Thanks for that info Pat, will have to include a few when I do my next order, try them out. That Pennsy's a nice find. Ray
The PRR X31f cars were modified from a standard X31 during WWII in order to move 4 jeeps in one car. They had an Evans loader in them for that purpose. Here is a car I built from a kitbash in a box kit last year! Kit box contents! Finished car, a GATC 3500CF Dryflow Covered Hopper. Most railroads had just a few and pictures of these cars are rare. There is only one known picture of a Wabash car and it was among a bunch of cars on the car ferry going across the Detroit River. Rick J
By making very judicious cuts so as to discard the more warped pieces before gluing the new sides together. Also I used the roof and ends as a straightener when gluing the sides to the roof and ends. Rick J
Your Tank cars are second to none Bobby, some of the best modeling I have seen. I needs me one of these big tank cars, perhaps you can post a thread on how to build, weather and model a tank car. I built a unique LPG car from photos, a couple years ago just using 1 1/8" PVC pipe and some MDC bolsters but they pale in comparison to your efforts. Great Stuff for sure
I need to try a "Craftsmans Kit". It is something that I have never done. And I need to try one. The car I want to try and build is the Helium car kit, dont remember who the MFGR was but would like to get a kit and try to do it justice.
It was an Ambroid 1 in 5000 kit, Northeastern may have made some more a couple of decades after the first ones came out. http://www.trainweb.org/ambroidkits/trains/woodkits/Ambroid_5-Cars.htm Rick J
Thank you Tom. The kit was made by Amroid. You could sub styrene for the wood and make a outstanding model.Evergreen makes so many shapes that you'd be able to replace the wood with no sweat. Regards, Bobby
That is some of the best weathering of a wood deck I have seen, are they actual wood or plastic. What did you use (whichever)
Thanks tootnkumin. Those are all wood. Top decks are painted with Polly S DRG Depot Cream. Then various weathering solutions are quickly whisked over to make a muddled mess of stains. Those were some of my very first flat cars. Since then, I've sought fit to add bent spikes in the decks, gouges, missing boards, etc., but that required me to move up to Scotia Scale Models flat cars which are board on board construction. You can't do missing boards with LaBelle because of the solid underframe. Now I just scratch build them. Too easy!
We don't get to hear (or see) of these other brands of kits out here so will have to look them up. I've got Intermountain (laser cut wood deck) and MTH plastic deck 60' flats to weather before mounting loads. I guess it would be possible to "modify" the IM's 'cause the decks appear to be just stuck on with a press glue (some have lifted in places)
Here is another car, that I spent a lot of time building! A Moloco GATC RBL! Kit contents spread out on the work bench. Completed undebody with brake rods, airlines, guides, cushioning etc. Completed car after painting with Floquil Medium Blue Paint and Decaling with Mark Vaugh's Wabash Decals. Rick J
Athearn A-178. NYC Pacemaker. Have to think a minute.....no plastic anywhere on the car. Took me a while to build and find colors to be close for matching on ends and roof. Railroad-specific couplers installed, set at 11/32 height, as per the "standard". Couples nicely with a factory equipped car. Dave
Since it's been a while since anybody posted to this thread, I will show you a project that I did last year. This car started out as a Robbins Rails/A-Line/Concor 60' Greenville Auto Parts car with a 41' Wheelbase. I chopped the frame and changed to bolsters so the car had a 46' Wheelbase. Carved off the plug door hardware and added the doors and door guides from an Atlas ACF Boxcar to replicate one of the two cars owned by the Clinchfield RR. Also added Details West Cast Extended Coupler pockets to the car to replicate the End of Car Cushioning. These cars were used to service a paper plant in Kingport, TN. Car was painted with Scalecoat II Black and lettered with Mark Vaughn Decals. Rick J