More Boxcar Projects

[jonathan]

It's been a long dry spell of no train shows.  Plus, been busy with life, but I have managed to knock out several new boxcars.  As usual, these are craftsman kits.  I try to upgrade them as I learn new techniques along the way.

Since Scalecoat seems to be the only model railroad paint Company left, I have gotten used to their paint products.  Actually I rather like their boxcar red better than the old Floquil boxcar red. For those who still like to paint their own stuff, Minuteman Models bought up Scalecoat and now carries their paint products. Thankfully, there is still a source for train paint.  

Anyway, here are the cars:





These are "flat" kits--meaning the main parts are a series of flat panels that are assembled to make the box shape of the boxcar.  Getting it all to fit smoothly, and look square, is a bit of a challenge.  Seams are sometimes visible, too:



I'm torn between the types of trucks these days, so I did a little of both.

I have been playing with chain lately (40 links per inch). It's pretty tiny stuff. For the brake cylinder and clevis, I drill a #80 hole and insert some .008" brass wire to attach the chain:




For perspective, the fingernail clipper is the one used for babies. Dads, you'll know what I mean:


Looks like this before it's painted:


For future rolling stock, I'm going to replace the plastic chain on the bell cranks:


I can drill a #80 hole in the bell crank and make a hook to secure the chain:


Even at 40 links per inch, the chain looks a bit large, but I can live with it:


Hope this is useful to anyone to who likes playing with super tiny parts.

Regards,

Jonathan

Addendum:  If one clicks on the photograph, one will be linked to the photo in photobucket. Where it is possible to expand and getter a better look at the details... Just sayin' jv

[Len]

These guys:

http://www.traincat2.com/d_detailparts.htm

Have 52LPI chain.

Len

[readingrr]

Great work Jonathan.  Thanks for sharing.

[J3a-614]

Great work Jonathan.  Thanks for sharing.

I can't add any more! 

[Len]

Jonathan said, "Since Scalecoat seems to be the only model railroad paint Company left, I have gotten used to their paint products."

Badger (Walthers Mfg# 165) and Tru-Color Paint (Walthers Mfg# 709) also have railroad colors.

A chart of the Badge colors available can be seen at: http://www.modelflexpaint.com/PDF/Railroad%20colors.pdf

A list of the Tru-Color paints, airbrush ready and brush ready, can be found at: http://trucolorpaint.com/products/

Tru-Color also has a handy list of which of their paints to use for various railroads, time periods, and car types at:
http://trucolorpaint.com/products/

I find the pigment in the Tru-Color paints is finer than Testors 'Model Master' paints, so lays "flatter" over car details and is less likely to fill them in.

Len

[jonathan]

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Yes, these are the precursors of the PS-1.  500 were initially built and sold to Pere Marquette, UP, CGW, NKP, B&LE and Wheeling and Lake Erie.  If I recall correctly, these were made and modified between 1938 and 1946. I tossed the instructions which had the history of the cars included. I will finish this series by building the CGW and PM cars. 

As far as chain goes, I can barely work with the 40-lpi.  I remember a vendor at the last train show who had some 50-lpi chain.  Perhaps I'll give it a shot. Even with huge magnifiers, it's difficult to thread wire through the chain, or drill through those tiny parts... Not getting any younger. 

I should have qualified about the paint.  I'm a rattle-can guy.  I heat up the cans and shake like crazy to get as fine a mist as possible.  So Scalecoat is about the only option left for me.  Model Master (Testors) is OK for black underframes or primer.  I will probably never get into the airbrush systems.  By the way, the Scalecoat cans have a great nozzle that puts out paint finer than any other can I have ever used. 

Wayne, you did some nice work on your car modifications... Really spruces up those RTR cars. 

There's a train show coming up this month.  I intend to look for a nice weathering powder set.  I have some 40-50 cars that need some age on them.  Been putting that project off too long.  Time to learn a new skill...

Regards,

Jonathan

[electrical whiz kid]

Jonathan;
You can get 50LPI from (I believe)Micro-Mark and "Bluejacket Models".
Hope you have good eyes, my boy.

Rich C.

[Mdaskalos]

Jonathan;
You can get 50LPI from (I believe)Micro-Mark and "Bluejacket Models".
Hope you have good eyes, my boy.

Rich C.

Would that be "Bluejacket Shipcrafters" (bluejacketinc.com) of Searsport, Maine?

[Woody Elmore]

Jon - I just love SAL box cars. Back years ago I had brass models of their round top cars. At a train show I actually found an old Athearn metal car - lots of fun to assemble.

I think you need to add a little color to your consists - why not do a CN car with the Maple Leaf heralds. When I was growing up on the west side of Manhattan I used to bike down to the big NYC yard (that no longer exists.) Often there were several CN Maple Leaf cars - some with yellow doors, others with green doors. I know that the colors meant that the cars were for special lading, like newsprint. anyway a CN car with yellow or green door sure would like nice in one of your trains. Oh, and by the way, I also liked the CP cars with the script writing and the slogan, "CP Spans the World. Oh, and I remember the debut of the jade green NYC cars with the cigar band herald. Just some suggestions - keep up the fine work.

[jonathan]

Thanks, Woody.  You are absolutely right!  Over the years, I have gathered a few pieces that didn't involve red or boxcar red, like these...



Notice the maple leaf.   These are shake-the-box, RTR, or inherited pieces.  

Yet I haven't found any resin kits that have inspired me.  I know Westerfield used to make some kits that required bright colors.  In fact, I have considered buying one of those fancy Heinz Pickle Car kits.  The decals are certainly colorful.  Pricey kits though, if you can find them.  The search for paint colors would be an adventure.

Regards,

Jonathan

Addendum: It's now dawning on me that I have become a detail junky... closely related to a rivet counter. Swore I wouldn't become one, but I'm not happy unless I can do this to a car:



God help me...

[Len]

If you get tired of red/boxcar red, but want to stay with a solid color, you could always do a string of 'REA' green boxcars and reefers.

Minor brake rigging point, in times past (maybe they still are) 1:1 scale brake rigging diagrams were done as if looking down through the deck of the car with "X-ray vision". Someone at Athearn didn't realize that, with the result that the molded on rigging of many 'Blue Box' kits is a mirror image of what it should actually be.

Len

[electrical whiz kid]

Jonathan:
With regard to that Canadian Nat'l eight-hatch reefer, try one of F&C's.  I did those maple leaf decals as three-part overlays-and yes-I was careful!  And yes, they came out good.  Lucky me.
M. Daskalos:  Yep-that is the one; right in Stockton (Searsport) Maine.  Have you ever been to that shop?  My God; what a place to see!!!  And you will never meet nicer people.  Actually, both are correct-but boy, those chains are murder without a GOOD magnifier!  A while back, I was doing several tugs, lighters, work barges, etc.; for the seaport that will (someday?)be on my layout, and decided to order some chain that had the centre crossover (split-links).  This stuff is great to look at...

Rich C. 

[electrical whiz kid]

Wayne;
Boy, you'd better believe that last comment!!!  As a natural born klutz, there are few things in life I have been that careful about-and got right.  The three-part to which I referred was (1); the maple leaf; (2); the herald script; and (3) the box.  I love the looks of that herald, and have gotten many compliments on it.  I have two more from F&C that are waiting for the CN grey.  This winter.  Yes...

Rich C.

[Woody Elmore]

There's a lot of variety for people modelling up to the early sixties.

A jade green NYC box car wouldn't fit into Jonathan's time frame.

Living in Manhattan I often saw plenty of cars from "up north." When I started in HO while in college I purchased one of those grey Athearn CN reefers - I'm sure they sold a lot of them. I know that I had several - all with the same number!

Jon - keep up the splendid work.

does anybody know of other railroads that used doors of  different color to specify what the lading would be?

Aside to Mr. Bachmann - maybe Bachmann could do a limited run of box cars from the post war era - sort of like what Lionel did with their colorful box cars that they did in the fifties. Call them a collector's run and people will snatch them up thinking that they'll be worth the price of a new car in forty years!

[Mdaskalos]

M. Daskalos:  Yep-that is the one; right in Stockton (Searsport) Maine.  Have you ever been to that shop?  My God; what a place to see!!!  And you will never meet nicer people.

Rich C. 

Haven't been. Hadn't thought about it until I revisited their website last week, saw they offered some ship modeling classes. (by skillset and disposition I'm a better ship modeler than I am a model railroader). Looked up the place on Google Earth and saw it is in a pretty nice setting. It might be worth my while sometime to go on a combined vacation/class/boondoggle.

Manuel