modelling ATSF 70' Baggage Express car using M&R sides

[arbomambo]

Hello all,
as much as I'd like to jump right in to modelling the ATSF 60' heavyweight RPO just received, I want to complete the first baqtch of cars for the Fast Mail using Roberto's sides.
I figure to have 3-4 of these ATSF heavyweight baggage cars.
This one promises to be much more simple than the Horse Express car-the car needs to be shortened, but, unlike the Horse car, I can remove material from both the carbody and roof together...keeping the roof on the carbody gived the whole structure a lot more rigidity when I saw....
After determining the amount to be removed from the center, I made the necessary two cuts...
some careful block sanding on both ends yielded the results here....





test fitting the brass sides continuously as I sanded made sure I could get the fit that I wanted...



I'll glue the two halve together this evening and let it dry overnight.

Thanks for looking,
Bruce

[arbomambo]

As I said before, this one IS a little easier...a little more simple.
After sanding the sides as flat as I can, it was time to mark and cut the openings where the baggage doors will be-in the carbody and the roof.
Using a fine tooth razor saw makes it easy...on the carbody, I cut down to the floor-on the roof, I cut just up into the seam where the window glass is painted black.
Something i needed to do on this one was shave some more material from the floor behind the baggage doors. Because the baggage doors are etched seperately, to provide the necessary prototypical relief, they require a little more clearance behind them. I didn't do this on the Horse Express car, and consequently, there is a very slight 'bulge' on one set of baggage door openings.
 I  used an Xacto knife to carve a little more from the car floor behind where the doors will be-I had to be careful NOT to carve into the sill/channel that will be exposed on this car (Roberto doesn't supply a seperate sill on this fret-I believe it's understood that one will use a car that already has one for the 'core'.









Before gluing the sides, I need to fill the 'notch' in the sill where the doors are on the combine that served as the core car- I can also fill the very slight seams on the sill in the center of the car where the two sides are joined. I'll use milliput after work this evening and let dry overnight.
Thanks for looking,
Bruce

[arbomambo]

filled the notches, then sanded smooth...took a little more time to make sure the sill/channel would be smooth as it will be visible...



after everything was satisfactory, I glued the baggage doors to the sides, carefully lining up the handrail holes....
then, using a q-tip, applied Gorilla Glue brand superglue to the back side of the brass side, then carefully aligned it to the prepared carbody side...



a simple car, but necessary to round out the ranks of the ATSF heavyweight baggage fleet...once the sides are completely dry, I'll add the bars to the inside of the windows, handrail and grabs, stirrups for the doors and ends...then the battery boxes (which I was able to save when removing them from the original shell)
The existing vents on the roof will be removed and four celestory windows per side will be added.

Thanks for looking,
Bruce

[arbomambo]

a few little updates....
here are pics of the great detail that Roberto provides with this fret...the bars on the baggage door windows...I simple used CA to glue these to the inside after carefully aligning them. They're going to look very nice once painted!
I also started to remove the molded-on vents from the roof...according to my sources, these roofs were 'clean', save for the 4 celestory windows on each side.
I'm just using a very sharp Xacto blade to remove the vents...I'll sand and polish the area super smooth afterward (as you can see, the Rivarossi Atlas-Concor roofs are molded in clear plastic, the roofs are painted, leaving the clear sides to be the 'windows'...it will be easy to mask the 4 celestory window panes before respraying the roof black.

[arbomambo]

I'd actually recommend this car as a good 'entry level' car for using brass sides...simple but still packed with detail...
In retrospect, I would have rather 'cut my teeth' on this one before tackling the Horse Express car...but it's all working out (I have another Horse Express to build in addition to two more of these- Then the two RPO's---WHEW...I should know what I'm doing by the time I finish those!...THEN...there's the chair-smokers, and the 3000 series coaches for the Grand Canyon!...AND I need to get to work on the layout!!!!!!!)
Thanks for looking,
Bruce

[bbussey]

What are you using for glass behind the door windows?

[arbomambo]

Brian,
after the car is painted, lettered, and weathered, I'm going to use .005 clear styrene for the glazing vehind the baggae doors.
Bruce

[bbussey]

Ah, that implies that the roof will not be glued in place.  I thought you had mentioned you were gluing the roof on the horse car so I incorrectly assumed that was your preferred method of assembly.

[arbomambo]

You did hear correctly...however, the fit of the Horse Car roof and brass end is SO good I may not have to do that...the window glass will be permanently attatched so I should be able to glue the roof permanently...I WILL have to glue the roof to the repainted 1849 85' heavyweight baggage...for some reason, this roof is slightly 'bowed' at the ends and will need to be glued to the carbody
Bruce

[arbomambo]

 

Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:42 am
Posts: 168  I haven't posted too much on this build...Since I haven't modelled N scale for very long, I keep running out of 'must have' items that I SHOULD be keeping on hand!...things like brass wire, couplers, wheelsets, styrene sheets and shapes, etc...
FINALLY had some more parts arrive for this one (detail associates brass wire and a couple of sheets of decals courtesy of forum friends!)...so I was able to form and add the brass wire handrails for this one and finally get to paint. I used my 'now standard' ATSF green, mixed from the recipe used by Andy Sperandeo, and went at it...I did mix some semi-gloss clear into the batch so I wouldn't have to add another clear coat before decalling...
Here are pics of the car while being decalled....Microsol has been added at this point...after drying, I'll inspect for any air bubbles...then add a litle Walthers solvaset as a finish...(the Walthers product is very strong...I only apply it after the marking has already dried from a microsol application).










I'm pretty pleased with the result so far...I have plans for three more of these cars; they were very common on the Fast Mail and in ther headend consists of other ATSF trains, and, thanks to Roberto Martari of M&R sides, my Fast Mail is really coming along!
Thanks for looking,
Bruce


 
 

[arbomambo]

None of these cars I've been working are are 'done' yet...flat coating, weathering, detail painting, etc...all are in various stages of completion...AND a heavyweight RPO and two more ATSF baggage cars are on the workbench.

BUT...sometimes ya' just gotta' see what they look like together in a consist...
I had to take a break today...gorgeous Spring weather here today...a small railfan trip planned tomorrow...but I kind of wanted to take stock of the Fast Mail's progress...

70(2-3)' ATSF baggage-M&R sides
Horse Express Car-M&R sides
85' ATSF baggage-Rivarossi-detailed and repainted
ATSF Express box ca (x2)-Intermountain special George Hollwedel cars-I have two more of these
ATSF ACF smoothside baggage (modified from Walthers car-still have to tackle the doors)
Pennsy B60b-from Hell Gate models-thanks Otto and Claus
Pennsy X-29 Red Caboose-thanks Otto!
MT 52' Express reefer-(have three more of these)
Roundhouse/Athearn 52' wood/steel frame Express Reefer (x3)-have three more of these
ATSF 2602-series rider-rivarossi car


STILL in line, waiting for room on the workbench....

(3) MT troop sleepers waiting to be converted to, at least, 2 NYC express boxes
(2) MT RPO's in process of M&R sides
(2) ATSF 70 (2-3)' baggage cars-M&R sides


still considering an Erie car-Mo-Pac, B&O, and a couple more NYC and Pennsy cars
ALSO, an ATSF heavyweight fishbelly baggage.









Thanks for looking,
Bruce

[arbomambo]

[arbomambo]

[arbomambo]

Thanks all...
progress continues...the 'glamorous' part done...now the details; not so glamorous, but necessary...
in this case, the roof.
The roof that came with the donor car had a smooth clestory part so I'm adding the 'rib' detail. I also added a rib in the center that hides the tiniest evidence of a seam where the two shortened halves were rejoined. I've samded the areas smooth and am using very narrow strip to represent the rib detail; tacking it with Tenax7r....once that's done I'll sand them down just a bit, then mask for the four clestory windows on both sides.
Again, tedious, but relaxing while listening to a little swing...







Thanks for looking,
Bruce