D&RGW Boxcar project - advice needed

[Erik W]

I feel like building a piece of rolling stock after a bazillion years away from anything N scale (my attention being diverted, much like a squirrel, by building planes, armor, HOn3 rolling stock, wooden ships, even a "quick" 1/350 scale tugboat project that wound up taking 6 months and having over 250 pieces, but I digress . . .  ). 

The D&RGW had 1600 single sheathed boxcars based on the Fowler designed boxcars, but not Flowler built, so referred to as clones.  They were ubiquitous throughout the late steam era and into the transition era.


There is a 3d printed D&RGW Fowler "clone" boxcar available from South Boulder Modelworks via Shapeways.  I've dusted off my N scale parts stash and found enough left over decals to cobble together an accurate rendition of the car as seen in the 50s.  I found an etched steel brake wheel that would more or less be accurate.  I also have couplers handy.  All I'd need are a pair of trucks.

It's been so long since I've worked on anything N scale rolling stock wise, I'm not up to speed on what's available, so I have a couple of questions for you folks who have actively been modeling.  1.  Are there any freight car detail sets out there, for things like brake rigging, ladders, etc, other than manufacturer's spare parts?   2.  What brand of paint are you using for railroad specific colors?  My stash of my much loved Polly Scale railroad colors has been used up/dried out over the years, and I'm not sure what to do.  I've been looking at Badger Modelflex and Tru-Color.  Any preferences?



And here's proof that I actually had done some N scale modeling once. lol.  Oh!  I had my 6 year old nephew visit my house for the first time recently, and he thought my layout was the coolest thing ever.  I felt like a rock star!  Forgive me for the small photos.  These were taken 15 years or so ago.




Erik

[nscalbitz]

Good luck Erik. I drooled over your pix at the other place- yes you're a bad person for abandoning the scale! 
I've been forced away sadly as well, so I can't help with the info you require. I'm about to liquidate my cherished assets and collection, sans layout.
cheers dave

[Spades]

It's been so long since I've worked on anything N scale rolling stock wise, I'm not up to speed on what's available, so I have a couple of questions for you folks who have actively been modeling.  1.  Are there any freight car detail sets out there, for things like brake rigging, ladders, etc, other than manufacturer's spare parts?   2.  What brand of paint are you using for railroad specific colors?  My stash of my much loved Polly Scale railroad colors has been used up/dried out over the years, and I'm not sure what to do.  I've been looking at Badger Modelflex and Tru-Color.  Any preferences?

Erik

Erik

You touched on it.  Micro trains for walk ways and brake wheels, dare say stirrups.  Gold Medal Models has ladder stock, various walkways, brake wheels.  As for paint.  I have used Tru-Color, Modelflex and Vallejos. Tru-Color is an acrylic solvent based paint that you shoot straight from the bottle.  TC thinner is crazy expensive,  i use Lacquer thinner to clean the airbrush.  Modelflex works great but I find myself using Vallejo more and more.  Variety of product and colors.

Lokk forward to seeing your work.

[BCR 570]

I remember this layout - nice work!  My painter has been having challenges with paint lately as favourite brands disappear.  Vallejo offers a good selection but we have had problems with adhesion.  We have been trying out Tamiya lately with good results.  For my detailing work by hand I am still using my stash of Floquil paints.

The "Fowler" car will be an interesting project.


Tim

[Cajonpassfan]

You do such beautiful work, Erik, come back to N and don't be a squirrel 😜
Otto

[robert3985]

BLMA 15" drop grabs and 18" straight grabs are available (in stock) at Atlas in .007" wire.  Pre-orders are being taken for metal freight car stirrups.

BLMA's excellent etched freight car ladders aren't offered anywhere, but you might still be able to find them on eBay or elsewhere, although I assume they're getting scarce.

Precision Scale offers excellent N-scale freight car brake equipment sets in either brass or plastic.  I prefer the brass, but the plastic ones are quite good also.  Precision Scale also offers brass or plastic brake hoses for the ends of your cars and engines.  The plastic ones are pretty fragile, so I recommend the brass ones.

Gold Medal Models still offers their etched brake wheel selection as well as "freight car & industrial ladders" which I believe aren't nearly as nice as the BLMA ones.  They are also offering etched grabs.

Plano Model Products is offering both 40' and 50' boxcar metal running boards in a "slotted pattern" made out of .006" stainless if you have a need for them.

Micro Trains Lines offers injection molded boxcar underbodies, wood running boards that can be easily sanded pretty thin from the underside to look very prototypical, as well as plastic brake wheels, fine plastic stirrups and, of course their trucks.  For more realism, Z-scale couplers are pretty much the right size, and will couple with MTL regular N-scale couplers, but look a whole lot better.  For ultimate realism but not so ultimate functionality, their new True Scale couplers look really good (except for the clunky coupler boxes), but need modification and 3D printed coupler boxes to be truly functional.

Good looking 33" metal wheelsets are available from Eastern Seaboard Models, or should I say...they WILL be onshore supposedly on Christmas day.  36" ESM wheelsets are currently available for running in MTL trucks.  I don't recommend any others since BLMA and Fox Valley have been sold, gone belly-up and/or are just not offering their excellent metal wheelsets any longer.

I'm using Scalecoat II plastic-friendly paint and True-Color paints.  True-Color also has flat paints and weathering colors.  I'm still using my stash of Polly-Scale weathering colors for weathering cars and engines.  I'll try True-Color when I run out.

That's about it!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[thomasjmdavis]

I note that in the graphic for the South Boulder kit, it shows the brake cylinder as cast with the floor. A possibility that occurs to me would be to use the brake detail and roofwalk/ladder frets from atsfnscalemodels.  These are intended to fit their ATSF Bx-3 model, which also has cast on brake cylinder. The ATSF cars had drop grabs rather than ladders on the sides, so includes only end ladders. The parts numbers are N-111 (K brake) and N-112 (AB brake).  The etching also includes some useful drilling templates for grab irons locations.

If you click on the photo of the etchings at this link, it will bring up an enlargement so you can see what is included on the frets.

https://atsfnscalemodels.com/projects/boxcars%2520bx-3%2520and%2520bx-6%253B%2520as%2520built%252C%2520rebuilt%252C%2520salt%252C%2520ice%252C%2520zinc%2520concentrate%2520and%2520MOW%2520versions%2520.html

I note that the company is in the Netherlands, so sometimes shipping can get pretty expensive, but hoping Dirk may have found a relatively inexpensive way to ship a couple of etching frets.

[Erik W]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the comprehensive responses!  That definitely points me in the right direction. As I search my old sources for things I'm a bit bummed to see the loss of JnJ Trains, Oddballs Decals, Scale Rail Graphics, etc.  Glad it's still possible to cobble together some details/decals from other sources.

As for this build, I'm ordering the 3D body/under frame now.  I envision carving off some of the molded on grab irons and possibly ladders.  I really need to see the boxcar in person before I figure out what exactly I'm going to do.  I do have some BLMA air hoses, and I found an etched fret of left over 15" and 18" grab irons from an old Nn3 resin kit I built long ago.  That, and I have acquired a variety of .004" copper (individual strands stripped from N scale decoder wires), .006", .008", and .010" copper, brass, phosphor bronze, and lead wire in my quest to detail other small projects.  So, I'll scratch build the under-car break rigging.  I also have some Fox Valley Models 33" metal wheelsets.  I think Matt must've given those to me at some point (we used to work together at InterMountain Railway years ago, before I moved on, and before he started FVM).  These cars had Vulcan trucks.  They're not available in N scale.  The closest looking thing is Micro-Trains roller bearing trucks.  I'll modify the journal boxes to look like friction bearing journal boxes.  This will have Z scale couplers, which is what all the rolling stock are equipped with on my layout.

As far as the paint goes, I'll have to think on that a bit more.  Since that's the later stage of the project, I have time.

Here are some current proto photos of the car.  This one resides in Antonito, Colorado.  The eastern terminus of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR.




Erik

[nkalanaga]

Let's try this AGAIN!  This will be the third time I've tried to post this.

I didn't know that any of these cars survived.  Many of them were converted to narrow gauge pipe gons.  All the shops did was cut the top half and ends off, and add a new top chord.  No attempt to change the side trusses, so the results couldn't have been very strong, put they worked for pipe loads.

[Erik W]

Let's try this AGAIN!  This will be the third time I've tried to post this.

I didn't know that any of these cars survived.  Many of them were converted to narrow gauge pipe gons.  All the shops did was cut the top half and ends off, and add a new top chord.  No attempt to change the side trusses, so the results couldn't have been very strong, put they worked for pipe loads.

One of those cut down pip gons is actually on my list of something to build in HOn3 at some point.  I think one of the rider gondolas on the C&TS is on of those.

Erik

[nkalanaga]

I suspect that the C&TS has used them for several cars, but don't know for sure.

If the sides are thin enough on this kit, one could do the same in N scale, although it would take some work.

Years ago, I made a pipe gon master for Marshall at Republic Locomotive Works, so one might be able to get a kit from the new owners.  It might be interesting to see how it and a kitbashed boxcar kit compare.