Nachoman's 2010 spring bash chalenge

[nachoman]

Here is the car that inspired the challenge:
   
   

This is Bachmann 3-dome tank car, made in China. I am not even sure how it got into my possession. Nevertheless, it has been in my junk box for many years and at one time I had considered liberating the tank to use as an oil storage facility. I have decided to try and make a respectable model out of it, and hopefully I can get it to resemble this image that I found online:



The Bachmann car has some major flaws. In fact, it is one of the lousiest cars I have ever seen. Problems include:
1) Flash, and lots of it. Nearly every piece has extensive flash on the mold parting line.
2) Missing trucks and couplers. That's okay, because I would have replaced them anyway.
3) Cast on grab irons.
4) A flimsy underframe that doesn't fit together correctly. The underframe is also too weak and flimsy to support couplers. The car originally had couplers attached to the trucks, and I assume Bachmann made the frame thinner at the ends to accommodate the coupler swing.

I am not even sure what prototype (if any) the Bachmann car is following or how its dimensions scale out. It does look close enough to the prototype photo I found, so I think I can create a credible model.

[TrainNut]

Cool! I love watching you guys take these cars and turn them into something respectable. I get a kick out of the "Don't Climb" sign underneath the ladder.

[Gary S]

Great choice on the project. And, it already has a decent start on the weathering!

I'm really pleased with this contest. It will be fun to see different techniques and applications, and to broaden my thinking on what can be done, and incorporate some new methods into my repertoire.

[nachoman]

step one was to take the car apart. That turned out to be less difficult than I thought. I was worried the whole thing was glued together, but as it turns out it wasn't glued very well. I also started using an x-acto blade to trim flash and grab irons off from the tank. I think I will concentrate on the tank first, then worry about the frame afterwards.

[Ralph]

Cool project Kevin. I like that Conoco car. It'll be fun to watch the transformation.
Ralph

[nachoman]

The paint on this car was especially thick, obscuring the details. I figured I would have an easier time removing unwanted details if I stripped the paint first. I put all the parts in a zipper bag with a little bit of 90% rubbing alcohol, sealed it up, and came back the next morning. The paint was all gone!
   

Did I mention there is a lot of flash on this car? I have seen better quality on dollar-store cake decorations. This is low quality, even for made in china. I have begun removing flash and crude details, and have done some filing to make the pieces fit together a little better. More pictures to come...

[Sumpter250]

"I put all the parts in a zipper bag with a little bit of 90% rubbing alcohol, sealed it up, and came back the next morning. The paint was all gone!"

I never thought of that particular method of stripping paint. I'll have to give that a try!

[nachoman]

That method of stripping paint worked really well. I only used about 1/4 cup of alcohol, and tried to get as much of the air out of the bag as possible. I then shook the bag a few times to make sure the entire car was wet, then let it be. Most of the paint dissolved, the rest washed off easily with water and an old toothbrush.

[Gary S]

Oh Kevin! You removed all the existing weathering from the first photo!

But seriously, now that you have the paint removed, it's time to make some progress! Looking forward to seeing your work.

[Ralph]

Thanks for the tip on paint removal. I never heard of that one. Looks like it works very well!

Ralph

[nachoman]

If you notice in the prototype photo above, the frame is thicker between the bolster and the end of the car. The frame also appears to have a flange on the top and bottom that protrudes slightly out from the inner "webbing". If you look at the photograph of my model frame, the frame is the same thickness towards the end. I assume the model designer kept the edges thinner to allow for the swing of the truck-mounted coupler.

   

I will need to build up the ends of the frame in order to be more prototypically accurate, and in order to have the frame thick enough to support body mounted couplers. The frame is very thin and flimsy. I actually had to glue the two pieces back together in order for it to be stiff enough to file and sand on. I will build up the ends of the frame by either laminating two pieces of styrene to represent the web and the bottom flange, or by gluing one thicker piece of styrene to the end, and filing out the center "web".

[doctorwayne]

Don't forget, Kevin, that on the prototype car, the frame between the bolsters is only the part under the centre of the tank. The "frame" along the outer edges (sitting atop the cross bearers) is actually a walkway and serves no structural purpose.
Here's a similar car that perhaps illustrates this better:


And here's one that has only the centre frame, with no stub sills, as on the car above, at the ends:


Wayne

[nachoman]

I filled in a few holes in the tank. The first were four oversize holes where the handrails went in. I found a think piece of sprue in my "bits and pieces of styrene" drawer that I could shove in the holes and glue in place. Once the glue sets, i will sand flush, spread with body filler, and sand flush again.

   

There were also two "chips" in one end of the tank. I don't know if they are actually chips or places where the casting didn't fill out all the way. I filed the areas of the chips flat so that I could glue on bits of styrene as patches. I will later carve the excess styrene and contour the patches to match the end of the tank.

   

[nachoman]

I filed and sanded my patches at the end of the tank . Now, I can't even tell what end of the tank I patched!
   

I also began building up the frame at the ends per the prototype. Here is what I came up with so far:
   
   

Next up is to finish this end of the frame, and then do the same to the other end.

[Gary S]

Well, the tank end certainly came out flawless. Good job!

And, I have always been at a loss about the best way to strengthen and add better coupler boxes to the tank car frame. I'm watching closely1