Start of a kit-bash project

[AF350]

I got the idea from a club member who collects airplane plans and shrinks them down to 1/72 scale and carves them out of balsa wood they look realy great. I think I will try a short section on pine 2x4 and also a chunk of balsa to see which comes out best.

[AF350]

You're making "real" box cars out of those toys..!!

Look forward to seeing how you make out with the "chunk of wood" caboose project....

A pine 2x4 turns out to be too hard to carve out a caboose maybe soft pine? will be getting a chunk of balsa or bass wood from a supplier for decoy carving(birds, fish ect.)
Also made an O gauge pattern as well. will update this idea in a seperate thread latter on.

The On30 boxcars have a little bit of progress today as I built up 3 pair of couplers that will be monted this week end I hope. I need to find a better process of assembling couplers as the center springs arew not that easy to install and sometimes need to be found as they tend to fly across room. the next step will be to decide how to letter the box cars as Hayseed and Hicksville RR.

Sorry for the long delay and lack of photos for those who are on the edge of seat of this toy to passable rollingstock endevor I am amazed at how just a shot of paint and new trucks and body mounted kadee On3 couplers makes a world of differance.

[Steamtrains]

I have no solution for little springs flying across the room...It's one of the joys of model trains...

For lettering the cars, I've used letter transfers from Woodland Scenics to letter some cars and locos. Just takes a little practice and a lot of patience...

[AF350]

A little bit of progress today mounted couplers to 2 more boxcars with one left to go will soon have them running around a loop of track.

No pics sorry.

Will get a pic of them completed and on track(temp loop of ho/on30 track)

The stock cars from the same set will get a coat of paint and new trucks as well, leaving me with just the Cabooses to work on. The locos & tendars may go in a scrap heap till I find a use for them.

Watch for the new thread coming soon about carving an S scale caboose from a chunk of balsa or bass wood which ever I can find a chunk tall and wide enough a pine 2x4 is not a good choice being to hard to carve in a timely and safe manor

[BR60103]

Are the coupler springs coils or the brass plates (Kadee #5 type)?
For coil springs, run a length of thread through it and leave it there as long as you can in the assembly process.
I've no ideas for the plate springs.

[AF350]

Are the coupler springs coils or the brass plates (Kadee #5 type)?
For coil springs, run a length of thread through it and leave it there as long as you can in the assembly process.
I've no ideas for the plate springs.

Yeah I kinda thought about trying the thread thing with the springs, will try the next time I put some couplers together.

Mini update all box cars have couplers mounted the last is waiting for the glue to dry.

Will have pics soon of the boxcars with locomotive and o gauge figure for size comparison.

[AF350]

Well here they are the box cars painted retrucked and coupled Now for lettering


   

   

[AF350]

Hi all,

Update on On30 kitbashes, box cars are done and are waiting for lettering, stock cars need retrucked and painted?(maybe just a dull coating to kill the plastic shine) Did cast some copies of the stock car roof and in tend to make a better looking stock car from balsa strips soon as I can replenish my supply. The good ole GFC castings as well as the stock cars need some On30 trucks and couplers to be complete and then ready to be lettered along with my S cars and a few test locos in HO for my BFT RR scheme, once I am comfortable repainting and lettering cheap HO locos will do up some larger scale locos like S or O.

As for the carved out caboose I will start a new thread for it once I find a block of balsa the size I need(will have to look at wood carving sources to find a block big enough)

[AF350]

Well, Kitbashing well recomence soon as well as a major clean up effort on work benches.

The Box cars will need a tiny bit of touch up on doors and the a lettering job using dry transfers. Also will start on the stock cars some as they are will get a paint job the rest will be assembled using some copy cast roofs but with scratch built bodies of a more interesting style(I hope).

[AF350]

Hi all,


Started on a stock car this after noon using balsa wood and cast resin copy of roof from the plastic stock cars from the "toy train set". Still have to letter the box cars. Pics to follow soon.

[AF350]

Well here are some pics of scratch/kitbashed stock car under construction(most people build their cars from the floor/frame up I did the roof working down )

The green car has had trucks replaced with On30 trucks and also provided the master for the roof of car being built.

   

   

   

   

[AF350]

Well today I have pics of stock car progress with that poupular O scale train man for size refference

   

   

   

[AF350]

Here is an update on the on30 project(s) a pic of onside almost complete


   

[Tyson Rayles]

The cars are looking really good. As far as the couplers go I model in N scale and if you are having trouble with O scale coupler assembly you don't even want to think about the N scale suckers. Of course you could just buy them already assembled which is what I do for my N and On30 stuff. BTW the last time I ordered couplers HAS been a long time ago but at that time I was N only and the assembeled ones were cheaper than the kits? Walthers couldn't explain that one.

[Sumpter250]

The H&B will be replaced with an H&H for the Hayseed and Hicksville,

I saw the name Hicksville, and immediately thought of Hicksville, L.I. N.Y., which was 9 miles from where I grew up, in Copiague. There was 7.5 miles between Hicksville, and Farmingdale ( Republic Aviation ), and 2.5 miles from Hicksville to Bethpage ( Grumman aviation ). Good memories from those days.