Tuesday Tip: What NOT to do . . .(freight car wheel faces)

Some years ago (I don't remember when, and unfortunately can't find it now), a Model Railroader article mentioned using a mixture of PollyS Grimy Black paint and baking soda to paint the wheel faces of friction-bearing (aka "solid bearing") freight car trucks. The idea was to replicate the caked-on mixture of journal oil and dirt that was so common during the Steam Era.

So when it came time to build my first steam-era resin freight cars, I decided to go all out and try this technique (though I used my "grimy black alternative" craft paint instead of PollyS). As you can see (especially if you click on the image to enlarge the view), the effect is pretty great:

Click here for more photos

Here's an even closer view:

Looks fantastic, IMO. But unfortunately, this great effect eventually - and explicably - deteriorates . . .

Note that the white baking soda is beginning to show through. I'm really not sure why.

Here's a more-recent, and more obvious, example:

I built - and weathered the wheels on - this car a bit over 4 1/2 years ago (click here for the build). Lots of white baking soda showing through. Compare this view of the truck to the closeup photo above. I think it's actually the same truck(!)

But looks are only part of the story. The real problem comes where the wheel meets the rail . . .

If you want clean track, you need clean wheels. And if you want clean wheels, you need to clean off this gunk. . . . and probably resolve NOT to use a baking soda mixture on your wheels again.

And that's your Tuesday Tip!

Having said all that, do you have a preferred method for weathering steam-era freight car wheels - the ones used in solid-bearing (aka "friction bearing") trucks? If so, please let us (aka "me" :^) know in the comments!

Friday Fun: "Add to Cart"

Therapist: "Now, to review, what do we say when we're sad, stressed, or depressed?"

Me: "Add to Cart!"

Therapist: "Um, no."

This extended period of self-quarantine and stay-at-home orders has certainly created a cottage industry of funny memes. I thought of the one above shortly after I got a text from Randy about a sale ExactRail was running on B&O wagon-top boxcars.

Now, despite basically being a shut-in for over a month now, I'm not sad or depressed. "Stressed" depends on how "teleworking" is "working" on a particular day. But any railroad set in the late 1940s could use some B&O wagon-top boxcars and ExactRail makes probably the best and highest detailed ones around.

So I added to cart.

And through the wonders of the USPS - and despite the challenges they're facing during these crazy times - this showed up a few days later:

Ah - almost like Christmas! I can just begin to understand how online shopping can get addictive - especially when you can't leave the house!

Here's three standard cars having just arrived on Track 5 in Old Saybrook, for later transfer up the Valley Line. The first car has the original 1937 paint scheme, while the other two are a bit closer to my era (and even have era-correct reweigh dates!)

But the pièce de résistance is this REA boxcar - the only one I have on my railroad. And here it is sitting at Saybrook station waiting to be unloaded. Very cool!

Now, far be it from me to encourage any bad habits, but one of the silver linings of the current crisis is that there are not only some deals to be had, but supporting your local - and even not-so-local - hobby shops and suppliers is always a great thing to do.

If you've gotten any cool acquisitions lately, be sure to let us know in the comments! Enjoying purchases vicariously is a lot less expensive than "adding to cart" every time we get the urge :^)

******

Be sure to tune in again tomorrow for a special Saturday post as I try to get the blog caught up

%^)

Prototype Junction Interview

I've written before how much I enjoy model railroad podcasts, but it's especially cool when I hear a buddy being interviewed on one of my favorites.

So imagine my surprise this morning when I saw A Modeler's Life podcast had just posted a rare Sunday 'cast interviewing my friend Randy of Prototype Junction. I introduced you guys to Prototype Junction earlier this week, but this is a chance to hear more about this cool new approach to producing freight cars - and directly from Randy himself.

There's a March 9 deadline to get involved in this project, so click here to hear the interview and learn more about it!

Prototype Junction: Changing the World 11 Freight Cars at a Time

You don't have to read this blog for very long before you come across Randy's name. Not only has he been with this Valley Line project since the very beginning, he's been a big help - everything from track planning, to construction, to even helping me start a blog and website. His New Britain Station website is a great repository of New Haven RR info and his approach to the hobby - as shared through his blog - is a big influence. It's not too much to say that it's sometimes difficult to see where his work ends and mine begins.

And that's how it often is with train buddies. The relationships tend to be very symbiotic, with a lot of non-RR topics fading into the background as you share the hobby. It's not too much of a stretch to say that if more folks were model railroaders, the world would be a happier place. There would certainly be less talk of politics - the most controversial conversations would focus on debates between prototype and freelance, TT&TO vs. CTC, paperwork or not.

Pretty nice, eh?

Randy explores this phenomena a bit in his latest post over at his new endeavor - Prototype Junction, a company dedicated to producing HO scale freight cars of never-before-produced prototypes. Using a crowd-funding financing model, Prototype Junction is as much about building a community of modelers as it is about producing models.

Can model railroading change the world? Click over to find out - and don't be surprised at the answer. You may discover not only a new world of like-minded folks that want to build cool models, but if you dive in you'll likely discover your own little world - the one that resides in your basement or spare room - being changed for the better with the acquisition of some really amazing freight cars.

So be sure to check it out. The direct link to the website is https://www.prototypejunction.com
You can also find them on Facebook where they have a page at  https://www.facebook.com/Prototype-Junction-LLC-105247264372266/
and a group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/prototypejunction/

Whether you visit directly or through social media, I hope you'll take a few minutes to take a look around. I think you'll find it a pretty great place to be.

Thankful Thursday - Chemical Tank Cars

I got a message from my buddy Dave Messer a few days back telling me that Ray Seri would be making a delivery to me soon. Long-time fans of the Valley Line will recall that Ray was the express agent at Wethersfield station and had a smoky old Dodge pickup he'd use around town making deliveries.

Well, I got home yesterday and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a package - ostensibly left by "Ray" - and containing two tank cars which will be used to deliver chemicals to Hartford Rayon in the Dividend section of Rocky Hill. There they are in the photo above, sitting on the siding at The Chapman Co. in Old Saybrook awaiting the next local to pick them up.

Thanks Dave!!

Wordless Wednesday #273

Westerfield kit with full brake detail and broken/chipped bracing repaired with strip styrene. Sill steps kitbashed from A-line steps by soldering in an additional rung.

Wordless Wednesday #270

F&C flat-side kit, with full underbody brake detail and "kitbashed" stir-,er, sill steps (A-line step with an additional rung soldered in)

Monday Modeling: Adding Weight & Overpass Roadway Work

I had hoped to get to a lot more modeling over the weekend than I did, but the fact I got to anything at all considering all that's going on is a blessing. So, in the spirit of "incremental progress being progress, nevertheless" here are a few photos of what I did. . .

In addition to adding air hoses to the B&O P-11 flatcar I just recently (almost) finished, I realized it needed a more weight. A lot more. Thankfully, the "fishbelly" side sills will hide some weight (and are also the primary reason I didn't bother adding brake or other underbody detail). Unfortunately, lead fish weights - or lead of any type - are/is getting harder and harder to find. So I decided to cut up some A-Line weights to fit in where I could: 

Conceptually, it was pretty simple - use a utility knife to cut the soft, lead weights down to the right size. But it was a bit easier said than done. It's not THAT easy to cut the weights, but with time - and a lot of rocking the blade back and forth - you finally get there.

All the little bits of weight, cut to size to fit in between the deck framing.

Once I dry-fit everything to make sure they would not only fit, but not interfere with truck swivel, I used some big drops of Aleene's glue to attach the weights to the underside of the car.

 Once everything was in, it was just a matter of a quick brush-paint job of Grimy Black to disguise/blend everything in.

While that was drying, I turned my attention to the roadway on top of the west abutment for my Rt. 15 overpass. It's made of .040" styrene and I didn't want it to bow or sag over time, so I added some 1/4" square styrene braces:

I also scribed the top to match the "expansion joints" on the main bridge and am starting to add curbing to match as well:

FYI - the curb on the Rix overpass I'm using is .090" tall/thick.

Not really all that much to report, but it did provide a few hours of hobby enjoyment. And, like they say, you can even eat an elephant if you do it just one bite at a time.

Evidence of Hobby Being Pursued!

F.O. Friday & Thank You!

One of the many hobbies The Missus pursues is knitting. And in the knitting world, an "FO" is a "Finished Object" - and the cause for much rejoicing. After days/weeks/months of spending time with a project, getting it finished is a big deal.

Although we don't use the same terminology, it's that way with our hobby too - so herewith I submit my latest "FO", in the making for over a year now (on and off). Yes - I've finally finished the B&O P-11 flat car that I started last September:

Well, almost finished.

I already knew that I still need to weather this car. But it wasn't until I got to taking this FO photo that I realized I'd forgotten something important . . .

Airhoses!

So I just need to add those and weather the car and it'll be really finished. I'll be sure and post more FO fotos then :^)

Speaking of finishing, last night the Missus and I finished our fundraiser by participating in the L&LS's Light the Night Walk. Thank you SO much to all of you that have expressed your support either through thoughts and prayers or through contributions - or both! We raised over $1,000 in just a few short days thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our friends - and even folks we don't know so well but who wanted to help. So THANK YOU so very much!

If you'd like to support the L&LS but haven't had a chance to yet, it's not too late -
you can still donate here.

Modeling Monday: Building Castles & Carmers

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;

that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." 

-Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau obviously wasn't a model railroader.

As you may have guessed from last week's Wordless Wednesday, I've been making some significant progress on the Rt. 15 overpass (with a LOT of help from the parts Dave sent me). Actual modeling is one of the reasons my posts have been a bit infrequent lately. For the other reason, well, check out the bottom of this post. Things have been a bit busy 'round here lately.

So, what does this all have to do with our ol' friend Thoreau? Well, stay with me here...

Now that the overpass is nearing completion, I figured it was high time to set it in place on the layout to make doubly sure everything would fit as expected. You know, before I built any MORE of it (not that anybody's ever made that mistake before...but I digress). Well, good thing I did. Turned out, despite my best measurements, everything was a bit longer than I expected. But no worries, "all I have to do is" swing the whole thing a bit toward the aisle and it fits.

Lookin' good!

But now that I'm actually placing the almost-completed overpass here, I've noticed a problem . . .

Oops! Massive sinkhole on the left

The West (left) abutment has precious little - which is to say, "almost nothing" - to rest on. Though made of concrete, an abutment isn't exactly a castle. But it still needs a foundation....

That's better

So I got to do some more of what I (apparently) enjoy most, and what - these days - I seldom get to do: Benchwork.

The photo above shows the new foundation/support, er, plywood - and the photo at the top of this post shows the foundation, under my castle abutment (which used to be) in the air.

Nice!

Apparently, I've been bitten by the modeling bug lately cuz I even got back to my B&O P-11 flatcar project(!) I started this project back last September 22 (that's September of last year...). When last we saw it, I had just finished decaling/lettering it. And, between work and family stuff, that's where it's been for the last 9 months(!!).

Well, it was high time I got back to it. All I had left to do was the brake wheel and the uncoupling lift levers. Those levers had me stumped - until I saw this photo of the PRR car on which this car is based:

Carmer Cut Lever

 And Randy brought me some HO scale versions of such couplers:

HO version - by Yarmouth Model Works

Unfortunately, these things are tiny . . .

First part, which I had to bend per the prototype diagram

And, they're in two pieces that need to be bent & assembled. Ugh! Well, fortunately, the Modeling Bug persists, so I'll press on - but the details will be in the next post.

* * *

So much for the first reason why posts have been a bit lax lately. The other reason is that the Missus and I have been working toward a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fundraiser which we're participating in this Thursday in support of her dad.

Long-time readers know that 2018 hasn't been kind to our dads. My dad had a heart attack and a quadruple bypass in early February, and about the same time Deb's dad found out cancer had come back - for the third time. Fortunately, my dad's doing great. Deb's dad - Rich - a bit less so. He was in the hospital for 3 months for treatment and then came home. Now he's going through 3 more rounds. He's hanging in there, but we're trying to do what we can for him.

Thus, the fundraiser to support research for the types of cancer he has. If you're interested in learning more about our effort click here and here. And if you're able to support the L&LS Light the Night cancer walk we're doing, thank you SO much!

ProtoModeling Fun: Photo Forensics

If you're reading this blog, you're probably a model railroader. But what about being a "railroad modeler?" What's so attractive about modeling a prototype railroad and becoming a prototype modeler? I suspect, for most, the chance to build a time-machine of sorts is the strongest attraction. For others, it's the challenge of recreating a real-world scene in miniature, including all the research and detective work required.

As you may have guessed, for me it's a combination of all those things. I could sit and stare at some old railroad photographs for hours, noticing all the details and thinking of ways I can recreate the world captured in that photo. One of my favorite photos - and the one that provided the strongest inspiration to model the Valley Line - was a shot of the southbound Valley Local taken by Kent Cochrane from the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown, May 1947.

This shot was actually the subject of my very first "Wordless Wednesday", and I talked about it some more in a subsequent post (and here, and here). I'm not alone in my admiration either. None other than Tony Koester "unpacked" this photo in the May, 1980 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. His power of observation and his ability to convey the essence of the scene through his writing really puts you right there as the local pulls into town. I highly recommend you read his essay - it's the sort of thing that could inspire many a modeler. The fact that he (unwittingly, preceding my interest by about 30 years) wrote about a scene from my chosen prototype is a huge bonus.

It's all very right-brained and evocative. What he didn't do is provide much in the way of prototype information. As an admitted left-brainer (just look at my layout - the wiring and track is great. The scenery is mostly done by others...) and prototype modeler, I see a hopper. And wonder how to model it.

Thus the journey begins . . .

The NYC hopper right behind the engine is a 908000-909499 series 39' 3 bay steel self clearing hopper, #908255 to be exact.  These cars were built in 1923 with shallow type middle hoppers but later rebuilt with sawtooth hoppers when shopped for repairs (increasing capacity by 10 cu. ft.).  Originally numbered 425000-426499, they were renumbered into the 908000 series when rebuilt.  The original configuration lasted until 1948.  The rebuilds started in 1936 and lasted until 1961.

And according to my buddy Randy, these were USRA triple hoppers, lot 466-H. The rebuilding replaced the center clamshell hopper with a sawtooth hopper. There were originally about 20,000 of these cars owned by the NYC and the P&LE.

Here's a photo showing the hopper as-built:

And a plan showing the differences:

Some additional research revealed that Westerfield makes both the as-built and rebuilt versions.  The rebuilt version is the one I need - kit #2153.

Ok, admittedly, all that information isn't quite as enjoyable to read as Tony's piece. But if you want to model the Valley Local - at least as it appeared in the spring of 1947 - you're gonna want to include a NYC hopper. And if you want it to be prototypically correct, well, now you know what you need.

All I need now are "a half-dozen or so freight cars" to model the rest of the train, but at least I can be pretty certain they're "more than likely bedecked in nothing more spectacular than standard boxcar red paint accented with weathered white lettering." Maybe not enough information to model from, but most definitely enough brain-candy to want to try.

And maybe that's part of what makes this hobby so fascinating and satisfying. To do it well, you really need both the right and left sides of your brain fully engaged. The technical side of modeling isn't as much fun without the evocative side to inspire your efforts.

Thanks to Kent Cochrane for taking that beautiful photo so long ago, thanks to Tony Koester for helping me see all the fine detail that's there to recreate, and thanks to Westerfield models for producing a kit for the first freight car in my own recreation of the Valley Local in HO scale.

Flat Car Friday - Finishing the P-11 Decals (RTM)

After decaling the first side of the B&O P-11 flatcar, using Future floor wax on a satin-finished side (as described here), I decided - before doing the second side - to actually read the manual. The "manual" in this case was the instruction sheet that came with the Speedwitch decals:

1. Start with a glossy surface, adding a gloss coat if needed.
2. Using a fresh x-acto blade, cut out the decal leaving as little decal film around it as possible and dip in distilled water.
3. Place the decal on a paper towel to wick off excess water & allow the decal to loosen from the backing.
4. Slide the decal off slightly to expose just enough paper backing to allow you to grab it with tweezers.
5. I then brush some MicroSet onto the model where I will be putting the decal (the instructions say to brush on some water, but it beaded up on the glossy surface).
6. "Lay the paper on the model while still holding with tweezers and slide the decal on to the model." (direct quote from the instructions). Use something dull (I use a toothpick) to hold the decal as you pull/slide the paper backing out from under it.
7. If necessary, use the toothpick to move the decal into final position. Be careful you don't damage the decal!
8. Once in position, leave it alone until it dries completely. You can use a corner of a paper towel to wick away any excess fluid/water. But then, leave it alone.
9. Next day, if there's any "silvering" or air bubbles, prick with a sharp pin and add a decal setting solution (I use MicroSol) at the edges of the decal and at the pricked parts. Capillary action will pull the solvent underneath the decal. Leave it alone and allow it to dry again completely.
10. Repeat step 9 if necessary, using Walthers Solvaset if needed to get the decal to really settle in and snuggle down over detail and into crevices. But beware - Solvaset is very aggressive.

Here's a photo of the first side, done with Future over a satin finish:

You can always click on an image to enlarge it.

Not bad - though I did mess up a little by trying to wick fluid & position after applying setting solution. Big mistake, but it turned out ok.

And here's a photo of the other side that I did over a glossy surface as I described above:

I think this turned out better - the edges of the decals are just about invisible and everything is snuggled down nicely. I also didn't mess anything up by disturbing the decal as it was setting.

Conclusion:
Actually, both processes yield good/great results. Having done them both, I will try and add a gloss coat first and decal the recommended way described in this post. However, it's nice to know that if I have a model that has a less-than-glossy surface and I can't add any gloss for some reason, using Future as a base rather than MicroSet will be ok. Heck, I've even used Future to add decals to a car that had a flat finish - but I wouldn't recommend it.

Either way, after I add a dull coat and do some weathering, I bet anyone would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two sides. And that's a win in my book!

(Happy Friday and Happy Springfield Eve to all coming to the BigE Train Show this weekend! If you do, please say "Hi" if you happen to see me - hope to see many of you there!)

Freight Car Friday: Decaling the P-11 Flatcar

The next step on the B&O P-11 flatcar build is lettering/numbering (click here for all the other posts on this project). First, you have to choose your decals, if you have a choice. The F&C kit I'm using comes with the appropriate decals, but Speedwitch Media makes the correct decals too. Fortunately, the company's owner is a good friend and when he saw I was doing this car, he sent along a set to try.

I'm definitely glad he did. The F&C decals are ok, but I think you can tell the difference when directly comparing them to the Speedwitch decals - the fidelity is much better.

Next, you need to consult prototype photos for the proper location of the lettering. Unfortunately, the P-11 is a fairly rare flatcar and photos are elusive (in fact, even a query to the Steam Era Freight Car list hasn't turned up any pics as of this writing). I do have a couple of prototype photos, but for lettering I relied on the two photos that came with the Speedwitch decal instruction sheet (the F&C instructions do contain one photocopy of one of the photos that Speedwitch also uses).

Once I decided what lettering I wanted to use, I cut it out of the sheet with a scalpel and a fresh blade. You can see what parts I took out of the sheet in the photo above.

FINALLY it was time to actually do the decaling itself. I should have checked to see what I did the last time I did decaling to refresh my memory, but I was too eager and plunged head-long into it. Here's the process I used this time (for the first side anyway):

1. Place the decal in distilled water
2. Since the paint/finish is satin/eggshell and not really glossy, I used a microbrush to brush on some Future floor polish (a gloss acrylic) to where the decal would go
3. Remove the decal from the water and place on a paper towel to wick the water away
4. Slide the decal off just enough to allow you to grab just the decal backing paper with a tweezers (I used self-closing tweezers as a handle)
5. Bring the decal to where you put the Future and, while holding onto the paper with the tweezers, hold the decal down with a dull toothpick (something not sharp) and pull the paper, sliding the decal off the paper onto the model
6. Use the toothpick to move the decal into final position
7. Use a corner of a paper towel to wick up any extra water/fluid
8. LEAVE THE DECAL ALONE
9. Repeat for the rest of the decals
10. After they've dried (preferably overnight - or while you're at work), prick any air bubbles with a sharp pin and lightly brush some setting solution like Micro Sol onto the decal - allowing it to wick in under the edges and into the pricked holes - so the decal will really snuggle down and set.
11. Repeat step 10 as necessary, using Solvaset for really stubborn decals.

The pic below shows the result:

Click on image to enlarge if desired

Now, there are a couple of things I plan on doing differently for the OTHER side. Numero Uno is to take my own advice and NOT, REPEAT NOT touch the decal or try to reposition it when I'm adding the setting solution. And DO NOT under ANY circumstances use a sponge makeup brush to blot any excess fluid while using setting solution. If you can't see the gotchas on this side that resulted from me not following my own advice, well, I'm certainly not going to point'em out to you...

Secondly, I plan to use a more traditional, non-Future (heh - see what I did there?), approach for the other side (in fact, the same process I used for the Grand Trunk Western boxcar - a post I found only after I'd already done side one of the flatcar...). And Step One in that process is to add a gloss coat to the carbody where you'll be adding decals. So tonight I masked off the side of the car yet-to-be-decaled (notice the eggshell/non-glossy finish) . . .

And shot the side with my handy-dandy rattle can of Testors Glosscote . . .

I'm having my First Ops Session of 2018 tomorrow, so this'll have plenty of time to cure before I add any lettering - hopefully Sunday evening. And just so I don't forget, here's the process I plan to use (copied and pasted from my GTW post):

1. Cut out the decal leaving as little decal film around it as possible and place in distilled water.
2. Apply MicroSet to the area where the decal will be applied.
3. Remove the decal from the water and "float" onto the setting solution (I'll actually put it on a paper towel first). Use a toothpick or something else that's not sharp to position.
4. Wick away any excess fluid with the corner of a paper towel, or a makeup sponge (I'm a little leery of the sponge now...). Let dry.
5. If there's any "silvering" (evidence that there's air trapped behind the decal), prick the areas and add MicroSol and let dry. If that doesn't cause the decal to really settle down into any nooks/crannies (or - in the case of a wood-sided car, between the boards) just add additional applications of MicroSol until it does (and/or use Walthers Solvaset, which is even more aggressive)

Stay tuned and I'll let you know (and you'll be able to see) which process yields the better result . . .

Throwback Thursday: B&O P-11 Flatcar - attaching the deck

It's been so long since I worked on the B&O P-11 flatcar (since Thanksgiving weekend, in fact) it feels like it should be the subject of a "Throwback Thursday". . .

This project has been sitting on the bench since coming out of the paintshop, but there has been progress - of a sort. Ted Culotta generously sent me an early Christmas present - a couple sets of new decals for the car. And I've been giving a lot of thought to how to proceed with assembly. I vacillated between weathering the frame & deck separately before assembly, pushing forward with assembly, adding the decals before proceeding with assembly, etc.

You probably know how the story goes . . .

But I finally decided to just follow the instructions and continue with assembly. Then I took some time to decide on what adhesive to use to attach the deck (contact cement, canopy glue, CA) and settled on my first choice: thin CA.

I took some time centering the deck on the frame as perfectly as possible, and then clamped it in place using clothespins (which are lighter-touch than the usual spring clamps I use).

Then I put a bunch of drops of Thin CA in a bottle cap and used a microbrush to apply it to all the deck-frame joints I could reach, allowing the CA to wick into the joints.

So that's where it stands for now. I often use CA accelerator to harden the joint immediately, but I have the time to let it dry/cure overnight so I figured that'd be best. I just have one concern . . .

Can CA go bad? I know that it can harden in the bottle, rendering it useless. But I've done a good job preserving this bottle (I put it in a zip-loc bag, expel the air, seal it and wrap a rubber band around it) and I've had it for at least a few (5?!) years. Assuming it's still liquid, does it retain its adhesive quality indefinitely? Hoping some of the more experienced modelers out there will weigh in!

Next steps will be to decal and weather, then add the brake wheel and cut levers (adding them last to protect them from handling). Then trucks, couplers, and the first revenue run! But with Christmas fast approaching, I doubt I'll be able to finish this car anytime soon. Heh - it may take a while for that CA to cure . . .

Modeling Monday: Rt. 15 Overpass & Priming the B&O Flatcar

I've been a little schitzo lately, making a little progress on multiple fronts, but not making substantial progress on any one project. But to the extent that this blog is - at the very least - a record of what I'm doing on the layout, I herewith submit a few pics of what modeling I've been working on lately - centered around the Rt. 15 overpass (at the north end of the Wethersfield section, disguising the hole in the backdrop), and the B&O P-11 flatcar.

Here's my mockup of the overpass - it's a standard Rix early highway overpass, with custom girders to follow the prototype more closely (click here for pics of the prototype and the Shapeways girders developed by my friend MikeR). I plan to use the Shapeways parts in the front and as masters for the other two girders.

Here's the mockup in place on the layout, effectively hiding where the Valley mainline (on the left) and the Berlin Branch (on the right) enter the backdrop.

Besides the girder work, I still have a lot to do on this area to get it all to fit and look right. But I'm REALLY pleased with how it's coming out.

And here are the girder parts getting a primer coat in the paint shop along with the B&O flatcar. Heh - and here is where they've sat for a while, while I got distracted with other things like model photography and such.

But even incremental progress is still progress - and big goals are reached by a number of small steps. So I'll take that as some encouragement that - while I haven't accomplished or finished much lately, I'm having fun working on a variety of things at once knowing they'll get done. Eventually.

Freight Car Friday: B&O P-11 Flatcar Trucks/Couplers

One of the great things about this hobby is that there is such a variety of different things to do that you can just about always find something that you're actually in the mood to do. Makes for a very enjoyable - not to mention productive - hobby.

So after posting prototype info and photos on the B&O class P-11 flatcar I'm modeling, the kit took a back seat while I did some decoder installs and finished the Valley Coal tank farm "kit" I got from my friend Dave Messer. But it was high-time to get back to it. . .

I'd left off after adding all those finicky stake pockets, so I got back in the swing of things by adding the remaining details - stirrups sill steps (sorry Ted!) and grabs. I consulted the prototype photos, but placement is pretty straightforward. Just be careful when drilling - some of the pieces you have to drill holes through are pretty thin. I made a dimple with a push pin to keep the bit from wandering, then used a #78 bit in my Dremel flex shaft, operated at low speed with a foot pedal, to drill the holes, and ACC'd them in place. And here's the result:

Remember you can always enlarge the image by clicking on it

I think I mentioned that I won't bother with underbody details since 1) you can't really see it with those deep side sills, and 2) I'm going to fill the underbody area with as much weight as possible.

Another reason for taking a break from this kit was to wait for the proper trucks and some screws to arrive. The kit instructions indicate PRR class 2D-F8 50 ton trucks, and the proper ones are made by Kadee (item #517). The only downside is that they come with the NMRA standard .110" treadwidth wheels. I'll eventually change these out for Code 88 "scale" wheels.

I also wanted to get some of the KD plastic 2-56 screws to mount the trucks. While I could have used a Dremel cut off disk to trim any screw overhang that would interfere with the car floor/deck, I figured plastic screws would be easier to snip and sand flush.

Unfortunately, when I test fit the trucks, they interfered with the underbody as well as the sill steps. Fortunately, the car also looked like it was sitting a bit low. The solution was easy - just add a shim to the bolster to raise the carbody off the truck.

In this case, I used a piece of .042" thick styrene strip, drilled a clearance hole with a #43 bit, and ACC'd it in place.

Here you see what I meant about the screw coming up too far through the frame. Since it's plastic, it was easy to trim it to precisely the proper length.

Snip the excess with flush-cutters . . .

Then sand down to flush.

Next, I installed KD #158 couplers ("scale" head, whiskered) with the "trip hoses" snipped off, per my usual practice. The coupler box cover that comes with the kit snaps securely in place. If/when it ever fails, I'll snip off the lug and drill/tap for a screw rather than snapping it in.

Turns out, just adding the .042" shim on the bolster solved a bunch of problems: no more interference with the underbody or details, and the couplers are at exactly the correct height. #FTW!

So now that I know everything fits and will work, the next step is to remove the trucks & couplers and wash the completed carbody/frame and deck/floor to prep for painting. F&C recommends either Dawn grease-cutting dish soap or Shout, so I picked up both at the grocery store last weekend and will clean everything up as soon as the glue's all cured.

Looks like I may be painting this weekend!