Weekend Update 2/2/20

[bman]

https://morningsunbooks.com/products/open-top-loads-flatcar-and-gondola-color-portfolio-volumes-1-2-ebook

Interesting enough there looks to be an identical boat as this on a flat car (with another boat on a 2nd flat car as well) taken at Outville in 1967 on page 39 of the book, "Columbus Crossroads of Change: The Rail Photography of Paul Geiger around Columbus, Ohio 1964-1979" also from Morning Sun. I never tire of seeing the photography of Paul's as I am presently attempting to model a small section of the PRR Panhandle here in my apt with plans for a bigger layout someday if space permits.

[Jim Starbuck]

I still need to weather it but I’m calling the Davenport 45 tonner finished.
This has been a good learning project as there were several new to me techniques applied and I’m pleased with the results.

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And I don’t remember if I posted this photo earlier but for size reference here it is next to a Lifelike SW9/1200.

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Edit: As I was weathering it I noticed I had forgotten the ladders. Doh!
They’ve since been added.

Yet another Edit:
Added a one minute video of it handling 18 loaded or weighted 33’ two bay hoppers.

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Jim

[nickelplate759]

Been adding details to the smokebox front of P&WV 1053

[arbomambo]

T-TRAK 20th Anniversary Banquet

The banquet to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of T-TRAK will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2020 in the Holiday Inn Convention Center in St. Louis, about a block from the site of the National Train Show featuring the T-TRAK layout. This banquet is open to all N scalers at the show, not just T-TRAKers.

The price is $45.00 each and must be ordered in advance; no at the door tickets sold. You can pre-order now at the NTRAK Store at http://www.ntrak.org/ntrak_store/default.html. The last date to order is July 10, 2020.

Seating IS Limited and we expect this event to sell out VERY quickly! If you are participating in the National T-TRAK Layout, or just attending the show, I encourage you to purchase your tickets for this event sooner than later!

Once you order you will receive a receipt for your purchase(s). Tickets will be distributed at the Train Show and at the door.


The schedule for the evening is:

Doors open

5:30 pm

Introduction

6:15 pm

Buffet

6:30 pm

Awards Presentations

8:00 pm

Spouses/significant others welcome.

We look forward to seeing you there.

[bnsfdash8]

I've had this old Atlas 86' boxcar laying around for a long time and I finally decided to do something with it.

I relocated the truck bolsters to be more correct, added etched stirrups to replace the broken off ones, and painted it into NYC Pacemaker red & grey.

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[tehachapifan]

Nice job, Reese! I have one of these cars too (in SP) and have pondered moving the bolsters as well. Any tips?

[wm3798]

Took a lazy day off and caught up on a couple of lingering projects.  Got an old ConCor PA to run well enough to sell, and put headlights in my two Minitrix B3s.  It was a good day on the Retro Rig.

[bnsfdash8]

Nice job, Reese! I have one of these cars too (in SP) and have pondered moving the bolsters as well. Any tips?

I actually drew up and printed new bolsters for this one, but it shouldn't be too difficult to make some from styrene. You do have to cut away some of the frame so the trucks swivel freely.

[nkalanaga]

Another way to do it would be to cut a section out of the frame, moving the bolsters closer together, then make a new floor section for each end.  Plain styrene sheet would work fine for that.  I haven't looked in one in decades, so you might have to alter the weight, but that shouldn't be hard.

[OldEastRR]

regarding the lead photo --- what the heck is that on the flatcar after the boat?

[craigolio1]

craigolio1:  We're thinking of the same ones.  I was referring to the middle picture, with the plastic conifer in the center.  I tried covering one with ground foam once, to see if it looked better.  It didn't....  Maybe a darker green paint would have been a better idea.

One of these days I'll think of a use for mine.  Maybe as part of a business sign, for a cheap "tourist" motel?  For now, it sits in vacant lot, minding its own business.

I didn’t even see that one hiding there. That’s the one.

[Boilerman]

Appears to be a large round duct elbow or perhaps a pin stock for a Hydro power plant.

[Philip H]

Between the Pinewood Derby, fixing the fence gate the wife backed in to, and general house stuff, all I mamaged to get done was putting the plywood skin on top of benchwork section two.  Pic at https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=40665.msg649568#msg649568

[freedj]

I've 'finished' rescuing this MTL 40' Box car from the trash pile.  A year ago i attempted an airbrush fade on it and it was a disaster.  I set it aside and never thought it would see the layout again.  After watching a few Youtube videos on oil paint weathering I decided to see If i could rescue this car from the bin and get it back on the layout.  I stripped the failed fade, removed and plugged the roofwalk, added an ACI plate with really old decals that kept trying to fall apart and then finished it up with some oil weathering and some IM wheel sets. 

I am thinking about putting some body mount couplers on it and trying to drop the ride height just a bit.  Im also thinking about just calling it done!  I am really pleased with how it's has transformed.

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Here is the prototype photo i was working from: https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=37409

Things I would like to improve for next time:

• Be more careful when removing and plugging the roof walk holes.  I ended up having to do a fair bit of filling, sanding and filing to get back to mostly flat.
• I scraped some of the paint off the herald and markings with a toothpick to keep them brighter through the layers of paint.  I think masking this area off would have been better because you can sort of see the toothpick scratches as a lighter colored halo around the lettering.
• be more careful about getting paint in the couplers.  They don't work as well as they used to and i think that is because the oil washes do like to run.
• use the decal rescue film.  I used 7 ACI decals trying to do this car. If you look really closely at the ACI its skewed because it was disintegrating as I was applying it. After getting the rescue solution I am 6/6.

[Philip H]

@freedj - change couplers of you want but honestly I'd say celebrate your success and move on.  Looks great!