MT Northern Pacific Round Roof Boxcar Improved

[hegstad1]

I thought I would post a photo of a quick project I did the other evening.   Micro-trains based their car on a picture in the Morning Sun NP Equipment book on page 51.  The car itself is beautiful but the load leaves something to be desired.  The most glaring problem is that the simulated "stakes" don't reach either the floor or the ceiling of the car.  The color is also a sickly grey which does not represent veneer very well.  The first thing I did was use my dental drill at work (after hours) to remove the stakes and "scribe" the individual boards back into the load.  I followed this by brush painting it with acrylic "yellow ochre".  Next I cut new stakes out of strip wood.  I then used a couple of strips of styrene angle to represent the bottom of the door opening where the stake pockets are.  The car needs to be lowered by filing down the bolsters with a Dremel and Fox Valley metal wheels to replace the stock sets.   I weathered it using the usual methods and put on an ACI label.   I was not successful in finding the "GREEN VENEER LOADING ONLY" lettering so I may have to make some and put it on later.   

Andrew Hegstad

[Sokramiketes]

I was not successful in finding the "GREEN VENEER LOADING ONLY" lettering so I may have to make some and put it on later.  

Andrew Hegstad

Makes one wonder why MTL would go through the trouble of leaving the doors off and putting a veneer load in the car, only to leave off the lettering that should obviously be there...

Nice car!

[hegstad1]

Makes one wonder why MTL would go through the trouble of leaving the doors off and putting a veneer load in the car, only to leave off the lettering that should obviously be there...

Nice car!

My thoughts exactly!  Thanks for the compliment. 

Andrew

[Sokramiketes]

It's like the Rock Island express car, in pullman green, with missing "EXPRESS" lettering.  And good luck matching MTL's version of dulux gold to add it on the car side. 

I got a chuckle from the insert for the NP car "Featuring Operating Doors!"

[Dave Schneider]

Andrew,

Great looking car! I have always liked veneer cars...the Milwaukee Road had a number of these as well but they just don't fit my location. I doubt any of these car types made it out of the Pacific Northwest, but does anyone know how far east they were used? Thanks for sharing your usual great modeling job.

Best wishes, Dave

[wcfn100]

It's like the Rock Island express car, in pullman green, with missing "EXPRESS" lettering.  And good luck matching MTL's version of dulux gold to add it on the car side.

Why would you need to add that as it's the wrong car to begin with?  I think the IM 1937 car is a match IIRC.

Jason

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is awesome!

[CBQ Fan]

Very Very Nice!