Category: Freight and Passenger Car Modeling

I enjoy modeling 1949-1950 in both HO and O scale. This category includes posts on building models of freight and passenger cars, cabooses, and other rolling stock in both scales.

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling7 Comments

No. 139: Freight Car Modeling, Feb, 2020, Part 2

Golden1014

In December I sold a few models to raise money to buy things for a new layout.  During that time I met online a fellow modeler named Eric Reinert.  Eric asked me if I could finish a few models for him, and sent me a box models all the way from Illinois for some work and weathering.  Here are three of the six cars Eric sent. First is a completed Tichy NYC rebuilt box car.  Check out the real-life weathering!  The build is good but the model needs a little help.  I’m going to re-detail this car to a minor … Continue reading No. 139: Freight Car Modeling, Feb, 2020, Part 2

Freight and Passenger Car ModelingLeave a comment

No. 138: Freight Car Modeling, Feb 2020, Part 1

Golden1014

Over President’s Day weekend my wife and one of my daughters and I took a long day trip to the famous city of Colmar, in the Alsace region of France.  Colmar is famous for a lot of reasons; among them, according to tourist sites, is picturesque half-timbered houses, romantic canals, flower-laden windowsills, a labyrinth of cobblestone lanes and delicious food.   They weren’t kidding.  Colmar is amazing.  Scenes like this are around every corner.  It’s also the capital of Alsatian Wine Country and we’ve resolved to go back this summer for a weekend of wine and cheese and touring.  And … Continue reading No. 138: Freight Car Modeling, Feb 2020, Part 1

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling, O Scale & Proto 48, People1 Comment

No. 128: Russell Tedder…and Progress on Proto48 Models

Golden1014

In 2008 I was bitten by the O scale bug. That summer I spent three weeks at Little Rock AFB with some Air Force ROTC cadets, and because they couldn’t drink, I didn’t either…so I spent a lot of evenings and weekends building models over in officer billeting.  It was on this trip that I met Russell Tedder, and my friendship with Russell and his crew made it a truly, truly memorable trip.  I’ll write a little more about Russell later. Anyway, one of Russell’s friends ran a great hobby shop just outside the air base, and in addition to … Continue reading No. 128: Russell Tedder…and Progress on Proto48 Models

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling, Prototype Topics, Railfanning & MuseumsLeave a comment

No. 126: Railfanning at Lesce-Bled, Slovenia…and Finishing a Few Freight Cars

Golden1014

In June I took my family to Slovenia and Croatia for a little get-away after school ended.  We spent a week in Radovljica, Slovenia and then spent a couple of days at a seaside resort in Pula, Croatia. Radovljica (pronounced Rad-ol-ska) is one of the most beautiful, pleasant places on the Earth.  We love life there.  The people are wonderful, the cost of living is low, and the scenery there–near the magnificent, unspoiled Triglev National Park–is breathtaking.  If I could move there and retire, I think I would. One morning during our week I went to a nearby mainline railway … Continue reading No. 126: Railfanning at Lesce-Bled, Slovenia…and Finishing a Few Freight Cars

Ackley, Iowa Layouts, Freight and Passenger Car Modeling1 Comment

No. 115: Completing the Yarmouth Models ACL O-16B Auto Car

Golden1014

I was fortunate to have an article posted on the Resin Car Works blog recently.  I completed a C&IM USRA-type gondola and wrote about it at http://blog.resincarworks.com/building-a-chicago-illinois-midland-usra-type-coal-gondola/#more-2062. Frank Hodina supplied most of the information and photos and a few parts for the project, and Eric Hansmann did the editing.  Our St. Louis RPM friend and C&IM expert Ryan Crawford also helped with editing and prototype information.  My thanks to them for all the help. I started this project in January 2018.  I finished the build in a few weeks but the project stalled while I was rebuilding my sandblaster.  It took … Continue reading No. 115: Completing the Yarmouth Models ACL O-16B Auto Car

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling, O Scale & Proto 48Leave a comment

No. 114: Proto48 Freight Car Update

Golden1014

Here’s the view out of my third floor train room window.  It is not fit for man nor beast out.  It’s a good time to get some modeling done instead. We had a big conversation last week on the Groups IO Proto48 list–moderated by master builder Gene Deimling–about the P48 models are people building this winter.  I’ve been working very slowly on a few models with the goal of fully completing four or five models a year.  Here’s an update. Wabash Auto Car This is an essential freight car–the Wabash single-sheathed double door auto car.  I bought this model a couple of years ago from Rails Unlimited at … Continue reading No. 114: Proto48 Freight Car Update

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling2 Comments

No. 113: Salt Weathering

Golden1014

The boys on the Proto-Layouts list on IO were asking about salt weathering, so I thought I’d whip up a quick post on using the technique to weather freight car roofs. I’ve used the technique successfully on a few models.  Here’s one example: The model above is a Sunshine Models 80-series kit of the Missouri Pacific 90000-series single sheathed box car.  Here’s a link to the Sunshine Models flyer on Jim Hayes’ Sunshine Models website: http://sunshinekits.com/sunimages/sun80.pdf.  Man, I wish I had a couple of those Sunshine Frisco cars right about now… I recently applied salt weathering on a Sunshine Milwaukee … Continue reading No. 113: Salt Weathering

Ackley, Iowa Layouts, Freight and Passenger Car Modeling1 Comment

No. 112: Modeling Northern Pacific War Emergency Box Cars

Golden1014

First: Cars for Matt I was finally able to complete and ship Matt Herman’s cylindrical hoppers to him last week.  Matt installed sound in one of my M&StL RS-1s a few years ago and I offered to pay him plus weather a few models in return.  I won’t tell you how long it took me to get these cars completed.  Let’s just say it was a long time. The models certainly aren’t masterpieces from The Weathering Shop, but I’m happy with them.  The white car was the toughest to complete.  Weathering white models isn’t easy.  I sandblasted some of the paint … Continue reading No. 112: Modeling Northern Pacific War Emergency Box Cars

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling1 Comment

No. 111: Modeling N&W Low-Side Gons and NYC USRA Single-Sheathed Box Cars

Golden1014

It has been over a month since my last modeling post.  Work, Christmas celebrations and a ski trip to Austria the week before Christmas kept me busy, plus I spent a lot of spare time finishing up a freight car project for Frank Hodina’s Resin Car Works blog.   Look for that article soon at http://resincarworks.com/. Meanwhile my buddy Jeff Kuebler sent a photo of some of Union Pacific’s engines at the old Missouri Pacific yard at Dupo, Illinois, which is right across the river from south St. Louis.  They were on the way back from special duty moving President … Continue reading No. 111: Modeling N&W Low-Side Gons and NYC USRA Single-Sheathed Box Cars

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling3 Comments

No. 109: Modeling the SAL AF-1 Box Car

Golden1014

One of Seaboard Air Line’s most famous and most-recognizable freight cars was the AF-1 and AF-2 class “turtleback” auto car.  Sunshine Models released an HO scale car kit in the early 2000s and I was fortunate to acquire one and finish it this year. Above.  Wilbur C. Whittaker photo, Dunsmuir, Cal, 05 August, 1951.  Courtesy Richard Hendrickson. The Prototype SAL received a total of 1,200 turtleback auto cars in two series the 1940s.  The first series of 700 cars were delivered from Pullman (Bessemer, Ala.) in March, 1940, PS-Lot #5617.  The cars featured 10’ 6” IH, Pullman “Turtleback” roof, Apex running board and brake step, … Continue reading No. 109: Modeling the SAL AF-1 Box Car