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IAIS's West End - Walthers PD covered hopper rework Journals/Blogs
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Super User 3,775 posts Joe Atkinson IAISfan Super User 3,775 posts
Joe Atkinson IAISfan
I've had this Walthers PD 5125cf covered hopper on the layout since 2008, a gift from my friend Roger Wiebenga.  It was in factory paint until very recently in a very bright scheme that was quite a difference from the Plain Jane prototype I intended to model with it.
 
I delayed work on that car for a number of years since I originally thought it'd require a pretty significant kitbash to match one of the prototypes that ran on the IAIS.  (Cars in this service hauled wheat flour from Star of the West Milling Co. on the CN in Flint MI to the IAIS at Chicago, across the railroad to Council Bluffs, then to the UP for spotting at the Kellogg's cereal plant in Omaha.)  A few months ago though, I discovered a pic of one of the four cars that ran in the month I model, and unlike the other three, it was a close match for the Walthers model, with no kitbashing necessary.
 
A description of my rework of this car follows in the first reply.

Joe Atkinson
Modeling Iowa Interstate's 4th Sub, May 2005
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Joe Atkinson IAISfan Super User 3,775 posts
Joe Atkinson IAISfan

Walthers PD rework

Fortunately for me, Roger had replaced the running boards with Plano etched parts, so that made a huge improvement over the factory appearance.  I thought it'd be fun to upgrade the end bracing and stirrup steps though, so I snipped all that away, added new piano wire ladder rungs, modified A-Line stirrups, Tichy grabs, and Detail Associates air hoses. 
 
I normally add coupler cut bars as well, but with the end bracing being weakened by the above work, I wasn't confident that it'd hold up to the necessary drilling.  For that same reason, the ladder rungs are just crudely glued above the remains of their plastic predecessors.  Not the greatest solution, but I felt it was acceptable for a layout model.

"Before" pic of the Walthers model, grabbed from http://burlington.up.seesaa.net/image/05IMG_0014-thumbnail2.jpg :

A prototype Joe Rogers pic of the car I modeled, NAHX 550755, from http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1165712, shot in 2008:

A couple model pics of the car back in service:

03%20(1).jpg 

03%20(2).jpg 

Weathering was entirely with Pan Pastels, while the little bits of graffiti were done with paint and paint pens.  I didn't weather or tag it quite as heavily as the prototype since the only prototype pic I had to work from was shot three years after my layout's era.  Also, from my research, only about 5% of all cars that ran on the IAIS in my era were tagged.
 

Joe Atkinson
Modeling Iowa Interstate's 4th Sub, May 2005
https://m.facebook.com/groups/iowainterstate4thsub

https://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/4thSub

My MRH blog index

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redP Frequent poster 568 posts
redP

Nice

That looks great

 Modeling Penn Central and early Amtrak in the summer of 1972

 
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grenadier1943 Super User 143 posts
grenadier1943

Awesome

Awesome job on the model.

Mike

Chessie WM

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Read my blog
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Joe Atkinson IAISfan Super User 3,775 posts
Joe Atkinson IAISfan

Thank you

Thank you both for the kind words.  It feels good to tone down that brighter scheme in favor of something that at least kinda-sorta might resemble the prototype if you blur your eyes just right.

Joe Atkinson
Modeling Iowa Interstate's 4th Sub, May 2005
https://m.facebook.com/groups/iowainterstate4thsub

https://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/4thSub

My MRH blog index

https://instagram.com/iaisfan
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Pcfan60 Regular poster 390 posts
Pcfan60

Great work!

Great looking model Joe!
https://hitopmodelrailroad.com/
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Joe Atkinson IAISfan Super User 3,775 posts
Joe Atkinson IAISfan

Thank you

Thanks very much Steve!

Joe Atkinson
Modeling Iowa Interstate's 4th Sub, May 2005
https://m.facebook.com/groups/iowainterstate4thsub

https://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/4thSub

My MRH blog index

https://instagram.com/iaisfan
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Allen H. Regular poster 363 posts
Allen H.

Very nice Joe!

I like the simple tagging, glad you left the little smiley.
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Joe Atkinson IAISfan Super User 3,775 posts
Joe Atkinson IAISfan

Allen

Thanks Allen.  I'm not a fan of tagging, but figured the world could use more smiles right now.

Joe Atkinson
Modeling Iowa Interstate's 4th Sub, May 2005
https://m.facebook.com/groups/iowainterstate4thsub

https://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/4thSub

My MRH blog index

https://instagram.com/iaisfan
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Rick Sutton Prolific poster 4,359 posts
Rick Sutton

What a difference!

It's amazing how much better a model looks when oversized details are replaced. The paint and weathering are "dead on".

Before....looked like a toy

After.....looks like the real deal.
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Joe Atkinson IAISfan Super User 3,775 posts
Joe Atkinson IAISfan

Rick

Thank you very much Rick. With the great models available today, it’s been a long time since I’ve taken on a project like this. It was really rewarding, 

Joe Atkinson
Modeling Iowa Interstate's 4th Sub, May 2005
https://m.facebook.com/groups/iowainterstate4thsub

https://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/4thSub

My MRH blog index

https://instagram.com/iaisfan
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