My plastic freight car challenge

[doctorwayne]

You're absolutely right about wanting to make your detailed cars robust enough to be handled (although not mishandled). That's one reason why I generally try to make the inside of the car accessible, even when building resin kits. The instructions often tell you to "cement the floor in place", with no consideration that access may be needed to effect repairs at some future date. One of my favourite kits is the X-29 boxcar from Red Caboose, but, unfortunately, it's one for which the floor, sides, and ends are cast as a single piece. The separate roof is to be cemented in place, effectively sealing the car. While it's possible to affix the roof securely and yet still leave it removeable, I found it not worth the trouble. My main concern was with the weights at some time becoming loose, so I made sure to affix them securely. If the solvent-cement bond joining those styrene strips to the car's interior ever fails, so will the ones holding the car together, affording total unrestricted access.



Bernhard, if you want a single sheathed boxcar to which you can apply either grab irons or scratchbuilt ladders, the Tichy kit for the USRA single sheathed boxcar is a good choice and one which can be built with its floor removeable. If you check the link, you'll see that there are several versions of this car.



It's very similar to the Accurail car (which is based on a CNR prototype), but has a straight centre sill and a built-up underframe.



I've found that the main damage which occurs to most of my re-detailed cars is paint chipping off the grab irons, and that's something which is easily touched-up. You don't need to worry too much about matching the paint, either, as grab irons and steps were safety appliances and were to be repaired as soon as was practical. This often occurred on roads other than the one owning the car, and their shops would use whatever colour was their particular "standard". A bill for the material used, plus a flat rate for the work performed, would be sent to the railroad owning the car, too.

Wayne

[modelsof1900]

Doc, thanks for your posting and for sharing your opinions with us.

I'm not sure what I will build all in 1930+ era in future. Ok, I ordered three or four more cars (also from Ted Culotta) and I would like to give my train a small variety in boxcars - however I love the 1900 era models many more with a near 100 percent scratchbuilding and so more "modern" boxcar projects will be limited, I think (until next attack for plastic or resin cars).
However you are right, all my cars are absolutely closed boxes and I can't open them in need of a repair. I should think about this!
But I think that I have a good idea for colouring also. Because grab irons or foot steps are most outside of the reguler profile of cars I will blacken all metal parts before colouring by a chemical blackener. This black layer is more resistent against abrasion and second the colour will adhere better on this ground as a paint alone. (In most cases I do not give such single parts a basic colouring befor painting.) I each case you can avoid that the metal parts wil get a blank and bright surface in short time of use. My small intention.

PS. One of models is opened again and first plastic grab irons are replaced by wire.

[doctorwayne]

The chemical blackener does improve the paint adhesion and is more resistant to being scuffed off the metal parts, too. I've used it on a few cars, but usually don't think of it until the car is already painted. It also doesn't work on stainless steel wire.

Wayne

[modelsof1900]

This is right, Wayne, because stainless steel has been developed for a wide chemical resistance.
However I do not use stainless steel wire for modelling jobs, my prefered material is nickel silver and phosphor-bronce wire. Both have a good strength and if I should use stainless steel wire so I could not bend my everytimes needed shakles for connecting chains to levers or rods. Also bending eyes to rod ends would be many more difficult. Stainless steel is too stiff for many of my work - and I did not find a supplier for this here in Germany.
Wayne, thanks for your friendly annotation.

[modelsof1900]

At last my both boxcars are ready! (Unfortunately, I was for one week in a clinic, so that my whole work had to be stopped.)



Can you recognize differences by leaders and iron on the first sight? - Click on picture for a bigger view.



I removed all ladder steps at the darker T&NO boxcar in background and I replaced them by new steps made from wire - model was pictured before I have given it a color correction. I think that I have had a good quantity to do without an extremy great satisfaction. Or how do you see the result?
Because I did it not for placing this model in a showcase it was too many work and if these both cars will run in a train - I'm not sure if everyone will the differences. And so I will not rebuild the M&KT car also, I think.

I'm very interested very much in your opinion.

[faraway]

Bernd, the difference is very well visible on the photo (I would need a magnifier glass with bare eyes but that is my eye problem and not yours)
I know from your previous models how very much you like to spend hours, days and weeks to do the most difficult details totally hidden under the car body (brakes etc.). Just go ahead and do more great details work for yourself. We will enjoy it anyhow if we know you have a great time with the third car

ps. I hope your health is fully restored again!

[jwb]

I've read the opinion that for many models and modelers, it's sufficient to make some easily recognized changes, like installing metal grab irons on the corner roof walks. This will "spoof" viewers into assuming other changes have been made, and on a layout under ordinary conditions, this is plenty. I think it's important to maintain an overall balance in what work goes where -- on a layout, you have track, wiring, decoders if you're on DCC, signals, structures, operation, scenery, etc etc etc. Some guys go the whole nine yards on freight car details, but this raises several questions. One is that some details, like coupler lift levers, will catch on sleeves during normal operation. Another is that many details are delicate and are easily damaged in normal operation. Another is just that there's a lot of work involved in adding each additional detail, but you have the economic principle of diminishing returns.

As far as I can tell, at least in my part of the US, "prototype modeler" meets, where guys bring ultra-detailed freight cars to show, are less and less popular. Urethane manufacturers, like Westerfield and Rail Yard Models, are gradually leaving the business. My own view is that where my interests are concerned, trying to maintain an overall balance among all the facets of the hobby, Accurail cars with fairly minimal added detail, paint improvements, and weathering, suit my pocketbook and my preference for effort vs effect. But this is something individuals have to work out for themselves.

[doctorwayne]

You're right, Bernhard, there's not a great deal of benefit, in most cases, to replacing the rungs of cast-on ladders with wire. I was going to do so for the eight boxcars on which I'm still working for my Challenge project, but opted instead to remove the cast-on ladders completely, replacing them with plastic parts. (The original ladders, on Athearn cars, were otherwise acceptable to me, but because I've lowered the cars' roofs, the spacing of the rungs is incorrect.)
Here's the only ladder-equipped car on which I have replaced the rungs, another Athearn car with a lowered roof:




This car, one of three, is a much-modified Train Miniature car, and originally had cast-on grabirons in place of ladders. Because I increased the cars' height and because the prototype cars used ladders, I made the ladder stiles from strip styrene, then added wire grab irons:





Several years later, when Accurail released their very nicely-done version of the same USRA double sheathed boxcar, I unwisely chose to shave off the grab iron-style ladders and replace them with metal parts.



....and have subsequently done several more :



You'll notice, though, that the ones on the car's ends are still the cast-on ones. (Too soon I get old, and too late I get smart.)


Wayne

[modelsof1900]

Reinhard,
yes, it goes for me quite well again, unfortunately, I must go next week once again in the hospital for one or two days, but it could also last a little longer. And till then only some works to stop-gap, for example, a decal sheet a little further sign and writing of a mistake documentation for my website-supplier about a mistake while editing of texts.

JBW,
it is right that everybody must find his own way what he wants to do and how far he wants to speed up his work. But here I wanted to know whether also unskilled model railroader the differences can recognize which were built with a lot of work or whether one can also neglect such superdetailing. In this case it should just become no model for the glass cabinet separate just only for the store box with one or two appearances in the general public. But show the opinion of Reinhard and Doc Wayne that can release every additional detail also new joy and, hence, the next models will be 'superdetailed' also again.

Doc,
thanks warmly for the wonderful pictures of your car collection, extremly well detailed and tremendously many-sided.
These pictures give over and over again suggestions and ideas for own work and I am happy to read here about all your many-sided experiences in the forum and to be able to share with us all. Your step-by-step instructions are the best what I and we all can find out for our own modelling jobs.

[modelsof1900]

It's time for continue my three pickle cars. Each week I built and built however I did not find an end with these models.
Here next pictures.

Did I show you how I prepared these Westerfield resin models to aged and sagged models? Here a few older pictures.

Dividing the side walls ...



... grinding the inner edges of center piece and glueing all parts together again.



Above and sagged wall, below an original wall.





And the models after adding the truss rods, couplers and first grab irons - standing on their trucks. (Picture was showed already in opening post.)

And last for completing the bodies - models have got their covers and roofwalks.



And now - detailing: home-made K-brake gears were built ...







... and mounted to models.
Last what I must do are adding stirrups, hand brakes, NBWs for truss rods, high handrails over roofwalks for fixing the letter boards on top of cars and last air hoses. Coloring - a friend will do it. All!
I think that you know the Heinz pickle cars with these eye-catching letter boards on their old pickle cars - and this was the reason to me to own such extraordinary cars. I think a wonderful addition to a 1900+ train. Here is a nice feature over the American pickle car industry in Dec. 2011 issue of MRC - goto pages 82-89. (Best way - open 'contents' in menu bar and choice page 82.) In center of page 89 you can find a picture with two originals of these Westerfield pickle car models and on page 87 is pictured a more modern 40' car of Heinz Co.
It was of highest interest to me reading of pickle industry in connection with railroads.

[doctorwayne]

Beautiful work on those underbodies, Bernhard. It wouldn't surprise me if tightening those turnbuckles took the sag right out of those car bodies.

Wayne

[modelsof1900]

Wayne, thanks.
Unfortunately I can't make you this enjoy; my turnbuckles will be dummies, also in future.
However what I did with my 66' gondolas were to give them trussrods with really working nuts and wahshers in order to give the cars tight rods - 12 pieces below of frame and four over the sidewalls. To remember click this thread -
http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=15#p78284

[cnw1961]

Bernhard, no matter if you are working with plastic or wood, the results are equally outstanding .

[Sumpter250]

This is right, Wayne, because stainless steel has been developed for a wide chemical resistance.
However I do not use stainless steel wire for modelling jobs, my prefered material is nickel silver and phosphor-bronce wire. Both have a good strength and if I should use stainless steel wire I could not bend my everytimes needed shakles for connecting chains to levers or rods. Also bending eyes to rod ends would be many more difficult. Stainless steel is too stiff for many of my work -

Having bent a lot of shackles for model ships, I am still impressed by the perfection of the ones you build!
Stainless steel has its place, and bending miniature shackles isn't one of them! :o

[Steamtrains]

Bernhard, no matter if you are working with plastic or wood, the results are equally outstanding .

I second that...!! Magnificent work...