Overcoming challenges

Thanks for your updates, Dave. Those gondolas will look great in service.

The M-12 bash is very interesting. Using an available underframe certainly reduces the amount of work to produce the finished model. I've been eyeballing the Accurail 36-foot underframes for similar projects.

Eric

Looking Good

Bernd

Looks good.

I looked at your resin casting process on your website. It is very cost effective and you can get exactly what you want. 

Thanks

Thanks for the feedback.

The M12 conversion went so quick, I decided to start on the other two Roundhouse foobie cars I had this afternoon.  Since I have a B&O interchange it will be much easier to find routings for 3 B&O boxcars than 3 random billboard cars.

Gons

I chose that gon to start because the same sides/stake pattern was used on the GHa high side gon, the GMa low side gon and the HSa hopper bottom gon.  Each version had over 1000 copies so they were common cars in my era.

Very Nice

I have been impressed with your resin gondolas, great detail, but that box conversion really catches my eye - I think that would make a great article. Despite all the excellent RTR on the market there are so many cars that are not available that this type of kit bash is very useful.

Really like your paint stands too, K&S shapes soldered?

R,

Bill

Paint stands

Yes, they are brass shapes.  The base is a brass angle with tubes soldered to one side and telescoping rods soldered to the other.  The verticals are brass strip with a right angle bend at the top and a hole for a truck screw. to hold it in place.  The telescoping base allows it to be adjusted for various size cars.

Options would be whether you wanted the angle at the top pointing in or out and I might add some layers of brass strips to the top  to make it thicker, less to screw in with the truck screw.

The open frame allows you to get to the underframe when air brushing.

I actually wrote an article on how to build them, it was published in RMC back about 30 years ago.

Thanks

Thanks for the details Dave, adjustable makes 'em even better!

R,

Bill

Corner braces

Wood sheathed cars have metal corner braces, which can be difficult to model.  I actually didn't put them on the first M12 car I kitbashed.  But the more I looked at the next 2 I was making the more I realized that I ought to include them.  I mulled over a couple different ways and then thought of using a Tichy part that wasn't intended for that.

Tichy part #3068 Large Strap Hinge has a T shaped hinge with a long, very thin strap with rivets/bolts on it.  I trimmed off two bolts worth of the long strap and then glued that in place on the car side and, voila', a corner brace.

Here is a sprue of the hinges, with the short hinges having been trimmed for braces.

And here is a car end with the "corner braces" applied.

Clever Idea

Great looking car! The hinges for corner braces is very clever. Looking forward to any further enhancements and the finished product!

Bob

Omaha

Yes!

A small detail, but will be very important in the final product. Great call, and a slick, simple solution - filed if for the future. Thanks!

Bill

Roof Walk Supports?

Can you tell us where you got them or how you made them?

Thanks,    Jack

Roof walk supports

Tichy part #3081, 84 supports to a package.

Three musketeers

Here are the three cars I kitbashed, I had originally intended to do one, but the conversion was easy enough I went ahead and did the other two.  Progress will be suspended while I get the right color paint and decals.

Roof Walk Supports

Made myself a note, on a sticky, and put it with my freight car supplies.

Jack

Update 090719

The GHa gons are in service!

The B&O M12's are painted and waiting for the Westerfield decals (which have been shipped).

PRR XL boxcars

Dave, 

Why not use these boxcar kitbashes as Pennsy XL boxcars? The B&O M-12 cars came onto the B&O while it was under Pennsy control and the cars follow the XL design. And there were several thousand more XL cars than the M-12s.

Eric

XL vs. M12

I have 1 XL on the layout, plus 2 or 3 unbuilt Westerfield XL kits (plus an XG/XH) and the B&O is a major connection.  Thus I went with the M12 for these, and will build Westerfield for the PRR lines.

Done

My M12's are in service.

Gonfest

Once again, the carshop has been busy.  Finished the carbodies on 6 scratchbuilt P&R class HSa hopper bottom coal cars.  These cars were made with homemade resin castings and mostly Tichy detail parts.  They have brake pipe detailing.  Also in the back is the P&R GMd gon 9350 that  kitbashed while I was in a gon frame of mind.

On the track behind the cars on the left is a class GMa mill gon.  It was also scratchbuilt from the same resin car castings and Tichy parts but with a flat mill bottom instead of a hopper bottom.

 Next step add sheet metal to the floor for weight, then into the paint shop.

Congrats on your fleet expansion, Dave! The models look fabulous!

Eric