Sharing Projects

[jonathan]

Just for fun,  here are several resin kit boxcars I've been building for about two weeks now.  I have to keep my hands busy while I'm waiting to dig into the USRA Mikado's.

The underframes are done and the shells are primed and ready for paint.

Reading wood DS box car, lasted until 1956:


Side shot with underframe:


Florida East Coast Insulated, "modernized" box car.  This one lasted until 1965.  Note the sinkers and leftover junk I use for weighting the cars:

Also, this car had a really strange brake stand set up (Wine?)  There were no good photos, and the instructions were less than helpful. Hopefully I constructed it right.  The handle might need to be pointing down instead of up.

Same car side shot with underframe:


New York Central box car--another wood car that a few survived to the mid '50's:


NYC box car side shot and underframe:


A Savanah & Atlanta box car.  This car was sold to the F.E.C. when the S&A was going under.  Which is why this car looks so much like the F.E.C. car above.


I recently scored a couple cans of Scalecoat II boxcar Red, which is the other reason I started this project.  Oh... and I really don't feel like working on scenery just now.

I painted the boxcar red this morning.  As soon as the camera recharges I'll post a couple pics of that.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jbrock27]

Nice work as always Jonathan.

Where did you find the brass wood screws, small enough to fit a Kadee coupler box?

Do you use an airbrush or spray bomb?

[jonathan]

Thank you... appreciated.

The silvery 2-56 screws are from radio shack.  The brass 2-56 screws (coupler box) are from a train show.  Those brass screws use to be quite common at hobby stores.  I think "Kit Bits" carried them as did Woodland Scenics.  Getting harder to find these days. I have a set of small taps that are well worth every penny when it comes to these kits and when working on locomotives.

I spray bomb.  Over the years, I've gotten nimble with the cans.  And the Scalecoat cans put out a very fine, wide mist... easy to work with.  I know an airbrush would produce a nicer finish.  Just don't want to fuss with all the mechanics and cleaning.

Then He said, "Let their be boxcar red... and it was good."







Regards,

Jonathan

[jbrock27]

You're welcome and thank you.  Yes, I had asked about the brass screws, bc as you said, they're hard to find.  Have never come across them.
I have packs of those same 2-56 screws from RS.  I cut the longer ones after threading a 2-56 nut on them, with a mini bolt cutter and then clean the ends with a combo of the nut, bench grinder and files.

Agree taps are a great tool to have.

I see fishing weights used as well.  VA ban lead fishing weights?

I have used spray bombs as well on a couple of locos.  Rustoleum and Krylon.  I like the Krylon nozzle better.  All looks good to me.

[grsman]

Try http://www.microfasteners.com and search for brass.
They have quite a few.
Tom

[electrical whiz kid]

Ro-brand Inc.
Cook Street
Plainville, ct

they carry a surprising amount of fasteners, and I would think brass is amongst their inventory.
SGT C.

[jbrock27]

Thank you GM and Sarge.

[jonathan]

Just to close the loop, here are the pictures of the completed cars--only weathering on the trucks so far:









bad lighting






Regards,

Jonathan

[Trainman203]

Where did you get the S&A and FEC decals?

[Trainman203]

Here is a redo of a two story German depot of unknown heritage, either Faller or Kibri or of of those European plastic kit manufacturers. I wish I'd taken a before picture because now I can't find the manufacturers picture anywhere.






It was already built when I got it, a dog someone had left at the club.  But it had very nice brickwork and a great Spanish clay tile roof.

I removed the half-timber Henry VIII Tudor styled second story.  Then, because American depots of this general style had very large sheets of glass in the windows, and because plastic window mullions are always oversized anyway, and because American depots never had casement windows, I cut all of the mullions and muntins  out.  Then I painted  the white windows a mossy green like a lot of red brick buildings like in this period had.  I covered up the Tudor gables with plain painted cardboard, leaving the little beam ends below showing.  It still needs some attic louver vents.  I'm not totally happy with the cardboard, may replace with scribed siding. Then I weathered the red tile roof with black overspray to tone it down.

It still needs overall weathering, dullcoting, window glass and a semaphore order board.

[jonathan]

The decals came with the kits. Nice structure...

Regards,

Jonathan

[electrical whiz kid]

Trainman;
Looks like a great start for a station I saw on John Armstrong's layout.  I had always thought it had that certain quality that lent itself to a layout.
SGT C.

[Woody Elmore]

Jon - you do amazing work - I'm surprised to note that your new cars do not include at least one "beano" car.  Didn't the S&A get absorbed by the Southern?

[jonathan]

Thanks much, Woody.

It occurred to me that I needed some other freight to mix in with the beano trains. So I've selected some east of the Mississippi rolling stock... Craftsman kits of course. Since I was able to snag some boxcar red paint, I was off to the races. I had to defer to rule one as I'm not sure if the b&o pulled any of these cars. I am rather fond of the Reading rolling stock... Not as handsome as b&o stuff, but nice all the same. 

Regards,

Jonathan

[rogertra]

Thanks much, Woody.

It occurred to me that I needed some other freight to mix in with the beano trains. So I've selected some east of the Mississippi rolling stock... Craftsman kits of course. Since I was able to snag some boxcar red paint, I was off to the races. I had to defer to rule one as I'm not sure if the b&o pulled any of these cars. I am rather fond of the Reading rolling stock... Not as handsome as b&o stuff, but nice all the same. 

Regards,

Jonathan

Jonathan.

When it comes to rolling stock you can almost put anything behind a loco, regardless of road names.

Go watch a freight near your home and pay attention to the consist. You'll see cars from all across the USA and, no doubt, CNR and CPR cars as well.

When I lived in Montreal, it wasn't unusual to even see the occasional car from Mexico.

How I live 500 or so yards from the track but haven't seen a train locally in something like two years.  They've discontinued the passenger train and freight died five years before that.  Now I only see trains when I go out on the road on tour. 


Cheers

Roger T.