Just some freight cars

[Gary S]

Just messing around with my wife's camera as i sit here watching Texas try to make a comeback in the Championship game.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

[Gary S]

Hmmm.... maybe I need to take the "three foot rule" more seriously and not take such close-up shots....

[doctorwayne]

Hmmm.... maybe I need to take the "three foot rule" more seriously and not take such close-up shots....

Yeah, right, Gary! They look just fine to me.

Wayne

[Gary S]

I appreciate that, Wayne.

But after I look at your rollingstock, and Kurt's modeling, and others on this site, I am content to make myself feel better by telling myself that I am an "operational" model railroader, not a prototypical rivet counter kind of modeler. It really does make me feel better! And I am okay with that. They'll look pretty good once they are on the layout with some background and buildings behind them, and a CF-7 is shoving them into an industrial siding somewhere.

[doctorwayne]

Gary, that was no B.S., but I'm sure that you already knew that.

We each have our own idea of what we want to accomplish: sometimes we get it right, and other times we don't. However, another person looking at the same thing could be very impressed or, just as easily, not impressed one bit. Of course, it's always nice to hear favourable comments from others, but the main person to impress is yourself.

We've all done stuff of which we're proud, but even those things, as our skills improve or tastes change, may someday seem not so impressive to us. And, of course, the same can be said for what we see from others: I dislike cars covered in graffiti, but am still impressed by a modeller who can depict it well.

I've been called a rivet-counter in some circles (I take it as a compliment, but that's mainly because of all the other things I've been called) but in truth I only try to depict a car that is at least somewhat believeable. Just because it has metal grabirons doesn't mean that the car is accurate for its roadname, or that the number is even correct. If I have the opportunity to be correct, though, I will strive for it, and, to be really honest, I have counted rivets, :geek: literally, :ugeek: when trying to match a photo - it's an aid to placing details accurately.

All of this means only that we're all, each in our own way, enjoying the hobby.

Wayne

[Ralph]

Those rolling stock photos look pretty realistic to me Gary!
Ralph

[Catt]

Tell ya what Gary,If you ain't lovin' them anymore just pack them beauty's up and send them to West Michigan where they can make my cars look really bad.

Those are some fine looking cars sir.

[Gary S]

Ralph, I definitely appreciate the nice comments.

Catt, I am happy enough with them that I plan on keeping them, at least for awhile!

DocWayne, you are absolutely correct. I like the cars and they will serve my purposes just fine, and am anxious to see them on the layout again. On the other hand, I do realize that they are not as good as some of the fine examples I have seen on this forum and elsewhere. But "good" is relative. For example, I have seen some intricately detailed boxcars, built and weathered to a prototype photo, just fabulous stuff, where you have to look twice to determine if it is a model or the real thing. But the modeler has 20 or 30 hours or more in that one project. At that rate, I would never be able to have a complete layout and a large fleet of cars to run on it. So, I just go with "good enough".

[yellowlynn]

Gary, I was absolutely fascinated by the reality of those cars. Remember the old and true adage " you are always your own worst critic.

Also if you do get disturbed by their (imperfection????), I got 2nd dibs on them.

Lynn

[nachoman]

very nice! And one seems dual purpose as a track cleaner!

[tetters]

I like the scrapes/gouges on the sides on a couple of them where the doors are. Looks like they've seen some hard miles.

[Steamtrains]

Ahaaa....I knew there was a secret involved in this.....I just gotta lolligag in front of the TV, take some pics while I'm at it, and my cars will look just like yours..!!!
Thanks for the tip...

[Gary S]

First, thank you all for the kind comments.

A couple of the cars above were roughly modeled from prototype photos.

The ATG car (Almeda Terminal and Gulf, my freelanced railroad) was modeled after this EEC car, photo credit Mitch Reed, RRPictureArchives.net:

   

   

And the GMRC car was based on this photo, credit unknown, not sure where it came from.

   

   

I guess not too bad for a first effort at matching a prototype.

[Steamtrains]

That's terrific..!! Not only "weathered', but PROTOTYPICALLY WEATHERED..!! Great job....
Guess it takes more than just lolligaging in front of the TV....

[Ralph]

Dang Gary, you nailed both of those prototypes with your models!