Best Of Scratchbuild Project - CC&F Twin Trailer Flat Car

[jsoflo]

Late to this thread, as the late great Phil Risutto would say--holy cow. That is remarkable work.
Best,
J

[jpf94]

works of art, very well done.    I really like the flatbed truck loads.

Inspiring work, thank you for sharing.

[mmagliaro]

Tim, this kind of piece-by-piece scratchbuilding is near and dear to my heart (as I suspect you know).  You did a magnificent job on these cars.  Not only precise part-making and attention to detail, but making them in "mass production" mode - working out how to make many multiples all the way along so you could make more than one car - was very well done indeed.  Congratulations.

[nkalanaga]

If there are contests held next year, these should be winners for scratchbuilt freight cars.  As well as they've been documented, there wouldn't be any doubt about the "scratchbuilt" part.

Larger scale narrow gauge can't keep claiming all the prizes!

[BCR 570]

Painting
The two trailer flatcars are now painted and gloss-coated in preparation for decals.

Topside view:




Underside view:




Close-ups of 'A' ends with aprons:






PGE 7102 was painted with Testor's Acrylic Gloss Black, and BCOL 7100 was painted with a custom mix of Vallejo paints:




Following the paint, a gloss coat was applied to the sides in preparation for the application of decals.  The paint was generally adhered well to the styrene and etched brass.  A sincere thank you to Jeff Briggs for the paint work.


Decals are next!


Tim

[cv_acr]

Hawt.

[BCR 570]

Decaling (Part 1)
The decals for these two cars arrived some time ago and with two weeks of holiday in front of me I am hoping to get the decals applied shortly.  I thought I might illustrate the process of obtaining accurate decals for the cars I am modelling.  This is an important step in creating accurate models of specific prototypes, and it is a step which often presents a challenge as the decals we need are often few and far between, and thus have to be created.

The first step in this process is prototype research.  In order to create accurate artwork we need to replicate the correct typeface and size.  In some cases the size will be known; for example most end reporting marks are 4" high, and most side reporting marks on flatcars are 7" high.  The best resources are clear, straight-on photographs of the prototype, and field measurements.  In the case of prototypes which have disappeared (such as these cars), we then have to rely on the best available photographs.  I have gained considerable experience in studying historical photographs and interpreting freight car stencilling so this is an area of strength for me.

My second step is to lay out the required stencilling on pen and paper, and make notes with respect to typeface, size, etc.  The stencilling typically comprises end reporting marks, end stencils for items such as SPRGS, STEEL WHEELS, etc., side reporting marks, dimensional data, build dates, consolidated stencils, reflectors, and more.  Most cars also carried heralds or logograms, but flatcars traditionally have the railway name spelled along the side sills in place of a logo.  Much of this stencilling is arranged and sized according to AAR specifications, so some knowledge of those is helpful.  Some knowledge of consolidated stencils is also beneficial, and information can be found online.

The third step is to prepare the artwork on computer using an illustration program such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw.  This is one skill I do not possess.  Fortunately, several fellow PGE-BCR modellers do, and have been willing to assist me in getting decals made.  My task therefore has been to provide them with as much information as possible to make their job easier.

The final step is to get the decals printed on decal paper.  There are several firms who will do this for us, and the only requirement is to ensure that the artwork has been prepared in a format they can use for printing.  My decals are printed in Manitoba by Precision Design Co. who offer excellent service.


The first of my two cars is PGE 7102, which will be completed in the original PGE black scheme:




The original artwork for decals for these cars was laid out for me by Greg Kennelly.  We were fortunate in having access to several photographs of these cars in the original scheme taken by pioneer PGE modeller William Hewlett.  This facilitated a fairly accurate and complete set of decals of the car:




Philippe Whyte then formatted the artwork for printing by Precision Design.  We also changed the car number from PGE 7105 to PGE 7102:




My second car will be completed in the British Columbia Railway light green scheme:




I laid out all of the required stencilling on pen and paper, referring to photographs of other trailer flatcars painted and stencilled in this scheme:




Philippe then created the required decals:




The artwork for both cars then went to Precision Design for printing:





I am looking forward to getting the decals on these cars this coming week.

Tim

[BCR 570]

Decaling (Part 2)
In the previous post I mentioned the value of reference photographs for getting decal requirements and artwork sorted.  Those photographs remain valuable when it comes time to place decals on the model.  I had to pay very close attention this with these cars because the car sides are not identical ie. mirrored.  The various fittings (gussets, route boards, chain holders, etc.) are located across the car from each other so the two sides appear to be reversed to one another when viewed simultaneously.  I had to pay close attention to the railway's name to ensure that I would space to fit it all in.

In addition to the various reference photographs for these cars, I was also very fortunate to have in my possession a Canadian Car & Foundry stencil diagram for these cars:




and a British Columbia Railway stencil diagram for repainted trailer flatcars:




These drawings were of great assistance in locating the various stencil blocks as accurately as possible.


Time to assemble the tools and supplies I use for decaling:  a shallow container of water for soaking, a paper towel for blotting, angle blocks to hold the cars on their sides, Xacto knife for cutting out decals, brushes for applying the solutions, a flashlight for seeing the white lettering, and the Micro Set, Micro Sol and Solvaset solutions:




These cars will not stay on their sides (as is the case with most flatcars), so I use small angle blocks to keep them positioned on their sides during decaling:




I begin by cutting out the decals with room to spare around the image.  White lettering is very difficult to see against a light blue background, so i shine a flashlight across the decal sheet which aids greatly in seeing the lettering:




After the decals have been cut out, I then trim as close as possibly to the image, holding my knife at an angle to achieve an undercut and thus a nice thin edge to the decal film:




The decals then go into the water to release the image from the carrier sheet:




The decal is then transferred to the model using tweezers, and the carrier sheet is discarded:




I use a combination of #11 blade and small artists brush to maneuver the decal into its final position.  I then apply Solvaset to lock it down:




I had a lot of trouble with the decal set for PGE 7102.  It was an older decal set (cant recall who printed it) and the decals took ages to release from the carrier sheet.  I then found that many of them broke up while getting them onto the model.  Many of the decals had to be maneuvered into their final position in two or more pieces  .

The decals for BCOL 7100 were more recently printed by Precison Design and I had no problems with them.  On both cars the decals were difficult to apply due to the narrow width of the side sill channel.  My usual technique of positioning using a brush couldn't work well due to lack of room.  As a result these are probably not my best decaling job, but they are now done and don't look too bad.


These cars have thus progressed through another step in finishing, and all that remains now is to paint and install the end air hoses (which were left off to avoid damage), apply the weathering and final seal coat, and re-install the trucks.  I am very much looking forward to having these two cars in service when operations resume, which will hopefully be sometime this summer.


Tim

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Tim, when positioning small decals, I like to use a bamboo BBQ skewer. Start by letting the pointy end soak in the cup of water you are using for decals for a few minutes before starting. The tip will be soft enough not to damage the decals, but exact enough to get them exactly where you want them to be.

[BCR 570]

Thank you - I did experiment with using one of my uncoupling skewers but didn’t try soaking it first.  Good tip!

Tim

[BCR 570]

Finished!
The two twin trailer flatcars are finished at long last.  After I applied the decals, the cars went back to Jeff Briggs for weathering and a final seal coat.  Unfortunately we were hit with some local travel restrictions and so I was only able to retrieve the cars this past weekend.

PGE 7102 is finished in the as delivered scheme with PACIFIC GREAT EASTERN stenciling.  Left side view:




BCOL 7100 is finished in the BRITISH COLUMBIA RAILWAY light green scheme.  Right side view:




PGE 7102 with two van trailers:




BCOL 7100 with two flatdeck trailers:




And an overhead view with one trailer aboard each:




And so concludes a very long but ultimately satisfying scratchbuild project.  The cars will enter revenue service this Friday as my layout returns to operations.  I will be back with a few final in service photographs to conclude this thread.

Thank you all for following along,

Tim

[Missaberoad]

Looks amazing Tim!

Very inspiring to see this project completed! Old school modeling is far from dead!

[bbussey]

Spectacular.

[BCR 570]

Thank you both!

First Revenue Run
PGE 7102 and BCOL 7100 made their first revenue run during Op Session 23 last night.  They came into Chetwynd on the Vancouver-Peace freight, right behind the locomotives:








BCOL 7100 was routed through to Fort St. John via the Septimus Turn, while PGE 7102 went east to Dawson Creek.  it is seen here arriving at the company trailer ramp:




The cars performed very well and will return south next session.

Tim

[CNscale]

Do these cars deserve a spot in the TRW banner rotation?