DRAGON WHALEBELLY - What Color

[John]

http://www.qconnection.biz/images/QCKits/Whalebelly/dpcx2806.sized.jpg

What color would you paint this -- this is a Kaslo car I've had for about 12 years or so .. It was part of a special run that txcavgr (Brian Fons) ran as a project.   I'm finally getting around to building it

[bnsfdash8]

I used Tru Color white.

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[John]

Thanks .. that's what I will use as well .. I think I have some valejo opaque in stock .. I thought they might be a little gray -- but thats probably all the cement ..

Your model turned out really nice ..

Any others want to post theirs/

[peteski]

Thanks .. that's what I will use as well .. I think I have some valejo opaque in stock .. I thought they might be a little gray -- but thats probably all the cement ..

Your model turned out really nice ..

Any others want to post theirs/

I haven't built mine yet, but when I do, I'll post some photos. 
As a fun fact, when we drive home from our annual vacation trek to Islesboro, ME, we drive by the Dragon Cement plant.

[wazzou]

As a fun fact, when we drive home from our annual vacation trek to Islesboro, ME, we drive by the Dragon Cement plant.

Fascinating.   

Kidding you Pete.

[John]

I haven't built mine yet, but when I do, I'll post some photos. 
As a fun fact, when we drive home from our annual vacation trek to Islesboro, ME, we drive by the Dragon Cement plant.

There is a plant just south of Rockland -- and a large quarry -- it used to be served by the Maine Eastern -- but they ceased operation in 2016 .  I read that the line is now being operated by a new CN owned subsidiary

I always try to get to Rockland whenever I'm down east and stop for lunch on the way  to Bah Habah..

[tom mann]

@John,

I used gloss white since I needed gloss for the decals, but the real cars always were caked in grey cement dust.

I built 20 of these (I still wake up in a cold sweat).  They were the most challenging kit I've built for a few reasons: brass parts are 1 atom thick (get your folds right the first time) and car is top heavy and hard to balance so it doesn't wobble.  @bnsfdash8 did a nice job on his.

[peteski]

There is a plant just south of Rockland -- and a large quarry -- it used to be served by the Maine Eastern -- but they ceased operation in 2016 .  I read that the line is now being operated by a new CN owned subsidiary

I always try to get to Rockland whenever I'm down east and stop for lunch on the way  to Bah Habah..

Yeah, that is the plant we drive by.

[peteski]

. . . and car is top heavy and hard to balance so it doesn't wobble.

That's what worries me the most.  I was thinking of hollowing the car somehow, but that seems like a major pain in the butt (plus patching up the opening used for hollowing it out will be a pain).  It is really too bad these are not made as injection-molded (hollow) styrene cars.

[Philip H]

I'd really love to have a couple of these, @tom mann's experience not withstanding.

[tom mann]

That's what worries me the most.  I was thinking of hollowing the car somehow, but that seems like a major pain in the butt (plus patching up the opening used for hollowing it out will be a pain).  It is really too bad these are not made as injection-molded (hollow) styrene cars.

It's actually very difficult since there is a thin brass piece that loops around and goes where the truck is mounted to. Getting the resin level there first *and* then adding the brass parts so it's still level will take years off your life!

[sd45elect2000]

Trivial fact, the last time these cars were shopped for AAR rule 88 was at the MMA railroad in Derby Maine.


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[John]

@tom mann -- want to trade my half built kit for one of these  

I actually screwed my brass bending up .. I contacted Kaslo last month to buy a new set of etched brass so I can start over .. $20 and a month later -- they finally made it south of the border -- USPS slow boat across the border    

[tom mann]

Somehow I have blue Dragon decals - I got them direct from the late @TiVoPrince . Apparantly he thought they were more correct than black and gave me enough for 20 cars with unique numbers!

[peteski]

It's actually very difficult since there is a thin brass piece that loops around and goes where the truck is mounted to. Getting the resin level there first *and* then adding the brass parts so it's still level will take years off your life!

Oh, I know that assembling these kits will be quite difficult.  What I was mentioning is that if these cars were made by one of the "large" model manufacturers in injection-molded styrene, and assembled from 2 hollow halves (with a metal slug on the belly), that would make them much more stable.  There is also a resin molding method where the mold is partially filled with resin, then the mold is slowly rotated in multiple directions (so it coats all the surfaces until the resin hardens.  That would result in a hollow casting. But  that method conducive to pressure molding, so it would likely also result in small bubbles in the casting.

Every time I see those photos, I'm in awe of your cement cars!