HO Scale - What's On Your Workbench?

RDGbuff56 Nov 17, 2009

  1. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    The only thing I dislike about Athearn truck trailers is the deployed landing gear. It makes it difficult to load the trailer on flat cars because they don’t sit all the way down on the fifth wheel.

    I just modified these 28’ wedge trailers to have a partially retracted gear by cutting off the feet, shortening the landing gear leg, and the reattaching the feet. Now they fit in this Atlas multi-purpose well car, and also back-to-back on this Athearn spine.[​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG]
     
  2. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    Here is the Lonestar Trailmobile flatbed trailer I’m working on. This is the version with ATSF decals, but the sheet also has some BN lettering too, which I didn’t realize before I bought it. My experience with Lonestar so far is that they give you lots of detail and paint options, even if the packaging doesn’t mention it.

    [​IMG]


    A few days ago, I saw this photo on the QStation website: [​IMG]
    I saw the bulkhead and thought it would be the perfect model to kitbash from the Lonestar kit. I knew my hobby shop had a few still in stock, and I had been looking for an excuse to get one.

    The trailer is pretty much built stock, but I will scratch build the wheel rack. BNSF has a few of these trailers numbered in the NONZ and BNO series, but they are all painted BNSF green. While I can’t see the lettering on this photo, I’m assuming the white trailer is SFTZ which was then repainted green in the early 2000’s.

    The wheel rack is pretty interesting, I wasn’t sure how it worked, so I had to do a bit more sleuthing. I have seen some flatbeds on the expressway with train wheelsets, but they had rails on the deck. This trailer has some kind of tray, you can see the wheels sitting in slots. I wasn’t sure how the wheels were supported though, as I figured the flanges would damage the wood deck.

    This is the only photo I could find on RRPictureArchives that shows the trailer from above:
    [​IMG]

    It looks like there are triangular angles on the inside edge of the wheel rack that support the wheel tread, so the wheels don’t actually touch the wood deck.

    With the lack of numbering on the white trailer, I may have to use some modelers license for the reporting mark and serial number, but this should add some interesting variety to an intermodal train.

    As a side note, does anybody know where to get dummy axles? I know Tichy has some for their wheel rack flatcar, but those have ribbed back wheels. Should I just use Kadee code 88 wheels? I’d like something more prototypical than old code 110 plastic wheels from the scrap parts bin.
     
  3. GP30

    GP30 TrainBoard Member

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    Finally painted and began applying decals to a 40’ boxcar I started working on 2 years ago.

    About 3 years ago, I scored a box of 33 Athearn 40’ Boxcars for a good price price. I made a list and divided the cars up by need and by modifications needed. 5 of those cars will be for dedicated paper service. The 27200-27349 series of boxcars were rebuilt in 1964 for hauling paper from the paper mill at East Liverpool, OH (off layout). The standard 6’ door was replaced with a 10’ opening for ease of loading large spools for shipping.

    27202 is the first of the 10’ rebuilds off of the workbench. It features a Superior 6 Panel door with scratch built tracks from styrene stock. I’m not thrilled with how the tracks turned out, so I’m going to find another way to do those for the other 4 cars that will have these larger doors.


    [​IMG]


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  4. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Thats some nice work there Mr.T, and Pat. Those traction motors on the BNQ trailer are prolly bad orders headed for repair.
     
  5. dti406

    dti406 TrainBoard Member

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    [​IMG]

    Underframe for another 57' Mechanical Reefer that is ready to be painted, all the underbody detail has been installed.

    Rick Jesionowski
     
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  6. RGW1

    RGW1 TrainBoard Member

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    Made up a MOW train with some detail parts I had on hand.

     
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  7. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    This will do dual-duty as a workbench and new purchases post, but I figured it was more of a project post, so it’s going here.
    image.jpg
    At the Great Midwest Train Show a few weekends ago, I got this Genesis SD75M. This is the original 1998 version, so I had to drill out the grab iron holes and install some detail parts, unlike the later runs where everything is RTR. The first run was also infamous for warped trucks (more specifically the brass bearing bar behind the side frame) that resulted in some wheels floating in midair causing derailments. Mine wasn’t too bad out of the box, but I made it worse when I took the trucks apart to assemble the detail parts and convert the pickup wire attachment from wire clips to solder. I had to do a bunch of dry-fits to fix it; taking them apart, bending the bearing strip, and reassembling until everything was level and all the wheels were on the ground. I also added brake lines, sander lines, and a cable for the speed recorder. image.jpg
    I installed LED lights using some parts from our friends at Streamlined Backshop, as well as an ESU V5 decoder. I did a good amount of detail painting, like the yellow stripes on the corner steps, as well as the dampers on the trucks. I saw some photos of locomotives with replacement dampers that were grey rather than silver, so I though that would be a cool detail to add.
    image.jpg
    I also painted the end railings yellow, as they were molded on the silver sprue. I see so many of these models on eBay with unpainted metal grab irons and the incorrect silver end railings, and these quick paint fixes make a world of difference.

    I also modified the ditch lights, as the model comes with SP style ditch lights. I cut off the weird angle bracket thing they had on the side, and filed the tops round to make them match ATSF style lights.

    The 1998 run lacks side sill detail as well as pilot detail like MU cables, which is a bit disappointing, but I was aware of that before I got this model. Phase I of this project was getting the model assembled and installing DCC. Phase II will be adding more detail parts like the Details West SD75 superdetail kit. BNSF had patched these units by 2001 and renumbered them into the four-digit 8200 class, so that’s another thing I will have to do.

    I was apprehensive about getting one of these original-run SD75’s, since everyone talks so bad about them, but it’s giving me the opportunity to add more details and better electronics compared to some newer runs from Athearn. I’m happy with the ESU decoder, and it feels good to add another locomotive to the fleet, something I haven’t done in a while now.
     
  8. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    I just started gathering info and tonight started cutting, filing and filling for my EMD GP-35M conversion. It will be another of my static HO models. I am using an old Athearn Blue Box, GP-35 un powered un decorated kit which is missing the railings, otherwise "new" sorta. I have the fan removed from the carbody roof, the turbo exhaust removed and area around it puttied, and I have the air cylinders on the frame removed. Lots of work and I have to start ordering after market parts. Here's where I am at and an image of the "real deal". -John
     

    Attached Files:

  9. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    My static collection so far. All Athearn HO Blue Box kits. -John
     

    Attached Files:

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  10. pomperaugrr

    pomperaugrr TrainBoard Member

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    I am a huge fan of the Housatonic RR and will be watching your progress on this model. I have not attempted that conversion on my N scale #3600 yet.

    Here is a rooftop shot of the #3600 (not my photo - see copyright). Hopefully it will be useful to you.

    Eric

    607d35bbef713e74dfc31e503bbbef0f.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2021
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  11. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks, I have seen that photo, it's in Lee MA. and has both HRRC GP35M units, 3600 and 3602. I saw these trains every day as they ran across the street from where I worked and down the street from where I lived. A Berkshire born and raised native here, my grandfather retired from NYCRR in the mid 1900s. -John
     
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  12. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    I trimmed the forward angular area of the dynamic brakes faring on both sides. It'll need some filing and possibly some putty. I also put the first coat of putty on the nose headlight area. -John
     

    Attached Files:

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  13. RGW

    RGW TrainBoard Member

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    Well done so far John!

    The Rainier Great Western HO Scale Railroad
     
  14. GP30

    GP30 TrainBoard Member

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    I’ve been working on this Proto 2000 kit of an AC&F Type 21 tank car in fits and spurts all week. Finally finished it up this morning.

    I planned to have this as a company service (captive) fuel tank, but I’m woefully short on tank cars for chemical service, so I swapped some waybills and went ahead and put this into service for the oil refinery for now. Eventually, it’ll still end up in company service. These cars were long out of interchange service by early 70’s.
    [​IMG]


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  15. Nick Lorusso

    Nick Lorusso TrainBoard Member

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    Working on weathering up this Atlas PS-2 2-bay in WP. I'm modeling this towards the late 70's early 80's, still need to add ACI Labels and weight restencils. WP PS2 hopper 4.jpg WP PS2 hopper 1.jpg WP PS2 hopper 2.jpg WP PS2 hopper 3.jpg
     
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  16. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    The after market parts arrived for my GP-35M conversion. I was surprised to find them to be styrene! I have started assembly and some putty applied where necessary.-John GP35M 9.jpg GP35M 10.JPG
     
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  17. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    I sanded the puttied areas and added the door to the left side below the angled filter box. -John IMG_5762 (2).JPG
     
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  18. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    I found 2 snow plows which I had for a future project , then ordered non turbo exhausts and ditch lights from E Bay. All I need is to source a set of hand rails and am also considering replacing the kits' couplers with Kadee #5s.-John
    GP35M 12.JPG EMD non turbo exhaust-short.png pilot ditch light housings.jpg
     
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  19. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    My parts arrived so I can now push forward with the build.-John GP35M 13.JPG
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2021
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  20. JonEMDfan

    JonEMDfan TrainBoard Member

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    The non turbo stacks are in place. -John GP35M 14.JPG
     
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