SOME FREIGHT CAR MODIFICATIONS...

[doctorwayne]

I finally got around to lettering these cars, using custom decals from Rail Graphics.  I decided to do most of the larger lettering as individual pieces, and the dimensional data at least cut into blocks of letters and numerals, so that blank decal film is kept to a minimum, as it's usually what shows on decaled rolling stock.

After painting the cars, I gave the sides and ends an application of Glosscote, and let it dry for several days.  In the meantime, I began cutting-out the lettering for all ten cars.  The blocks of needed lettering were cut from the main sheets, well away from the lettering, with a new blade in my X-Acto.   I then used a utility knife, also with a new blade, to chop-off as much blank decal film from around the printed material as possible.  The chopping action (atop a glass work surface) allows the blade to be aligned very close to the printing, and pushes down the cut edges, making them easier to settle with decal setting solution once applied.  On the other hand, slicing away the unwanted material raises the cut edges on both sides of the blade, which makes the decal more difficult to flatten out on the car.

Here's one of the least modified cars, with only the "metal" roof added and the stock cast-on grabirons replaced with wire ones...



...this one's similar, but has the second grabiron on the left end, a federally-mandated safety upgrade introduced in the '30s....



Here's one of the cars with the CRECO (Chicago Railway Equipment COmpany) doors, along with the second grabiron...



...and one of the two modelled ones with Youngstown doors...



After the decal work was done, the sides and ends got two consecutive coats of Glosscote (this helps to make the gloss of the newly-applied decals match the gloss of the surface to which they're applied - the second coat was an afterthought, as I wasn't satisfied with the first).  Immediately after that, the entire car, including the roof, was airbrushed with Dullcote. 
Because the clear finishes are thinned with lacquer thinner, each application dries quickly, so once the tenth car is finished, the first one is dry and ready for another application.  The other advantage of airbrushing is that each coat used less than 1/2 ounce of thinned clear finish (1/4oz. clear coat and 1/4oz. lacquer thinner) to do all ten cars.

All of these cars need to be weathered, as I'm modelling the late '30s, and, as you can see, the cars were built in September and October of 1912.  Weathering will happen as time allows.  Also, while I modified the decals to match the cars' length in the data near the right end, I left the decals as 50 ton cars, whereas most Dominion-Fowler cars were rated at 40 tons.  Since this road ordered their's as 50 ton capacity cars, that's what they got - my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Wayne