Hello everyone! I've been lurking on Big Blue for a while as I've gotten back into modeling, and I would like to share my current project in HO.

At a trainshow today I found a pair of Redball cardboard carsides printed for the Michigan Alkali Company, and purchased them out of curiosity thinking that I might be able to do something with them eventually. A plan began to develop when arrived home and rediscovered a bag of Mantua reefer parts in the junk box that I had previously purchased (and forgotten about). Both are 40' wood reefers, and between the two of them I have the better part of a car, so I figured I would attempt to make something out of a couple bits of almost-somethings.
Here is what I have to work with:






The cardboard sides are going to need bracing and support that the metal car's missing sides never needed, so the first order of business is to construct a a carbody to support and hold everything together. Using the underframe as a guide, I trimmed out the length and width of the car from 1/4" Basswood sheet to form the floor of the carbody. A test-fit revealed I was about 1/8"over-zealous with the razor saw, but a stripwood shim brought everything back into alignment. I then drilled holes in the carbody floor in-line with the bolsters on the underframe.





At first I thought couplers might present a problem. The original coupler boxes are missing from the bag o' parts, but cutting the underframe down to make room for Kadee boxes would make aligning the car ends a more finicky process. Through some trial and error I found that a Kadee No. 213 box is just about the right size and shape to fit, and with some MDC trucks from the truck bin this car will at least roll right.






With this project now looking quite feasible, I cleaned the metal reefer parts to prep them for some painting touch ups. I elected to keep the oxide red as it's plausible and I wasn't able to find any prototype information on Michigan Alkali's cars other than some lettering specifications. With that drying I turned my attention to bracing for the carsides, which I cut to length from 1/2" square stock and glued to the floor of the carbody and clamped to ensure a square and snug fit.

I posted in an 'upper bunk' thread that I had aquired 4 Branchline heavyweight coaches, all in Canadian Pacific but was a bit 'turned-off' by the color choices from the factory:
   

Since then I stripped three of them and have started to repaint them. One in Canadian national, two in a better Canadian Pacific color.
   

The CP cars are painted in CP Tuscan by Scalecoat. 

   

I painted the CN car with the last of my Rapido CN Green, just when I figured it out. Being in Western Canada, it's not easy to find without mail order from an eastern supplier. I used Polly-S engine black for the bottom. The built Pullman behind is another Branchline car I picked up at a swap meet a few years back.

WPMA-29  sets out a car for T&T Freezers.

Bruce

   

I recently finished some projects which were on the shelf for some time.  Here is one of them.

A Sylvan Scale Models kit of CN 1929 Single Sheathed 40' Boxcar.  Here are some photos.

   

   

   

   

   

   

Hello,

several years ago i had the opportunity to purchase a bunch of second hand Shinohara Code70 switches:


There were some #6's, a pair of #8's and 3-way #6.





A while i was dreaming what could be done with these switches if ... But that was still a deam. May be become true in the future.





All have all metal frogs and have to be live wired.





This were my first Code70 track and here is a comparison between Code 70 and code 83.





A comparison between old Shinohara Code70 (above) and one of the very last and DCC-friendly 3-way switches from Walther's made by Shinohara.


Lutz

Thanks for the add!

A pair of patched units pull a freight past Pine Bluff...

Just remembered today....

The Beatles Documentary "Get Back" the making of the album is available for streaming beginning tomorrow on Disney+.

Deadline Website

Since Amtrak has some heritage units would be nice to see some photos of them.


here is one I caught last weekend ( 11-13-21) on the Pittsburgh mainline near Huntington, Pennsylvania, commonly known as "CP HUNT".



Todd

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Thought I would share another project I'd doing for another modeler. On Vancouver Island Canadian Forest Products (Canfor) had a logging railway line and used modified SW1200 engines.
CANFOR Englewood Logging Division 303 (trainweb.org)

The large box in front of the cab is the EMD installed dynamic brakes. They also added extra air tanks on the hood due to the steep grades these units ran over.
The fellow that want this model started with a Proto2000 engine but didn't really know how to modify the shell. 
   

To make the 'box' he simply made it out of cardboard and white glued it to the shell. This is how I got the model.
   

I was able to remove the box and strip the shell. Then came the modifications.

   

I made a new dynamic brake box out of sheet styrene and a 36" fan I got for an old F-unit shell. I also had to cut the hood down to accommodate the new 'box' this had to be done very carefully as the original circuit board lies just under the hood.
I should also note that I'm building a representation of the Canfor engine, not an exact replica. I'm guessing most of the parts dimensions by studying the photos that I have found.
     

Then I had to fabricate the air tanks and their mounts. The tanks are styrene tubing, filled with putty. I sanded the ends round. I had a bit of a challenge with the mounts as the tanks straddle the exhaust tanks and the top of the hood is slightly round. I made a card pattern, followed by a styrene master. 
Now you may wonder why four tanks and mounts? Well another modeler saw the project and now I'm building a second unit. It was just easier to build all the parts at the same time.
   
Ready for paint. The air tank assembly is just loose for now.

   

This is how it sits now, very yellow. It took 4 coats of Model master acrylic yellow to cover