G&D Ore Car #90

[ocalicreek]

Here's a little thread showing a few things I did to enhance this neat little car.

[albumimg]701[/albumimg]

The above image shows a few of the upgrades. I'm not all that happy with the color match, so I'll be applying either a wash of a different color to add more magenta to the brown on the underframe and truck sideframes, or mixing up a new color and painting over what's there. The color is straight 'Brown Iron Oxide' from Delta.

Look closely at the center of the underframe and you'll see a small screw. MDC conveniently provides a starting dimple in the plastic body for drilling a hole through the car 'floor' into the underframe. Okay, actually it's just a dimple left over from the casting process, but hey, it sure is handy. I drilled and tapped the underframe for a 2-56 screw. This is to make a better connection between the body and frame and it allows me to file off the little mounting nubs on the underframe and fill the gaping holes on the lower side sills of the body.

Ahead will be adding new wire stirrup steps and hopefully a coupler lift bar on each end. I'll also be painting the wheel faces and weathering the trucks and lower body. Not sure how far I want to go in ding-ing up the rails and interior. Here's a tip for making upgrades to any piece of rolling stock.

[albumimg]702[/albumimg]

I do this to keep track of all the ideas I might have. I may not use all of them (like I probably won't add any more brake rigging/detail as I can't find any good prototype pics showing such detail and the car won't suffer without it) but it's easy to find them on the inside of the box lid. Not shown is also a blotch of paint with 'Delta Brown Iron Oxide' written next to it as a reference. I wasn't ready to work on the car at that time, but I did play around with matching the paint color.

I'll work on it again later this week, perhaps. Either that or the grade crossing tower scratchbuild.

Here's the url as I can't seem to figure out how to make the words above into a link:

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Galen

[tomustang]

Did you try Oxide Red?

[Sumpter250]

Wheel faces:
Think about the following, when choosing color/weathering:

1. The type of ore typically carried. Dust of it will adhere to the........(see #2)
2. The axle "bearings" are friction bearings, and the journal boxes would be regularly filled with lube oil, and there isn't a really great seal between the axle, and the journal box, so lube oil will coat the face of the wheel (being "spun" out from the center as the wheel rotates). Everything will mix in with it!
3. Only the tire treads, and flanges will be shiny.
4. the backs of the wheels normally won't get any lube oil on them...just "old rust", ore dust, and general dirt.
5. "old rust" is darker than fresh rust. Use the brighter "rust" color sparingly. I usually drybrush fresh rust, so it appears on raised (and vunerable to rubbing and scraping) surfaces.

In the end, you will do what you choose. Just give it a thought before you start.

[ocalicreek]

huh...I was sure I had made a reply to this thread after sumpter's post, but I guess not. Oh well. If it was late at night (and probably was) then I may have forgotten to hit send.

I've got 'er 90% complete as of today. Pictures are still in the camera and will be until late tonight or tomorrow when I get home.

Thanks, Sumpter, for the good weathering tips. I'm always glad to hear and sometimes even use advice from folks on this forum. So far I've only given it a cursory weathering, nothing drastic. The wheel surfaces I decided to shine with a soft emery 'board' (foam lined) and they look okay, IMO. Could be a little more polished & shiny. The rust on the faces looks more like 'newer' wheels that have been recently changed out. I will darken them a bit more.

The interior has no weathering yet, as I have not yet decided what type of ore this car will carry. I may have a surprise in the works, there.

Tom - I tried Oxide Red but found it too red. I went back to JoAnn's and found an Antique Maroon that seems to be a VERY close match, close enough, especially when weathered. I can't recall off hand what brand, but it wasn't Delta. $1.19 vs. $.99. Worth the extra 20 cents, I'd say.

Pictures soon! Thanks for following along!

Galen

[MasonJar]

The interior has no weathering yet, as I have not yet decided what type of ore this car will carry. I may have a surprise in the works, there.

Since it's the G&D, maybe this hopper is full of dino-kibble?

Andrew

[Russ Bellinis]

The interior has no weathering yet, as I have not yet decided what type of ore this car will carry. I may have a surprise in the works, there.
Galen

Galen, I think the only time a hopper would have any paint on the inside would be when brand new before it hauls it's first load. As soon as any sort of bulk commodity was loaded into a hopper or ore car, any paint would be knocked off. Certainly by the second or third load, the paint would be removed. If the car is in regular service, the inside would stay shiny bare steel because any surface rust would be polished off by the next loading. The only way the inside would rust is if the car sat still in an unloaded condition for a period of time. Just some random thoughts to consider as you think of how to weather the car. One thing I intend to do when the house remodel is done (almost finished!!!) is to try some of the bright metal foils that the car modelers use to simulate chrome on the inside of a gravel hopper to simulate the inside being freshly scrubbed off by all of gravel dumped into and emptied out of the cars over the years.

[TrainNut]

I've got a whole bunch of these, 'cept in N scale. I've been threatening for a long time to repaint them and give them a unique mine name. Watching!

[Sumpter250]

One thing I intend to do when the house remodel is done (almost finished!!!) is to try some of the bright metal foils that the car modelers use to simulate chrome on the inside of a gravel hopper to simulate the inside being freshly scrubbed off by all of gravel dumped into and emptied out of the cars over the years.

I would highly recommend looking around and finding steel in a similar condition (if not a hopper interior) before going with bright metal foils. Steel, polished, isn't as bright as chrome, and considering "scale" would be better modeled with slightly less shine. We're talking steel that has been scraped clean of paint, and rust, not "polished" to a smooth bright finish. Also consider, as the load flows in, and out of the hopper, it will be the surfaces that bear the weight, and against which the load moves, that will be bare. the rest will be some paint, and mostly rust.

[Bigsteel]

heres a good pic of a DM&IR ore car,it's a very nice shot on the backside of the wheels.showing where rust accumulates,and where lube oil gathers on the trucks.
http://www.zuula.com/img_srch/img_frame....Bcar&lna=0
and if there ever was a shiny ore car interior,it would likey be rather dull like its been sandblasted.since steel isnt normally shiny.but even then i would expect it to have atleast ore dust on it at all times.--josh

[ocalicreek]

Neat pic, Josh! Thanks for the link.

I'll be working on getting the pictures uploaded this afternoon.

A good trick I've used to show exposed steel scrapes is to dry brush silver or steely metallic paint on the painted surface. Rust optional. We'll see what I decide to do with this one. Nice discussion of hopper interiors, btw everybody . Thanks for the input and ideas!

Galen

[ocalicreek]

[albumimg]831[/albumimg]

Here it is completely assembled, but PRE any weathering. Well, unless you count the wheels.

Only major modifications were removing the cast-on pins on the metal underframe and filling the holes where they would have been. I actually used the old 'stretch the sprue over the candle flame' technique to make the plugs. I'd always read about that, but never tried it myself until now.

Also I replaced the drop steps with metal ones from A-line, and used a tiny bit of wire to aid in securing the brake wheel. Just drilled out the mounting on the car, and likewise on the wheel shaft, then CA'd it in place.

I think I hear the kiddo waking up...have to post some weathered shots later today.

Galen

[nomad]

That is great Galen. It amazes me the amount of work you can put into a little car like that. Lots more patience then I have

Loren

[ocalicreek]

Thanks, Loren. One by one I hope to bring my existing rolling stock up to this standard, having mininal weathering, kadee couplers (yes, there are still several with the old horn hooks), metal wheels, and maybe a few additional details. This also means building the unbuilt kits to this standard right away, like this case. I know some folks who add coupler cut bars to every car...not sure I'm ready for that, but maybe someday.

Here's a shot with some thinned white applied to simulate fading and streaking paint from the lettering.

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Galen

[Jesso]

That looks great! Good job!

[Trucklover]

Dang Galen, that looks GREAT!! I love the weathering, and the wheels look great!! Nicely done