AC&Y - Ohio's Road of Service

[SAH]

I bought the KnK Orbit Zing (or Zing Orbit, I forget which order it goes) 15".  A little pricey but I had some Ebay sales $$ floating around and I liked what I read in the reviews.  It seems to be a powerful machine and built to last.  We will see.  To start I have some caboose projects in mind.  Then factory walls, AC&Y depots, . . . . . .

I think you are correct about the AHM model being a Big John wanna be.  That's the image I came up with during my interweb searches and the resemblance is there.  The roof of the prototype does not overhang the sides the way the model does though.  The AHM is more like an early PS-2 covered hopper in that respect.  The early PS-2s fit my modeled timeframe so I'll stretch reality in two ways.  Akron's industrial history starts with clay pipe, then to rubber and now polymers.  There is a polymer producer along the current WLE right of way in Copley.  I'll skew the timeline to make it a pioneer polymer producer and back date the AHM car to serve it.  I worked at a polymer production facility years back and in fact interviewed at the one served by the WLE.  A bit of a stretch but it works for me. 

And, as Aaron knows, I'm a sucker for covered hopper upgrades.   

[chessie system fan]

Excellent.  If you're like me you'll never do freehand knife work again.  I've got a Silhouette machine and use is for everything, including some B&O caboose projects.

[SAH]

You wouldn't be planning to do anything from the I-5 class would you?  On my list.

[chessie system fan]

The parts are already cut.    Some pieces are already assembled too.  I just need to stop juggling too many projects and finish it.  Since I need a bunch of these the plan is to build a master and then cast it.  And probably etch the end railings and grabs.

I can send you the DFX file if you want to cut your own.

[SAH]

That would be cool.  I'll send a PM.  I'm certain having an existing dxf to cut would jump start my learning path.

[SAH]

I'm almost finished assembling the covered hopper.  I need grabs on the running boards at the top of the ladders.  I'll fab them from wire.  Then to the paint shop.  It's hard to say when that will happen though.


Here's a 3/4 view of the B end and a close up of same.




And a view of the roof.  I've learned quite a bit about the process.  Not only creating the artwork but how the finished parts mate to a donor shell base.  There were a few plastic add-ons that I should have included with the brass etch.  I know how to do it now that I'm more confident about how the artwork translate into the brass etch.

[SAH]

The AC&Y purchased some second hand L&N hoppers in the late 50's for stone service.  They slapped AC&Y reporting marks on them but left the L&N's Old Reliable logo in place.  I came into some MT USRA twins decorated for the L&N with the same scheme.  The decals were printed by the AC&Y Historical Society many years ago.  Kind of a fun project.  I have six of them now.

The hopper in the middle is also a MT USRA twin decorated with the AC&YHS decal set, done well before Bluford offered their USRA twin in the same scheme.


It wouldn't take much research to learn the Lake Terminal gondola should be a straight side model.  Too bad I didn't do that before I painted and lettered the one I did.  I like it anyway.  Jerry Glow decals, available from Tichy maybe? 
The B&LE is probably another foob but they had a lot of gons and one may have crossed the AC&Y at one point or another.  For those of you have been in N scale long enough, yep, Northeast Decals.  Had a devil of a time keeping them together but hey, they're only 30 years old.   


I find tank cars tough to weather.  It has been many years since the N Scale mag articles, where I tried all kinds of different bashes to get what I was after.  Stock IM cars on the left, MT repainted and lettered (it was PC green  ).


Getting back into the weathering thing has been fun and allows me to keep the hobby going while away from the layout.

[unittrain]

That some exceptional modeling everything is done very well, also really like the track and ballasting.

[SAH]

Thanks unittrain.

Your scratchbuilt bridge is very impressive.  Is there a specific location on the B&O you're modeling that requires the extra effort?

[btrain]

Nice job on the cars, being a Lorain native, I really dig the Lake Terminal gon. I never figured decals existed for that road, but will have to start hunting them down for pipe loads on my layout.

[unittrain]

Thanks unittrain.

Your scratchbuilt bridge is very impressive.  Is there a specific location on the B&O you're modeling that requires the extra effort?

The area I'm modeling doesn't have a bridge of that type it has a culvert, but I decided to widen the crossing and add a through plate girder, I got the plans from a 1908 railroad engineering book. Modeling the older bridges is one of my favorites as far as the hobby goes.

[Specter3]

I am wanting to bash some Southern Kaolin boxcars. Could you etch a fret of your hopper hatches only? That would be a great help for thst project.

[SAH]

I don't plan to have any more etching done in the near term.  The hopper is painted and ready for decals.  I measured the sides before we left for the holidays in preparation for doing the artwork and home printing decals when I return.  Maybe I'll have a finished model to show before the end of the year.

On the other hand, in the process of measuring an Athearn PS 3 bay covered hopper to use as a lettering benchmark the instructions fell out of the box.  Listed on the drawing is a parts bag catalog number with roof hatches, hopper slide gates, etc. listed.  I haven't checked yet but wonder if it is still available.  If so I'll bet the parts would meet your needs.

Steve

[chessie system fan]

Would the Microscale decals not work for some reason?

http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MD&Product_Code=60-13&Category_Code=SOU

[SAH]

Since my version of the car is somewhat of  foobie and a Big John presence on the AC&Y was highly unlikely, I plan to letter it with private reporting marks for a plastic mfgr in Copely, OH on the former AC&Y that was (is?) served by the present day WLE.  A long list of what ifs bring the scenario to life but I'm OK with all of it.

So the short answer is, no, the Big John sheet will not do.