Freight Car Photos (model and prototype)

[ACL1504]

Thom,
Beautiful modeling on the log car. I need to get some of those wonderful logs. Do you know where Brian got the logs?

Thanks for sharing.


I need 15!

Tom

[ACL1504]

Waldo, Florida.

[tct855]

Thom,
Beautiful modeling on the log car. I need to get some of those wonderful logs. Do you know where Brian got the logs?

Thanks for sharing.


I need 15!

Tom

Tom,
         Brian made them.  He told me the logs are plastic, filled with plaster for weight, then textured with ground up tree bark. He might stop by and describe what all he did to achieve.  Thanx Thom...

[BrianK]

Hi Guys~

I sent Thom photos of the Kadee skeleton log car that I finished up this morning.  He asked if he could post the photos.  I said sure.  Here's a brief description.  I've always loved this car, ever since I saw an ad for one in MR back in the mid-60s.  I was 13 when I built my first one, and a couple more since then.  I'm 63 now and this is my latest interpretation of this fine model.  The kits are all white metal.  They're easy to assemble but do require a fair amount of patience because of cleaning up flash on all the castings.  When I don't feel like hauling out the airbrush, I use Tamiya's spray lacquers.  I start with their gray primer, followed up with a coat of wood, and finally with their red brown.  (BTW, this is a great color to use on boxcars.)  But those colors are just for the "wood" part of the car.  The bunks and underbody components are soaked in Micro Engineering's rail weathering solution till they turn black, then rinsed with water and allowed to dry overnight.  Then with an old toothbrush I clean off any powder residue.  Once installed and the car is sprayed with a flat finish, the bunks and brake details take on some nice colors.  Also, BTW, I pre-assemble the brake system so it can be handled separately.  This is easy to do since Kadee pre-drills all holes and the brake piping is pre-bent.  In fact, the entire kit is a series of subassemblies--the only way to go, in my opinion.

The logs are the Kadee logs included in the kit, though I have my own technique for aging them.  First off, using a razor saw, I cut them to slightly different lengths.  Then I glue the bottom cap in place (or you could do the top), then I fill each one with plaster.  You can then add the furnished top cap, but I chose to leave those off and shape the plaster before it fully set.  Once it's set, I take a round tipped bit in my Dremel, bore through sections of the plastic "bark" exposing the plaster underneath, then I color that with a wood color after scribing some grooves in it.  I then sprayed the logs with Dullcote just to take away the sheen.  I had a bottle of Polly Scale light gray undercoat, though any light gray will do, and brushed that on the raised bark, trying to keep it out of the grooves.  I then gathered up some bark pieces in our yard, put them in a coffee bean grinder, and pulverized them.  Then I took some Vallejo matte varnish and applied that over the gray bark I just added, doing a small section at a time.  I sprinkled on the bark, tapped it down with a finger, and let it dry.  Then I kept doing that until one log was finished.  Once it all dried,I removed the excess with a toothbrush, using a light stroke.  Some pieces will look oversized, so I removed them with tweezers.  Then I added more bark in areas that needed it it.  Once that was done, I drybrushed the textured bark with flat gull gray.  There are a few other things I did, but if you look at trees in your area, you'll get lots of ideas.  Thanks for your interest!

[ACL1504]

Brian,

Thanks very much for the very detailed way you built and weathered the log cars and logs.

I've printed your information and added it to my "When I have the time" folder.


Again, Brian, thank you very much for the information.

Tom

[BrianK]

You bet, Tom, thank you. Maybe more info than you wanted . . . but there's more than one way to do a log, this is just my way.  Also, the plaster really adds nice weight to the car. 

[ACL1504]

[GPdemayo]

Well done on the log cars Brian.....I've got a few to do and I'll be sure to check out your narrative. 

[jerryrbeach]

Brian,
Wonderful modeling on the car and log load.
I have been looking at a cast resin log load I have and wondering how to make it really "pop".  Thanks to you I have some really good tips on how to make that happen. 

[jerryrbeach]

I asked my friend John Bullard if he would like me to post a few of his freight car models, and he responded with this photo and info:
New York Central Greenville gondola #715232 is a LLP2K kit with Champ decals and a scratch built .005 Evergreen sheet steel floor with correct rivet rows made with a pounce wheel (note the circled S).  The utility pole load was made from bamboo barbecue skewers soaked in Minwax Dark Walnut Stain.  The black creosote residue was done with random streaks of gloss black paint before building the load.  The poles are cemented together with Walthers Goo and the load is removable.

[ACL1504]

Fantastic gondola and load. Very well done.

Tom

[tct855]

I asked my friend John Bullard if he would like me to post a few of his freight car models, and he responded with this photo and info:
New York Central Greenville gondola #715232 is a LLP2K kit with Champ decals and a scratch built .005 Evergreen sheet steel floor with correct rivet rows made with a pounce wheel (note the circled S).  The utility pole load was made from bamboo barbecue skewers soaked in Minwax Dark Walnut Stain.  The black creosote residue was done with random streaks of gloss black paint before building the load.  The poles are cemented together with Walthers Goo and the load is removable.

Jerry,
         Tell your buddy John Bullard he did an absolutely fantastic job! Very realistic. Never thought to use Minwax Dark Walnut Stain.  I was the mayor of simpleton for many years and my pea brain always translated black creosote poles into black paint, which didn't look as realistic as John's.  Now I've got it on the list the next trip I take to Home depot or Lowes.  Thanx Thom...

[deemery]

...  I was the mayor of simpleton for many years and my pea brain always translated black creosote poles into black paint, which didn't look as realistic as John's.  Now I've got it on the list the next trip I take to Home depot or Lowes.  Thanx Thom...

The only thing that should actually be black on a model railroad is a shadow (real, or painted-on).  Everything else should be a dark grey.  An artist "neutral grey" paint set (and the equivalent markers) are very useful.  Here's a set to show the range of colors (available here:  https://www.jetpens.com/Copic-Marker-12-Neutral-Gray-Set/pd/3791)  N7 is about the same shade as German Panzer Grey if you can get military modeler colors (that's my default for 'weathered black.')  If you want something to show up as a darker black, use N8.




dave

[tct855]

Dave,
            Wow! lot's to know and practice with.  I've made my notes in my favorites and watch list for the pens.  Thanks for the learning curve, I've got a project coming up later this spring for loads and now I have one that I'll be doing.  Thanx Thom...

[ACL1504]