Weekend Update 3/27/16

[skytop35]

First casting and model of a Union Pacific "Ocean" series Pullman Standard Sleeper. These cars were used on the "City of Los Angeles" but were not included in the Kato set. They will be available from Skytop Models once I get my website updated this week sometime.



Check out the rivet detail on the roof. I used Archer rivet decals on the master model and I think they reproduced very nicely on the casting.

[hegstad1]

"For some reason I decided I needed a CB&Q waycar...or three.  Anyway, this is a Micro-Trains kit-bash.  My question to you Q guys out there is;  Do you know of any 28' wood waycars painted red with the full color logo?  If so, what road number did it have?  Thanks!"

Andrew-
I have a pretty extensive collection of known CB&Q Waycar photos mostly from Joe Douda whose collection was a large part of The Burlington Waycars book.

Going through them and the book I cannot find any standard 28’ waycars with the full color (Red Black & White) herald.

Most of the Chinese Red painted 28’ with Burlington Gothic lettering waycars had the plain white herald with no background:
  14118
  14584
  14096
Others had the same with a black background which made a black edge outside of the herald:
  14248 with white stripe under number to indicate local service
A few had the white herald with the white herald border broken by stencil ties:
  14602
Others had the same with a black background which made a black edge outside of the herald:
  14591
  14148 with white stripe under number to indicate local service
  14248 with white stripe under number to indicate local service
 
There were three window cars that had the full color herald but they were stretched to 30’ when they had the steel underframes applied….the extra length added on the long end before the windows  (14240, 14160 with white stripe under number to indicate local service), on the short end before the cupola, or sometimes in between the center or either end window!

If you did not shorten the Microtrains body to 28’ then you can use:
14539 ....but, as luck would have it, the window is offset on the other end of the car from the wide space you have between the front and center window.

Nice job on the overall look, especially the cupola!!  The Bachmann old-timer trucks are decent stand-ins but Eric Cox has the correct CB&Q #7 trucks available on Shapeways and they are excellent....he also has the longer similar #2 passenger car truck.

Best regards,
Charlie Vlk

I knew I could count on you Charlie!  Thanks!

I did start with a Micro Trains car and removed the last window to shorten it to 28'.  The cupola was removed from an Atlas model and then overlaid with styrene to get it close.  The windows were cut up from Grant Line pieces.  I found by altering the under frame so the steps were outside the body improved the wheel spacing.  It won't stand up to the rivet counters but its better than anything available ready to run.

[mu26aeh]

I decided to work on some weathering once again, while I muster up the whatever it is to hardwire a couple of LifeLike SW8/9/1200's after last weeks debacle.

Here are 3 Southdown cement hoppers, using Weathering Solutions decals and a couple layers of wash.

20160326_184104 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

20160326_172015 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

And here is a Cargill grain hopper.  Graffiti and seams are hand done with pens, finished with a wash also.

20160326_171751 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

It's a little off from prototype picture I found, but I say good enough from 3'.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2391546

[Cajonpassfan]

First casting and model of a Union Pacific "Ocean" series Pullman Standard Sleeper. These cars were used on the "City of Los Angeles" but were not included in the Kato set. They will be available from Skytop Models once I get my website updated this week sometime.



Check out the rivet detail on the roof. I used Archer rivet decals on the master model and I think they reproduced very nicely on the casting.

Bill, beautiful work, as always. UP had five of these cars, blt. '53 and '55; some of the most modern sleepers on the road. Nice detail work,
Otto K.

[eja]

So I visited my old friend Google in search of "Making plastic look like wood" and stumbled across an article where a guy used cheap acrylic paint and a wash to turn plastic molded decks into realistic looking wood decks.

Got a link you are willing to share ?

[skytop35]

Bill, beautiful work, as always. UP had five of these cars, blt. '53 and '55; some of the most modern sleepers on the road. Nice detail work,
Otto K.

Thanks Otto. Three cars were built by PS and two by AC&F. The AC&F cars were nearly identical.

[jmlaboda]

Another great car Bill... thanks so much for all you do!!!  Now to go digging for shots of both builders to see how close the details really are...

[Tom Todd]

Bill's new car has forced (??) me to buy a CoLA set.  Then I will need two E units. Your new car is really going to cost me.

[Iain]

No modeling from me this week, but, I can say I was rather distracted:

[Bendtracker1]

Got a link you are willing to share ?

Yes, sorry.

The author used "Dye-na-flo" for the gray, I just used a brown and black acrylic paint and thinned it so I got a little more brown.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/decks/

[nkalanaga]

"I believe there's mirror material available that doesn't look thick like a bathroom mirror."

That's a "First Surface" or "Front Surface" mirror, usually used in optical systems where one can't have "ghost" reflections from the front of the glass interfering with the main reflection.  They tend to be fragile, because there's nothing to protect the reflective surface, but inside a model building they shouldn't get scratched.  Any good mirror shop should be able to get one, and they may have a small piece left from trimming a larger mirror.

[robert3985]

First casting and model of a Union Pacific "Ocean" series Pullman Standard Sleeper. These cars were used on the "City of Los Angeles" but were not included in the Kato set. They will be available from Skytop Models once I get my website updated this week sometime.



Check out the rivet detail on the roof. I used Archer rivet decals on the master model and I think they reproduced very nicely on the casting.

Just what I've been waiting for!  I'll be getting a couple of these from you when they're available for sure!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[robert3985]

I knew I could count on you Charlie!  Thanks!

I did start with a Micro Trains car and removed the last window to shorten it to 28'.  The cupola was removed from an Atlas model and then overlaid with styrene to get it close.  The windows were cut up from Grant Line pieces.  I found by altering the under frame so the steps were outside the body improved the wheel spacing.  It won't stand up to the rivet counters but its better than anything available ready to run.

Here are some photos of the CB&Q 5' wood beam trucks Charlie is referring to from Eric Cox (Panamint) at Shapeways.  I've used them on all my UP CA's and CA-1 kitbashes, along with several CA-3 and CA-4 superdetailing projects, and they are EXCELLENT!  UP called them "Q" trucks and used them on all of their mainline cabooses until the outside swing-hangar truck was introduced on the CA-5 in 1953.  Some of these wooden beam trucks persisted until the 80's and were well-known for their superior ride quality.

I used Bachmann Old-Timer trucks for years, but I was never happy with their lack of brake shoes & hangars and their "tippy-toe" look.  The Eric Cox trucks have all the details and are exactly what I hoped for for many years...

Photo (1) Panamint 5' CB&Q trucks on my latest unfinished kitbashed UP CA-1 (Notice the brake hangar detailing):


Photo (2) Unpainted FUD Panament 5' CB&Q trucks on my superdetailed, unfinished Goldenwest Models CA-3/4:


Photo (3) Panamint 5' CB&Q trucks on finished kitbashed & superdetailed UP CA-1:


These trucks have relegated my modified (with brake hangars) Bachmann Old-Timer trucks to the circular file and are available with MT Pin mounting holes, screw holes and offset holes for mounting on IMR CA-3/4 cabooses.  The detailing is incredible, but be careful when you get these as some details are so small and fragile, it's easy to break it off.  After they're painted, the detailing becomes much stronger.

I'm using narrow FVM Lo-Pro metal wheelsets, and they roll very freely with these truck models, which are vastly superior to ANY truck model I've seen in either brass or injection molded plastic.

I think replacing the Old-Timer trucks with the Panamint trucks would noticeably improve Andrew's nice CB&Q caboose and additionally be easy to do. 

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Puddington]

Dang Mr. Denton; that's a wonderful piece of work and one beautiful rail car. Between this and the single window coach its been a good week for N scale passenger car development!

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Here are some photos of the CB&Q 5' wood beam trucks Charlie is referring to from Eric Cox (Panamint) at Shapeways.  I've used them on all my UP CA's and CA-1 kitbashes, along with several CA-3 and CA-4 superdetailing projects, and they are EXCELLENT!  UP called them "Q" trucks and used them on all of their mainline cabooses until the outside swing-hangar truck was introduced on the CA-5 in 1953.  Some of these wooden beam trucks persisted until the 80's and were well-known for their superior ride quality.

I used Bachmann Old-Timer trucks for years, but I was never happy with their lack of brake shoes & hangars and their "tippy-toe" look.  The Eric Cox trucks have all the details and are exactly what I hoped for for many years...

Photo (1) Panamint 5' CB&Q trucks on my latest unfinished kitbashed UP CA-1 (Notice the brake hangar detailing):


Photo (2) Unpainted FUD Panament 5' CB&Q trucks on my superdetailed, unfinished Goldenwest Models CA-3/4:


Photo (3) Panamint 5' CB&Q trucks on finished kitbashed & superdetailed UP CA-1:


These trucks have relegated my modified (with brake hangars) Bachmann Old-Timer trucks to the circular file and are available with MT Pin mounting holes, screw holes and offset holes for mounting on IMR CA-3/4 cabooses.  The detailing is incredible, but be careful when you get these as some details are so small and fragile, it's easy to break it off.  After they're painted, the detailing becomes much stronger.

I'm using narrow Feather River Lo-Pro metal wheelsets, and they roll very freely with these truck models, which are vastly superior to ANY truck model I've seen in either brass or injection molded plastic.

I think replacing the Old-Timer trucks with the Panamint trucks would noticeably improve Andrew's nice CB&Q caboose and additionally be easy to do. 

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

Bob, how sturdy are those FUD trucks? I have had some real issues with vehicles and other parts being very brittle. I imagine these caboose trucks need kid gloves.