbuilding.  

There's a modeller's adage, that I can't remember too well just now.  However, something to the affect... "As soon as you complete a scratchbuilding project, because you couldn't find a model available, somebody will offer that model in RTR."  Here's hoping...

Some final shots, after a little weathering.  I may have gone a bit far with the colors, but was trying to copy the M-27F that resides in the Baltimore museum.  It looks pretty beat up:













Regards,

Jonathan

[ebtnut]

Jonathon:  It's all good!