I'm looking to put some "real" wood decks on some Atlas flats. Anybody done this here? Need help in seeing about a kit, or suggestions of who to get from...etc. Please!
Assuming you are going to weather the newly added wood surface, why bother adding it at all? Just add a bit of chalk. This was my first attempt. My second (and better) is currently getting a load tied down on it and is not yet suitable for framing. Chalk is a lot cheaper than pre-made wood deking and may be used for a lot more than flat cars.
I have used peel and stick laser etched replacement decks on some Atlas 50' flats, think they were an American Model Builders product.
It's easy to weather the original decks of Atlas or MT 50' flatcars. Washes and weathering chalks work very nicely. Stay cool and run steam.....
While I agree you can weather the existing deck with good results, I think the AMB decks, or individual boards, look better...nothing looks more like weathered wood than, well, weathered wood! Another advantage using wood...you can cut out some of the decking planks to simulate a car in disrepair, which was a pretty common condition for these cars. Have fun!
If you can't find the ready made decking mentioned above you could buy some strip wood and glue it on yourself. You pre-stain the strip wood a few diffferent shades of brown then mix them up when placing on the car.
Thanks All!! Actually the plank "crunching" that Warbonnet Fan mentions is why, plus they will be in close view, so the want to get real wood. I may do it myself as J Widmar suggests; picked up sone HO 2x6 for the supports and wheel blocks. Well see... So American Model Builders? I check.
I would like to extend the question to the Walthers GSC flat cars. Did they also have wood decks?? If yes, I might paint them with flat Humbrol colors. They can also afford some weathering. Have a nice weekend, Christoph
By the way the load is going to be a part of a 2 car load; a combine & 20ft container of parts, with the thrasher attachment and a model 50 JD tractor on the other. Warbonnet- How'd you weather yours? Hmmm... This is turning into a sneaking way of getting great flat car shots and ideas. [ April 08, 2005, 11:35 PM: Message edited by: Sir_Prize ]
I stained mine a bit with thinned Floquil roof brown, very thin wash, and a bit of chalk after it dried. I want to do the individual board thing that John mentioned on some of my Atlas cars as well, that's the best possible way to simulate the different tint of separate boards. Takes time, but if you are looking to make a showpiece, well worth it! GSC flats have wood decks as well, I tint the boards different colors with acrulic washes and a fine brush. Here's a GHQ flat done with the same technique: Ken, keep a watch for the next NSR, they will be running an article on modeling flatcars and loads...
Just got a couple of more ideas from this forum and some enthusiasm too. Time to grab a couple of flat cars and the weathering kit and see what happens. Thanks for the posts and photos guys.
This thread has almost all the information I am looking for Sometime I bought a Con-Cor 60' TT flat car, in bright yellow, also the deck. I assume this should be wood as well, or not? It would probably look better if some parts of the car were not yellow.
Warbonnet- Thanks for the heads up on NSR. ...and another sweet pic & the "How I did it." Big Snooze & Christoph-See... ask an ye shall receive. Perhaps the next tips I see will be from a question ya'll posted.
