Neat Article

I really enjoyed your article-- very nice combo of history and construction. Thanks!

--Geoff

Erie boxcars

I produced decals for the AAR '32 car because I couldn't find a factory painted one. I would like to add sets specific to the cars in this series if the author would contact me.

Jerry Glow
http://home.comcast.net/~jerryglow/decals/

Erie Boxcars

Wow!  This is the kind of articles I miss from the print magazine.  Not everyone is content to be a checkbook modeller, some still like to build models.   Excellent work, kudos to MRH and Mr. Hanley and I can't wait for next month!

Indeed. That was an

Indeed. That was an interesting topic with lots of great info.

Erie Boxcars

Jerry

You can contact me at donh@mrhmag.com

Don

Great article Don!

I don't model the Erie, but it has always had a special appeal to me...I recently discovered when talking with my dad that my first experiences seeing trains as a toddler were of the Erie running by the end of my street in Detroit. Those strange and wonderful things were off limits to me as a young child, making them all the more fascinating!

Your article is thorough and well done, but what I liked best is the 'lessons learned' piece...two pages of practical self assessment without beating yourself up shows great modeling coupled with great advice. We all realize when hindsight kicks in what we could have done better on a project, thank you for being generous by sharing your learnings to help others following in your steps.

Why buy 3D software?

When I decided to use Shapeways to make a model of something (not train related) I used the free software called Blender. blender(dot)org. It's worth a look.

Erie Boxcars

Vern

Thanks for the nice comments.

Ken

Thanks for the heads up. I definitely look into the software

ERIE Boxcars

I enjoyed reading your lessons learned as it brought back memories as I learned to cast parts.  Here are a few things that may help with your ongoing project.

I have had good results using TAP Plastics' blue RTV silicone mold material and their 2 part casting resin.  The resin does not allow a great deal  of time to work but I only mix small quantities such as one third of a small paper cup which is enough to do one side of an HO boxcar and an end or two.  For this, there is enough time to mix the resin, fill the mold, work out the few air bubbles, cover the mold with backing plates, and set it aside to cure.

I build my one sided masters on 0.10 styrene sheet.  If it is large such as for an HO underframe, I will often attach it to a block of wood to prevent warping.  I use quarter inch strips (sometimes larger) as dams around the master prior to filling with RTV.  Next I sandwich the filled mold between two backing plates of quarter inch plexiglass gently clamped together.  This ensures a uniform mold.

I use the same backing plates and clamps when casting with resin.  The plates keep the molds from deforming and also produce castings with very little flash.

3-D printing sounds like a good way to go for complex items such as metal boxcar ends, bolsters, and poling pocket castings.  I have yet to experiment with creating the necessary files.