If I didn't have enough projects on the go, I figured I would resurrect one that I started a couple of years ago.
Over the years I have accumulated a bunch of Mount Blue Models SR&RL RR 28ft Boxcars with the goal of replacing the Bachmann cars on my layout with more appropriated 2ft gauge Maine narrow gauge cars that I prefer. If I was to start over I would build something based on the WW&F.
MB-Boxcar 001.jpg
Above is one of the kits in the wild.
MB-Boxcar 002.jpg
The majority of the parts are laser cut on basswood and very thin material something like chipboard.
MB-Boxcar 003.jpg
There is also some brass wire, a bag of parts and a bag containing some clear fishing line.
MB-Boxcar 004.jpg
At the NMRA meet last Saturday I was able to build the frame. The frame is very designed with the laser cut pieces fitting together tightly.
MB-Boxcar 005.jpg
An with "Abracadabra......." three more completed frames ;D I did say I was building a small fleet of them.
Not sure how long this will take considering the other projects I have going on, but we shall see.
Thanks for looking in.
Your off to a good staart Ron. I hope you get these done in a timely manner!! ;D
Jerry
Quote from: Jerry on November 10, 2025, 09:30:16 PMYour off to a good staart Ron. I hope you get these done in a timely manner!! ;D
Jerry
Jerry,
You are going to have to define "timely manner" ;D
Howdy Ron,
That is some project. I'm watching your assembly. How do you plan to add weight to the cars? I have a MBM boxcar to build, too.
Have fun,
mike
Ron,
Looks like a great boxcar to build. Looking forward to you build, timely manner or not! 8)
Tom
Looks like a nice kit.
Have fun building it.
Thanks for looking in Tom and Rick.
I was able to make some progress on the boxcars so I thought I would post an update
MB-Boxcar 006.jpg
Before installing the queen posts I painted them with Vellejo's Black Grey (70.862). I don't use black on my models as I find it to stark.
MB-Boxcar 007.jpg
The instructions call that the center of the queen posts should be .290 from the edge. When I built the last 3 frames and I knew I more to build I made myself a little jig so no measuring is involved any more. ;D
According to the instructions the next step is to install the truss rods.
MB-Boxcar 008.jpg
The truss rods are made from clear nylon filament.
MB-Boxcar 009.jpg
Maine 2-foot equipment typical have only 2 truss rods so I cut the supplied filament into 4 pieces that were approximately the same size. At this point there are two ways to install the filament through the turnbuckles. The first method is to just thread the filament through the turntable. The second method is to melt one end of filament and then thread it through the turnbuckle.
MB-Boxcar 010.jpg
I chose option #2. I used a butane torch to melt the end of filament.
MB-Boxcar 011.jpg
The truss rod ready to install.
MB-Boxcar 012.jpg
The truss rods installed. In order to take the curve out of the filament I centered the turnbuckle between the queenposts and glued the filament to the queenposts making sure they were straight using thin ACC. Once the ACC was applied I used a kicker to cure it. Once that was done I threaded the ends of the filament through the holes in the frame I applied pressure to straighten out the filament and applied the glue and kicker.
MB-Boxcar 013.jpg
Once the filament was cured it was cut flush with the end beam.
MB-Boxcar 014.jpg
The last step was to paint the truss rods. For this I also Vallejo black grey.
Ron nice job. And thanks for the tutorial.
Jerry
Ron, a good how-to and end result.
Thanks
Ron those frames look fantastic; as one would expect of your work. Have fun and I'll be watching this one.
Howdy Ron, nice work on the boxcar frames. They look great! Have fun, mike
So much better working with soft metal or brass. I colored the filiment with permanent black marker. Years later not peeling.
Nice work Ron!
Thanks for the comments Jerry, Rick, Larry, Mike, Philip.
More progress has been made on the boxcars.
MB-Boxcar 015.jpg
Now that the boxcar frames are complete it was time to glue on the deck to the frame. I used white glue for this and used a few 'mini" clothe pegs to clamp it together till the glue dried.
MB-Boxcar 016.jpg
The decks glued to the frames. The boards on the decks are etched on both sides.
MB-Boxcar 017.jpg
The decks glued to the frames of the four boxcars.
MB-Boxcar 018.jpg
Accoding to the instructions, the next step was to stain the deck and under frame. I used Hunterline Driftwood to do this. This is a before and after picture, OK the deck is only half done.
MB-Boxcar 019.jpg
The deck completely stained.
MB-Boxcar 020.jpg
The underside completed.
Thanks for looking in.
There was a discussion on MRH forums on how to weigh flatcars. Joe Fugate suggested mixing small tungsten balls (tungsten is much more dense than lead) with Portland cement, then filling between the sills with that mixture. The Portland cement fills in between the balls and provides a dense but solid weight.
dave
I built an Eastern Car Works styrene depressed center flat kit years ago. I filled the openings in the frame with lead shot and secured it with white glue. It's been on my layout for more than 10 years, operating well when empty. Weight low in the car counts a little more for stability.
Quote from: jbvb on November 15, 2025, 01:05:42 PMI built an Eastern Car Works styrene depressed center flat kit years ago. I filled the openings in the frame with lead shot and secured it with white glue. It's been on my layout for more than 10 years, operating well when empty. Weight low in the car counts a little more for stability.
The potential problem with lead shot and white glue together is they can slowly react to produce lead acetate, which can cause swelling. That's one of the reason for Portland cement as a binder.
dave
Quote from: deemery on November 15, 2025, 01:11:10 PMQuote from: jbvb on November 15, 2025, 01:05:42 PMI built an Eastern Car Works styrene depressed center flat kit years ago. I filled the openings in the frame with lead shot and secured it with white glue. It's been on my layout for more than 10 years, operating well when empty. Weight low in the car counts a little more for stability.
The potential problem with lead shot and white glue together is they can slowly react to produce lead acetate, which can cause swelling. That's one of the reason for Portland cement as a binder.
dave
I'll take a look when I next see that car (think it's in staging right now).
Ok,
This is how I weight my cars, it's old fashioned but it works.
For closed cars I use self adhesive car weights 1/4oz car weights that can be easily cut in half to give 1/8oz. I mount them over the trucks. This lets you open the car doors without the weights being easily scene.
Now for the controversial part. For open cars I use sheet lead, the type used by plumbers and roofers. I cut the sheet into thin strips and glue them between the ribs on the underside of the cars. Because lead has a bad rap (rightly so) I never handle the lead without nitrile gloves. The scissors I use live in the same box as the lead sheet and are not used for anything else. I use 5 minute epoxy to glue the lead to the underside of the car. When the epoxy is dry, I paint the lead, usually a couple of coats of paint. Whenever I handle lead I always wash my hands after.
I probably won't change my method as I have enough sheet lead to last a lifetime.
Keep in mind that this works well for me modeling in On30 and 0 scale.
I've scratch-built flat cars where the inside sills were shorter, allowing me to glue a 'full' sheet of lead to the bottom of the car floor.
Are you using regular kitchen scissors, or something more rugged?
dave
Quote from: deemery on November 15, 2025, 06:23:32 PMI've scratch-built flat cars where the inside sills were shorter, allowing me to glue a 'full' sheet of lead to the bottom of the car floor.
Are you using regular kitchen scissors, or something more rugged?
dave
Dave,
I'm using something more rugged like old fashioned sheet metal shears.
Very nice.
Ron nice looking flatbed!!
Thanks for the comments Rick and Larry.
More progress was made on the boxcars yesterday. So far I have been following the instructions but at this point the next step is to start construction the sides and ends of the boxcar. I decided to bypass this for now and install the brake rigging instead. I have built a couple of these kits before and I find it easier working on the underside of the car while I can still lay it down flat on it's deck.
MB-Boxcar 021.jpg
The diagram from the kit showing the brake rigging. This is used as the template for bending the main air line.
MB-Boxcar 022.jpg
The main air line bent to shape.
MB-Boxcar 023.jpg
The air line blackened and ready to be installed. The instructions call for the lines to be painted with a permanent marker (Sharpie) but I have never had great success painting brass rod with this method so I used Blackin-it instead.
Now comes the fun part.MB-Boxcar 024.jpg
Installing the main air line. The instructions say you can cut the line in "half" under the brake cylinder to make the install easier, but if you are careful you can install it in one piece like I did. The trick is to take your time and feed it by the long end. The air line goes under the truss rods and then under the queen posts and bolsters which gives the air line a lot of places to get stuck of you're not careful.
MB-Boxcar 025.jpg
The ends of the air lines are held in place using plastic eye bolts that are drilled and glued to the frame using ACC.
MB-Boxcar 026.jpg
Where the air line crosses from one side of the car to the other side of the car a "U" made of 0.015" brass wire holds the air like in place. I made these by bending the brass wire into the "U" around one of the tongs of a pair of tweezers. Once bent they were cut to length and painted black. I drilled mounting holes on each side of the air line and inserted the "U" in place.
Next up is the brake appliances.
Thanks for looking in.
It's called patience! And seem to have a lot of it. Great job Ron.
Jerry
Well, it's been awhile but time for another update seeing as the brake system is finally completed.
MB-Boxcar 026a.jpg
First up was installing the supports for the brake cylinder and reservoir. The support shown here is for the brake cylinder.
MB-Boxcar 027.jpg
The brake cylinder installed along with the piston rod and clevis.
MB-Boxcar 028.jpg
The air reservoir installed.
MB-Boxcar 029.jpg
The air lines bent to shape. The one on the left is the line between the air reservoir and the brake cylinder. The one the right is from thew main air line to the reservoir.
MB-Boxcar 030.jpg
The instructions call for all the air lines to be pained with a permanent black marker (like a Sharpie). I haven't had too much success using this method so I used "blacken-it" instead. This is a quick and dirty method that is easy to use as the brass turns black almost instantly. After the wire turns black, I rinse it in water to stop the reaction and pat it dry on a paper towel.
MB-Boxcar 031.jpg
The air lines between the air reservoir and brake cylinder installed.
MB-Boxcar 032.jpg
Next step was to install the bracket (which is a grab iron that had the "blacken-it" treatment) that holds the main lever in place. The lever is a laser cut piece that was "painted" with a permanent black marker. Also added was the air line from the end of the main lever to the truck on the "B" end of the car.
MB-Boxcar 033.jpg
Up next is the installation of the floating lever and it's bracket. Once that was installed the installation of the air line to the truck on the "A" end of the car.
MB-Boxcar 034.jpg
The last line to be installed is the rod from the main lever to the "B" end of the car that is controlled by the brake wheel. This is located at the front of the car.
MB-Boxcar 035.jpg
The last thing to do was to paint the air cylinder and air reservoir. These were painted black grey (Vallejo 70.862), my go too colour for black.
Now that the underside of the car is completed as far as I go at this point ( The brake wheel needs to be installed before the chain can be installed). I can now move on to the car sides.
Thanks for looking in.
Following along, good progress I noticed the floor beams are notched in areas around the bolsters. Do you know if this is for wheel clearance?
Since the topic was mentioning wieghts.
When your car tires and rims get balanced, Aluminum rims get stick on leaf wieghts.
I'd hit up your favorite tire shop for 1/4 and 1/2 oz pieces.
They are particularly useful for inside box and reefer applications. Adhesive sheet lead us also used by slot car racers.
Dave #5
Ron, outstanding detail.
That's contest worthy.
Quote from: jbvb on December 07, 2025, 09:45:38 PMFollowing along, good progress I noticed the floor beams are notched in areas around the bolsters. Do you know if this is for wheel clearance?
James,
You are right, the notch areas around the bolsters are for wheel clearance.
Quote from: Dave Buchholz on December 07, 2025, 10:35:14 PMSince the topic was mentioning wieghts.
When your car tires and rims get balanced, Aluminum rims get stick on leaf wieghts.
I'd hit up your favorite tire shop for 1/4 and 1/2 oz pieces.
They are particularly useful for inside box and reefer applications. Adhesive sheet lead us also used by slot car racers.
Dave #5
Dave,
I also use 1/2oz self-stick wheel weights. It is quite easy to cut the weights in half to get 1/4 oz. I bought a box of them years ago.
Quote from: Rick on December 08, 2025, 07:24:51 AMRon, outstanding detail.
That's contest worthy.
Thanks Rick, it definitely was a figidity part of the build.
Ron,
These are looking great. Fantastic job on the brake and air lines.
Tom
Exceptional work Ron!!
Jerry
Quote from: ACL1504 on December 08, 2025, 09:10:30 AMRon,
These are looking great. Fantastic job on the brake and air lines.
Tom
Thanks Tom, Now I can work on other parts of the cars.
Quote from: Jerry on December 08, 2025, 11:09:47 AMExceptional work Ron!!
Jerry
Thanks Gerry, it was time consuming but worth it, even though it will never be seen once on the layout.
Nice looking kits, Ron.
Building fleets of cars can get a little repetitive but it avoids every car on the layout being a one-off. I'm sure that's your goal.
I like your choice of a grayed black for the hardware.
Mike
Quote from: Michael Hohn on December 08, 2025, 07:28:55 PMNice looking kits, Ron.
Building fleets of cars can get a little repetitive but it avoids every car on the layout being a one-off. I'm sure that's your goal.
I like your choice of a grayed black for the hardware.
Mike
Thanks Mike,
Building a fleet also gives the cars a family look. I use the greyed black as it looks more realistic to me as I find black to be too stark.
Time for another update.
Even though I had a rough week I did manage to find time to work on the boxcars.
This update covers the boxcar sides.
MB-Boxcar 036.jpg
First step is to glue the top plate to the inside of the car side.
MB-Boxcar 037.jpg
While gluing the top plate onto the car sides I noticed that one set of top plates was different than the others.
The boxcars I'm building are from three different series of SR&RL boxcars, boxcars#51-54, boxcars #67-76 and boxcars #104-108. All these boxcars have minor differences and have the same instructions to build them. Boxcars 104-108 have the biggest difference with having a door at one end of the car (the "A" end) and is 6" higher than the other cars. I have marked the frets for this car differently from the others to keep it separate. The photo above is the taller car.
MB-Boxcar 038.jpg
Next is to glue the door post on the left side of the car side.
MB-Boxcar 039.jpg
The instructions call for the end post to be blued to the sub-wall.
MB-Boxcar 040.jpg
Once the glue is dried it was time to glue the sub-wall assembly to the car side.
MB-Boxcar 041.jpg
Once the sub-wall is set the straight and angled studs was applied.
MB-Boxcar 042.jpg
After doing the above steps 7 more times it was time to do it 8 more times to complete the other side of the car sides.
MB-Boxcar 043.jpg
The last step is to add the wainscoting to the sub walls.
According to the instruction next step is to assemble the car ends.
Thanks for looking in.
Great update Ron your work is very neat for sure.
Jerry
Ron,
I'm just getting around to enjoying other threads.
You have a knack of leaving nothing to the imagination.
I also like building cars, but mine are scratchbuilt ones.
I hope your wife is feeling better.
And Happy Belated Birthday to you.
Rich
Ron great job on the boxcar construction. I really like outside bracer boxcars and yours should be a winner.
Ron, the cars are coming together nicely.
I like that guide the manufacture included for placing the braces.
Quote from: Jerry on December 14, 2025, 12:02:54 AMGreat update Ron your work is very neat for sure.
Jerry
Thanks Jerry.
Quote from: Pennman on December 14, 2025, 07:33:11 AMRon,
I'm just getting around to enjoying other threads.
You have a knack of leaving nothing to the imagination.
I also like building cars, but mine are scratchbuilt ones.
I hope your wife is feeling better.
And Happy Belated Birthday to you.
Rich
Rich,
Thanks for the birthday wishes and the Mrs is feeling better.
Just doing a "step-by-step" so that id someone else tries to build these kits they will have something to refer to.
Quote from: Larry C on December 14, 2025, 08:05:56 AMRon great job on the boxcar construction. I really like outside bracer boxcars and yours should be a winner.
Thanks Larry,
Actually the braces are on the inside of the car. Might have to model one of the cars with a door open so the interior can be seen.
Quote from: Rick on December 14, 2025, 08:38:29 AMRon, the cars are coming together nicely.
I like that guide the manufacture included for placing the braces.
Thanks Rick,
The guide serves two purposes, 1 - location for the studs and 2 - support/base for the wainscoting.
Managed some more time at the bench and got the car ends completed.
MB-Boxcar 044.jpg
The ends are made by sandwiching three layers together.
- The outer sheathing
- Middle filler piece
- Inner sheathing
MB-Boxcar 045.jpg
Because I had 8 ends to make I felt this was a great opportunity to make a jig to keep all the pieces in place during the assembly process.
MB-Boxcar 046.jpg
Step 1 - Slide the outer sheathing into the jig. This slides into a slot at the bottom of the jig.
MB-Boxcar 047.jpg
The outer sheathing slid into place.
MB-Boxcar 048.jpg
Step 2 - glue the filler piece to the outer sheathing. The jig insures that these is an equal space at each side of the ends.
MB-Boxcar 049.jpg
Step 3 - Glue the inner sheathing to the filler piece.
MB-Boxcar 050.jpg
The completed car end removed from the jig.
Next up the car assemblies begin.
Thanks for looking in.
Ron great idea using a jig to keep everything the same sizes.
Ron, good use of a jig.
These kits look well designed and have excellent detail.
Are they still being made?
Ron very smart using the jig.
Jerry
Quote from: Larry C on December 15, 2025, 07:50:03 AMRon great idea using a jig to keep everything the same sizes.
Thanks Larry,
I still have a couple more boxcar kits to build so the jig will still be used.
Quote from: Rick on December 15, 2025, 07:59:45 AMRon, good use of a jig.
These kits look well designed and have excellent detail.
Are they still being made?
Thanks Rick,
Yes, the kits are still being made. Their website is www.mountbluemodelco.com
Quote from: Jerry on December 15, 2025, 02:06:47 PMRon very smart using the jig.
Jerry
Thanks Jerry,
You know me, any excuse to make a jig.
Well it is time for another update.
But before any further construction is done now is the time to add the weights to the cars while there is ready access to the floor of the car.
*****WARNING**** Math is involved beyond this point.
In order to get the "before" weight of the car, I pulled out my postal scale and put the car frame/floor, constructed car sides and ends, roof, trucks, couplers and assorted detail parts in the scale. The total weight for this mess was 1.4oz. I added .2oz to this for miscellaneous parts and stuff for a total weight of 1.6 oz.
Now for the math stuff. :o
I use the NMRA standards for weighting cars and I use the HO standards for my On30 cars. The NMRA standard calls for an initial weight of 1 oz plus 1/2 oz for each inch of car. The cars I am building are 7" long, so the required weight is 1 oz + (7 * 1/2 oz) = 4.5 oz.
The weight I need to add to the car to meet the NMRA requirements is 4.5 oz - 1.6 oz = 2.9 oz.
I'm going to stop the math stuff now before it gives me a headache.
MB-Boxcar 051.jpg
I use 1/4 oz self-adhesive car weights to add weight to my cars so I need to add 12 weights (3 oz total). To add them I affixed 6 weights per end over the truck bolsters.
I also decided now would be a good time to temporally add trucks to the cars. This will (hopefully) protect the underside of the car with all the brake rigging.
MB-Boxcar 052.jpg
So I went from this . . . . . . .
MB-Boxcar 053.jpg
. . . . . . To this.
I used Tichy's archbar trucks with Intermountain 36" wheels. The 36" wheels works out to be 19.74" which is close enough to the 20" wheels that were used on the Maine 2-footers.
MB-Boxcar 054.jpg
One of the cars on the tracks.
Now back to construction
The first order of business it to add the car sides.
MB-Boxcar 055.jpg
Three of the cars with the first side attached. The 4th car was build earlier to test out fit and alignment. As you can see, one can never have to many clamps. ;D
MB-Boxcar 056.jpg
The first side attached. Lining up the car side is easy as the door fits between the floor at the door opening. You can see the slight protrusion of the floor at the door opening at the front of the care.
MB-Boxcar 057.jpg
A view of the attached side looking from the outside of the car.
MB-Boxcar 058.jpg
The other car side attached.
MB-Boxcar 059.jpg
The ends attached to the car.
MB-Boxcar 060.jpg
The car body completed.
MB-Boxcar 061.jpg
It's starting to look like a fleet. The car in red is also a Mount Blue Boxcar Kit.
According to the instructions the next step is to install the buffer blocks.
Thanks for looking in.
Ron, it is starting to look like a fleet.
Nice job adding the weights, trucks and sides.
You certainly have a good collection of clamps.
"You can't have too many clamps"
dave
Quote from: Rick on December 23, 2025, 07:15:52 AMRon, it is starting to look like a fleet.
Nice job adding the weights, trucks and sides.
You certainly have a good collection of clamps.
Thanks Rick.
Even with all the clamps I have some days they are not enough.
Quote from: deemery on December 23, 2025, 08:20:37 AM"You can't have too many clamps"
dave
My favorate clamps are the brass bar clamps, I pick them up whenever I see them.
Looking Great!
Philip
Ron they look great!! You can be my builder any day!!
Jerry
Quote from: Jerry on December 23, 2025, 09:51:36 AMRon they look great!! You can be my builder any day!!
Jerry
Thanks Jerry, I'll have to check my schedule ;D
Another update . . . . . . .
Next up is to make the buffer blocks
MB-Boxcar 062.jpg
The kit come with a template to cut the angle on the end of the buffer block.
MB-Boxcar 063.jpg
The first piece of the buffer block in the template.
MB-Boxcar 064.jpg
The buffer block sanded to shape. I say sanded to shape because i found sanding the ends is more accurate than cutting the angle with a razor saw. I have a Ultimation Sander with the repeater attachment. Once set up sanding multiple parts is a piece of cake.
MB-Boxcar 065.jpg
The three pieces of the buffer block glued together.
MB-Boxcar 066.jpg
The NBW castings added.
MB-Boxcar 067.jpg
The buffer block glued to the end of the car.
Next up is to install the end door on the one car I'm building that has an end door.
MB-Boxcar 068.jpg
The end door consists of three parts. The door with legs and the 2 slide rails.
MB-Boxcar 069.jpg
The slide rails glued to the door legs.
MB-Boxcar 070.jpg
There are 2 ways to glue the end door on the car. With the door open, or . . . .
MB-Boxcar 071.jpg
Closed.
Now it's time to install the roof.
MB-Boxcar 072.jpg
The first step in installing the roof is to glue the rafters on to the car sides. There are notches at the top of the car sides that accept the rafters.
MB-Boxcar 073.jpg
On the rafters are set I glued in the purlins.
MB-Boxcar 074.jpg
Once the purlins were set the roof was glued on.
MB-Boxcar 075.jpg
Oh, in case you were wondering, I installed the end door in the closed conditions.
Thanks for looking in.
Ron, nice to see all the very good progress you're making.
That's an unusual metal roof. I didn't comment earlier, but doing assembly jigs is something I learned is worth the time when I did my -12- B&M scratchbuilt boxcars...
dave
Quote from: Rick on December 24, 2025, 08:03:43 AMRon, nice to see all the very good progress you're making.
Thanks Rick.
With the holiday season upon us, I have a feeling progress will slow down a bit.
Quote from: deemery on December 24, 2025, 08:54:09 AMThat's an unusual metal roof. I didn't comment earlier, but doing assembly jigs is something I learned is worth the time when I did my -12- B&M scratchbuilt boxcars...
dave
Dave,
When I built the first boxcar (in 2020) I thought the same thing. I did some research at the time and yes the SR&RL boxcars did have roofs like that.
As for the Jigs I tend to make them if I have multiples to make or if I might have a use for them in the future. I have 2 more Mount Blue Boxcar Kits so the jigs I made to construct the current 4 will be used again.
Ron very nicely done. And thanks for the tutorial.
Jerry
Ron very nicely done; that's going to be an impressive fleet of cars when finished.
Thanks for the comments Jerry and Larry.
***** Standing on soapbox *****
I sometimes wonder if it is worth the effort for document step by step construction threads when one only get a few comments and usually by the same people. It can get depressing at some times, but then I get a comments like Jerry thanking me for the tutorial and it makes me think. Jerry is one of the people I truly respect for his modeling as well as his friendship. Just for the fun of it, I checked out the views this thread is getting and was surprised by the number of views vs comments posted. It was surprising how many views the thread has been attracting, people are looking.
I'm not doing this to generate more comments although I do appreciate them. I also realize that modeling in a "specialty" scale will also generate less interest as there is less people that is interested in the scale being modeled. I look at threads like ACLTom's latest thread and the views and comments his thread is generating and I realized that there are a lot more people interested in structure threads because they are hugely more popular than modeling On30 rolling stock. For the record, I am not picking on Tom, as he is another modeler that I respect for both his modeling skills and his friendship.
The purpose of this exercise was to figure out if the time required to do step by steps is worth while. The conclusion is that is is worth the effort. I have come to the conclusion that if only 1 person finds it useful and learns from it, then I consider it a success.
Sorry for the rant.
***** Getting off soapbox *****
Now time to get back to regular programming.
A view from the other side of the screen ;D As Ron points out, build threads get lots of views, and sometimes a lot of comments. But from my keyboard, I try to say something more valuable than "Wow, what great work, thanks for explaining!" I might highlight something new I learned, or add another consideration. But just wading through a lot of "Thumbs Up" comments can get a bit tiresome. (It's a shortcoming of this forum's software there's no "Like" button to express approval without adding a new post.)
That's my perspective as a participant (and NOT as a moderator...)
dave
p.s. Inspired in large part by this thread, I dug out an HOn30 boxcar kit, also from Mount Blue - former Marsh Creek kit. I needed a break from the marathon that was my machine shop project.
The build continues,
MB-Boxcar 076.jpg
With the roof installed the next step is to install the roof walkway. The first step is to install the roof walk supports. This is pretty straight forward as the supports have tabs except for the one that is located at the center of the car which is centered over the door.
MB-Boxcar 077.jpg
Next up is installing the platform supports. Again this is another easy task as the tabs on the platform supports fit into the slots on the roof. The only issue I had was they were a little too tight to fit into the slots on the roof. I fixed this by lightly sanding the sides. Doing this let the tabs fit into slots on the roof nicely.
MB-Boxcar 078.jpg
Before installing the roof walk it needed to be stained first. It can be stained after installation but I have found it to be less messy and easier. I used Hunter Line's Driftwood stain for this.
MB-Boxcar 079.jpg
Another step was to glue the overhand supports to the ends of the roof walk. The instructions call for this to be done after the roof walk is installed, but I fins it easier before the roof walk is installed.
There is one more step to be done before installing the roof walk.
MB-Boxcar 080.jpg
The roof of the car needs to be painted before the roof walk is installed. The reason for this is that the roof and roof walks are different colors and the roof under the roof walk can not be painted once the roof walk is installed.
MB-Boxcar 081.jpg
The roof walk installed on the boxcar.
Quote from: deemery on December 28, 2025, 10:58:38 AMA view from the other side of the screen ;D As Ron points out, build threads get lots of views, and sometimes a lot of comments. But from my keyboard, I try to say something more valuable than "Wow, what great work, thanks for explaining!" I might highlight something new I learned, or add another consideration. But just wading through a lot of "Thumbs Up" comments can get a bit tiresome. (It's a shortcoming of this forum's software there's no "Like" button to express approval without adding a new post.)
That's my perspective as a participant (and NOT as a moderator...)
dave
p.s. Inspired in large part by this thread, I dug out an HOn30 boxcar kit, also from Mount Blue - former Marsh Creek kit. I needed a break from the marathon that was my machine shop project.
Dave,
Thanks for the view from the "other side" and I tend to agree with you. The next time a forum upgrade is considered a "like" button should be part of it (hint, hint). ;D
On a side note, I'm glad that this thread partly inspired you to build a HOn3 boxcar kit.
How do you plan to finish these cars? Early years? "State of Good Repair"? or post-1929 circling the drain?
Ron, totally agree with your viewpoint on posting and receiving feedback and comments.
Roof is looking good.
I hope Ron forgives this one post hijacking his thread, to show what I did on my HO cars. First I primed with the finish car color (Badger red-brown primer in this case)
IMG_1307.jpeg
Then I used MIG Weathering Pencils to highlight individual boards:
IMG_1308.jpeg
Finally, I used a light coat of Pan Pastel light oxide red to blend and fade everything together:
IMG_1309.jpeg
For a more weathered look, color more boards with contrasting pencils, then use a lighter dust color to blend. I also did the boxcar doors. Next step is to glue doors and trim to the model.
Total time for this was about 45 minutes, if that. It goes quickly!
dave
Dave,
First off, you are not hijacking my thread. We could rename it "Dueling Boxcar builds". ;D Hopefull;y you will post more update as as the build progresses.
Your work is excellent and thanks for the weathering techniques, I just might borrow some of that for my build.
Quote from: jbvb on December 28, 2025, 12:00:43 PMHow do you plan to finish these cars? Early years? "State of Good Repair"? or post-1929 circling the drain?
James, thanks for the comments.
I model 1929, so the cars will be in "good repair" weathered to show usage. Not down the post 1929 drain, but close.
Quote from: Rick on December 28, 2025, 12:13:41 PMRon, totally agree with your viewpoint on posting and receiving feedback and comments.
Roof is looking good.
Thanks Rick,
Sometimes it gets depressing when you see no comments but by checking out the views, the depression goes away.
The roof on Ron's model is obviously metal sheet. The roof material on my car is not obvious. It's not scribed, like a double sheaved wood roof. There's no metal engraving, or metal battens. So I've decided it must have been painted canvas. I've primed and painted with some relatively heavy craft paint. I'll sand and do another coat of heavy craft paint, with the intent of removing any wood grain from the (thin plywood) roof. We'll see how this plan works out.
dave
Ron,
The boxcars are looking great and I've enjoyed the documentation. That is going to be a fine fleet of revenue cars. I also very much appreciate a member that goes the extra mile in posts, photos and narrative that goes with a build thread.
I understand your frustrations on not getting comments about a build. I've gone through the same feelings on some of my threads.
I try to post to all threads on this forum and only ask a response to mine in return.
There are two members on this forum that have received my praise and I've received no comment from them on my compliment. They are the same two that had this behavior on RR Lines. I no longer comment on their threads.
My policy has always been to comment on each and every comment I receive on my builds. I feel if you thought enough to post to my build, the least I could do is acknowledge the comment.
My two cents worth.
Tom
Progress on my HOn30 car. The woodwork & roof are done, what's left is the ironwork:
IMG_1316.jpeg
The kit had closely spaced roofwalk supports, and I thought they looked too close together. So I filled in every other hole and painted to match the roof. Any imperfections will be hidden under the roofwalk. I think this looks better.
The goal for the roof was to make it look like 'not wood' (canvas?) The plywood roof piece had definite wood grain, but after some coats of painting and sanding, that's pretty much gone.
IMG_1317.jpeg
The ironwork (brake, grabs, door hardware, etc) has been primed the car color. I need to decide if I'll leave it that color, or paint it dark grey. But that's tomorrow's decision.
dave
Quote from: deemery on December 28, 2025, 08:08:31 PMThe roof on Ron's model is obviously metal sheet. The roof material on my car is not obvious. It's not scribed, like a double sheaved wood roof. There's no metal engraving, or metal battens. So I've decided it must have been painted canvas. I've primed and painted with some relatively heavy craft paint. I'll sand and do another coat of heavy craft paint, with the intent of removing any wood grain from the (thin plywood) roof. We'll see how this plan works out.
dave
Dave is correct, the roofs on my boxcars are metal.
Quote from: ACL1504 on December 30, 2025, 01:39:20 PMRon,
The boxcars are looking great and I've enjoyed the documentation. That is going to be a fine fleet of revenue cars. I also very much appreciate a member that goes the extra mile in posts, photos and narrative that goes with a build thread.
I understand your frustrations on not getting comments about a build. I've gone through the same feelings on some of my threads.
I try to post to all threads on this forum and only ask a response to mine in return.
There are two members on this forum that have received my praise and I've received no comment from them on my compliment. They are the same two that had this behavior on RR Lines. I no longer comment on their threads.
My policy has always been to comment on each and every comment I receive on my builds. I feel if you thought enough to post to my build, the least I could do is acknowledge the comment.
My two cents worth.
Tom
Tom,
Thanks for your very kind words. While I do not comment on every comment, I do acknowledge every comment for the same reason you comment on every comment.
and thank you for your 2 cents, it's worth a lot more than that.
A comment on roofwalks in the steam era... They get a lot of abuse from brakemen walking over them. Some railroads mixed sand in with the paint on the roofwalk to add traction. A few railroads left them unpainted, figuring that it would be better to replace them than to replace brakemen that slipped on the painted roofwalk.
Look at the roofwalks in this color photo from the 1930s (From Shorpy.com....)
(https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/1a34816u.jpg)
So it's a good modeling detail, particularly for earlier railroading, to have roofwalks be more heavily weathered than the roof itself. I might go back and scrape/sand the roofwalk on my car, then put A&I wash to help pick up the increased wood grain.
dave
Dave,
Your boxcar looks great. As for trying to achieve a canvas look on the roof, I would call it a success. I also think you made the right call concerning the spacing of the roof walk supports.
Quote from: deemery on December 31, 2025, 10:04:14 AMA comment on roofwalks in the steam era... They get a lot of abuse from brakemen walking over them. Some railroads mixed sand in with the paint on the roofwalk to add traction. A few railroads left them unpainted, figuring that it would be better to replace them than to replace brakemen that slipped on the painted roofwalk.
So it's a good modeling detail, particularly for earlier railroading, to have roofwalks be more heavily weathered than the roof itself. I might go back and scrape/sand the roofwalk on my car, then put A&I wash to help pick up the increased wood grain.
dave
Dave interesting post regarding the roof walks. The SR&RL did not paint their roof walks for the reason you stated above.
Time for another update.
If I would be naming these updates, I would call this one "trim Day"
MB-Boxcar 082.jpg
The first up is to add the door stop on the left sides of the doors.
Before we go any further SR&RL boxcars #104 - #108 had differences than the other SR&RL boxcars I'm building. From this point forward I will refer to them as the 100 series.
MB-Boxcar 083.jpg
next step is to add the trim along the top of the car. this goes all around the car except for the door opening. This is easily located as there is a small bump out on the roof panel that indicates the door opening.
MB-Boxcar 084.jpg
The 100 series cars had a different end trim.
MB-Boxcar 085.jpg
One the trim at the roof is installed it was time to install the door slide cover. This is installed on the slight bump out on the roof panel.
MB-Boxcar 086.jpg
The last step for the trim is to install a "block" at the end of the door slide.
MB-Boxcar 087.jpg
The series 100 cars has curved hangers at the bottom corners of the cars. What is interesting is that the part diagrams in the instructions shows 4 of them the same size while the actual part fret have 2 of them a different lengths on the end side than the other 2. I decided to put the short one on the "B" end of the car.
MB-Boxcar 088.jpg
The hangers were "attached" to the cars using NBW castings.
Now we get to fabricate the doors.
MB-Boxcar 089.jpg
The door is made up of two parts, the external sheathing and the internal framing.
MB-Boxcar 090.jpg
The instructions call for .015 brass wire to be formed and add the NBW's. Having built a previous car I found it easier to add the NBW casting first.
MB-Boxcar 091.jpg
To install the door handle i used a .020 styrene spacer to make sure that the handle was even when installed. These were glued to the back side of the door using ACC.
MB-Boxcar 092.jpg
The installed door handles.
MB-Boxcar 093.jpg
The door hangers installed. The series 100 cars shown on the right had different door hangers than the other cars.
Nice detail work on the end buffers!
dave
MB-Boxcar 094.jpg
The doors installed on the car in the closed position.
MB-Boxcar 095.jpg
The door in the fully opening position.
Quote from: deemery on December 31, 2025, 12:19:48 PMNice detail work on the end buffers!
dave
Thanks Dave.
Outstanding modeling on the cars Ron.
Nice work Ron.
Don't think I've seen a door handle placed like that on a boxcar.
Quote from: Rick on December 31, 2025, 04:22:43 PMNice work Ron.
Don't think I've seen a door handle placed like that on a boxcar.
Rick,
Prototype photos show the handles that way. Rather that cut and paste a photo here (which is probably an issue) here is a link to a prototype picture showing the door handle on the car.
http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=57593
Quote from: elwoodblues on December 31, 2025, 05:00:59 PMQuote from: Rick on December 31, 2025, 04:22:43 PMNice work Ron.
Don't think I've seen a door handle placed like that on a boxcar.
Rick,
Prototype photos show the handles that way. Rather that cut and paste a photo here (which is probably an issue) here is a link to a prototype picture showing the door handle on the car.
http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=57593
I had no doubt it wasn't prototypical.
Just something I don't remember seeing before.
That door handle position makes sense. If you're in the freight house, standing at the same level as the car floor, that handle is conveniently located to open the door.
dave
Thanks, Ron. I've seen so many cars and cabins patched with plywood in their later years that I couldn't tell. Nice work as usual. Have fun, mike
It's best to do trucks and couplers before gluing the undercarriage permanently to the rest of the car:
IMG_1321.jpeg
For HOn30, the Kadee N scale gauge works for coupler height. Those are the Grandt Line SR&RL 4' trucks. They look great, but the wheelsets suck (plastic wheels.) The replacement wheelsets from NWSL are prohibitively expensive ($24 for 4 wheelsets.) The Fox Valley N scale wheelsets have a different axle shape. I've asked the HOn30 groups.io list for what people are using these days for trucks and wheelsets. I do have some Shapeways 3D printed trucks, but I think they're wider wheelbase, which looks a bit funky on the 20' car.
dave
Quote from: friscomike on December 31, 2025, 05:28:53 PMThanks, Ron. I've seen so many cars and cabins patched with plywood in their later years that I couldn't tell. Nice work as usual. Have fun, mike
Thanks Mike, I'm having a lot of fun building them.
Quote from: deemery on January 01, 2026, 03:05:01 PMIt's best to do trucks and couplers before gluing the undercarriage permanently to the rest of the car:
For HOn30, the Kadee N scale gauge works for coupler height. Those are the Grandt Line SR&RL 4' trucks. They look great, but the wheelsets suck (plastic wheels.) The replacement wheelsets from NWSL are prohibitively expensive ($24 for 4 wheelsets.) The Fox Valley N scale wheelsets have a different axle shape. I've asked the HOn30 groups.io list for what people are using these days for trucks and wheelsets. I do have some Shapeways 3D printed trucks, but I think they're wider wheelbase, which looks a bit funky on the 20' car.
dave
Dave,
Fortunately (or luckily) for us modeling in On30 in that we have more options. Because I'm modeling Maine 2 foot prototypes I use Ticky archbar trucks which have 3ft truck spacing instead of of the required 4ft that the prototype used. But, they are readily available at a very reasonable price. I use Intermouintain 36" wheels which scales out to 20" in O scale which is the diameter wheels that were used.
I should have mentioned the reason the weights are on "stilts" is to make sure the truck screw doesn't accidentally push into the weights and knock them loose. Plus with the nylon truss rods, they wouldn't sit quite flat on the floor.
dave
I need to add the brakewheel, touch up paint on grabs, etc, and put the wheels back into the trucks (or replace them.) The thin cardstock parts, like the door hangers, are very fragile. They really should include extras, a comment I'll be sending back to Mount Blue.
IMG_1323.jpeg
I have yet to find a really good paint that sticks to phosphor bronze. And if there's something more frustrating than detail parts/grabirons/NBWs that fly off the tweezers, I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW...
dave
Dave, I agree with you about finding a paint that sticks to phosphor bronze is like finding the holy grail. What I do is first use a product like blackin-it or Pewter Black from Jax to blacken the phosphor bronze and then paint it.
The boxcar looks great, and if there's something more frustrating than detail parts/grabirons/NBWs that fly off the tweezers, I do not want to know about it either.
Dave the boxcar is really looking good. When stuff flys off tweezers they end up in the same place as that odd sock you can't find; mine must be getting pretty full by now.
Time for another update. . . . .
MB-Boxcar 096.jpg
The ladders are made on the carrier sheets. The reason for this is to keep everything aligned during the construction process.
MB-Boxcar 097.jpg
The first step is to add the rungs to the ladder. this is done by cutting the grab irons down to size. The grab iron on top is the original while the grab iron below is the modified one.
MB-Boxcar 098.jpg
The rungs installed on the ladder.
MB-Boxcar 099.jpg
After the rungs were installed, the NBW castings were added. Once all this was done ACC was used to glue the rungs and NBW casting to the ladders.
MB-Boxcar 100.jpg
The ladders removed from the carrier sheets.
MB-Boxcar 101.jpg
The ladders installed to the boxcars.
We are almost done with the build. There are just a few details to be added to the boxcars.
Thanks for looking in.
Ron nice looking ladders and installation. The finished cars should make a nice addition to your layout.
Quote from: Larry C on January 09, 2026, 02:08:35 PMRon nice looking ladders and installation. The finished cars should make a nice addition to your layout.
Thanks Larry, Once they are done I'll be able to remove 4 Bachmann boxcars from the layout.
Ron,
the cars are coming together very nicely. The manufacturer had a great idea in using a carrier sheet for making the ladders and hand holds. Very well done.
Tom
Excellent job on the ladders Ron. The car looks great.Are you going to decal it or leave it plain?
Ron that is some fine work!! Glad you had the patience for those NBW's!!
Jerry
Quote from: ACL1504 on January 10, 2026, 01:54:21 PMRon,
the cars are coming together very nicely. The manufacturer had a great idea in using a carrier sheet for making the ladders and hand holds. Very well done.
Tom
Tom,
Thanks for looking in. To tell you the truth, the carrier sheet for the ladders is one of the best part of the kit.
"Excellent job on the ladders Ron. The car looks great.Are you going to decal it or leave it plain?"
Curt, they will be painted and decaled as per the previous car I build.
MB-Boxcar 000.jpg
Quote from: Jerry on January 11, 2026, 10:52:32 AMRon that is some fine work!! Glad you had the patience for those NBW's!!
Jerry
Thanks Jerry, I have come to realize that installing NBW's in O scale is a necessity.
It has been a busy weekend working on the boxcars. I spent today adding the final details.
MB-Boxcar 102.jpg
The first detail to be added is the side and end grab irons. This is a two part process. The first part is to install is the NBW casting.
MB-Boxcar 103.jpg
The second part is to add the preformed grab iron.
MB-Boxcar 104.jpg
The next detail added was to install the NBW casting where the truss rod meets the car end.
MB-Boxcar 105.jpg
After that I added the grab iron to the running boards.
MB-Boxcar 106.jpg
Stirrup steps were added next.
MB-Boxcar 107.jpg
There is a second grab iron required on the ends of the car. This is located near the bottom of the car.
MB-Boxcar 108.jpg
The last detail to be added was the step on the bottom of car end.
This completes the construction of the boxcars before painting. The only construction step left is the install the brake wheel and the couplers.
Pictures of the completed car.
MB-Boxcar 109.jpg
MB-Boxcar 110.jpg
MB-Boxcar 111.jpg
Thanks for looking in.
Howdy Ron,
The construction of these cars highlights your modeling skills. The boxcars look fantastic. The underbody details demand mirrors under the track so you can see the details. ;)
Have fun,
mike
Quote from: friscomike on January 12, 2026, 09:38:40 AMHowdy Ron,
The construction of these cars highlights your modeling skills. The boxcars look fantastic. The underbody details demand mirrors under the track so you can see the details. ;)
Have fun,
mike
And that's for sure Ron!!!!!
Jerry
Ron the grab bars and steps look outstanding. Very clean. Well done.
Quote from: friscomike on January 12, 2026, 09:38:40 AMHowdy Ron,
The construction of these cars highlights your modeling skills. The boxcars look fantastic. The underbody details demand mirrors under the track so you can see the details. ;)
Have fun,
mike
Thanks Mike,
I sometime wonder if all the effort for the underside is worth it considering it will never be seen (except maybe during a derailment), but I know they are there.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 12, 2026, 10:49:56 AMRon the grab bars and steps look outstanding. Very clean. Well done.
Thanks Curt,
making them look right is well worth the effort involved.
Ron, lots of good detail on these cars.
You've done an excellent job of assembly.
Quote from: Rick on January 13, 2026, 06:34:05 AMRon, lots of good detail on these cars.
You've done an excellent job of assembly.
Thanks Rick, this was a fun project.
Great looking car.
While at the Dirty Thirty On30 Setup this pass weekend I found time to paint the boxcars with two coats of paint.
MB-Boxcar 112.jpg
MB-Boxcar 113.jpg
The colour used was Apple Barrel Flamenco Red.
Next up is adding the decals.
Thanks for looking in.
Ron great job. I like that coloring with the decals it will be a great looking fleet.
Jerry
Ron, those cars are looking sharp.
Ron great job on the cars; they'll make a nice addition to your layout.
Good progress. Looking forward to seeing lettering and weathering.
Cool fleet of boxcars. Almost ready for revenue service.
Jeff
Thanks for the comments Jerry, Rick, Larry, James and Jeff.
The cars are one step closer to being finished.
Ron, beautiful work. ~mike
Ron,
Very nice looking fleet of boxcars. Well done.
Tom
Nice work!
Quote from: ACL1504 on January 23, 2026, 03:30:14 PMRon,
Very nice looking fleet of boxcars. Well done.
Tom
Thanks Tom, the finish line is in site.