Weekend Update 10/19/25

[up1950s]

https://picryl.com/media/model-7-west-of-benson-railroad-underpass-date-12-01-1956-21498473388-5248aa

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pennsylvania_Railroad_tunnels_and_terminals_in_New_York_City_-_%281908%29_%2814758787834%29.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/DSHISTORY/videos/back-when-trains-still-used-the-tunnels-this-is-the-zephyr-coming-through-donner/1057899044303724/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cmhpictures/45996521304

https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-the-historic-railroad-trail.htm

https://www.facebook.com/groups/919599004812822/posts/5894546027318070/

https://eastrailway.en.made-in-china.com/product/qNAmKpsylCcL/China-Wheel-Set-with-Brake-Disc-for-Railway-Freight-Wagon-Bogie.html

https://www.quora.com/Why-havent-rail-freight-car-manufacturers-embraced-disk-brakes

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[Slim Rail Mike]

Spent this week working on a batch of multi-compartment b’mann tank cars, some of which, had dome-ectomys. All the frames had the bolster cut down to lower the ride height. MT 1015s were attached. Weight added, and wheels/trucks changed so they roll freely.

The domes on the two compartment cars are too far apart. They got chopped up and rearranged. I think they look better. With some paint, decals and some weathering they’ll be good enough to operate on the layout.

[mmagliaro]

I haven't posted a project in about 100 years, so finally!    This one goes way outside my "comfort zone".  It's a kit,
it's not any of my past or present layout roads, nor is it any era I ever modeled, past or present.  This is a Western Pacific caboose.
The prototype was built by Haskell and Barker in 1910.  The car number is correct for the prototype, but for the lettering and herald
size and location, I had to "divine" those based on lots of photos of similar cabooses from that era, because try as I might, I cannot find one single photo of these that was actually taken circa 1910, and by1920, they had been modified and renumbered
and may or may not have had the same lettering style on them.

I built it from a kit, but did some upgrades to make it more correct, and also because some of the resin parts just didn't cut it for me.
- Replaced the ladders with hand-made ones from nickel silver and phosphor bronze wire
- Added brake rigging chains
- Wrapped the roof in tissue and soaked it in black paint to get the look of canvas (I hope!)
- Added brass casting marker lights that I drilled out and populated the 0201 LEDs.  I put clear red and green jewels in the lens
openings. 
- Added phosphor bronze truss rods and brass turnbuckles
- Replaced the plastic smokejack with brass
- Replaced the resin roofwalks with strip wood

It is airbrushed and brush painted with a wide variety of paints from Floquil, Scalecoat, Tamiya, Testors.

[chessie system fan]

I made more progress on my Southern boxcar project I started last year.  Here's another test print.  Splitting the roof into a separate piece from the body made a huge difference in print quality.  There's still more to design and adjust (like the scale-thick roofwalk being too fragile), but this project is in the home stretch now.



This week, I also tried airbrushing Tru Color paint for the first time (though nothing photo-worthy yet). It turned out better than expected.

[eja]

I built it from a kit, but did some upgrades to make it more correct, and also because some of the resin parts just didn't cut it for me.
-
- Wrapped the roof in tissue and soaked it in black paint to get the look of canvas (I hope!)

I discovered this technique very early in my HO days when decorating Blue Box Athern passenger cars. It worked great then and looks like it worked very well for you.

Great modeling !.

[Iain]

I made more progress on my Southern boxcar project I started last year.  Here's another test print.  Splitting the roof into a separate piece from the body made a huge difference in print quality.  There's still more to design and adjust (like the scale-thick roofwalk being too fragile), but this project is in the home stretch now.



This week, I also tried airbrushing Tru Color paint for the first time (though nothing photo-worthy yet). It turned out better than expected.

i could use a couple of those ...

[Maletrain]

WOW Max, that caboose looks fantastic. 

I am interested in how you made the ladders, because I have been contemplating doing that, too.  Did you drill through the verticals for the rungs, or just solder them on with some sort of jig for spacing?

Also, you seem to have used a lot of parts that I am familiar with in HO, but have never seen available in N scale. Can you share where you found some of those detail parts?

[Mark5]

I haven't posted a project in about 100 years, so finally!    This one goes way outside my "comfort zone".  It's a kit,

Looks amazing!

• What Scale?
• Who's kit?

[Jesse6669]

- Wrapped the roof in tissue and soaked it in black paint to get the look of canvas (I hope!)

Were the roofs actually canvas?  I'm not well versed on older caboose designs so this is interesting;  Beautifully done model, weathered just enough and not over-done.

This week, I also tried airbrushing Tru Color paint for the first time (though nothing photo-worthy yet). It turned out better than expected.

I found Tru Color paint excellent and would use it more but for the necessary semi-solvent thinner (I don't have a paint booth so even acrylic I have to do with jerry-rigged ventilation and a mask).  I also like Tru Color rattle cans but they seem to be discontinuing them.

[peteski]

I found Tru Color paint excellent and would use it more but for the necessary semi-solvent thinner (I don't have a paint booth so even acrylic I have to do with jerry-rigged ventilation and a mask).  I also like Tru Color rattle cans but they seem to be discontinuing them.

Tru-Color paints are in fact fully organic solvents (like acetone) based.  I have used similar Accu-Paints and Tru-Color paints for decades with simple 300cfm exhaust fan installed in the basement window close to my paint area, and  I'm still alive.

I also suspect the reason for rattle can discontinuation is likely due to poor sales.  I think in today's ready-to-run hobby market, majority of modelers who custom decorate their models prefer using an airbrush, which gives them a better spray control, ability to custom mix paint viscosity and colors to their specific needs.

[Jesse6669]

More Z scale autorack tests this week.. I finally received the first batch of stainless steel etching for the enclosure panels--it fits, is flat (better than the 3D which had a slight bow), is far more rugged than the 3D printed ones, and adds a bit of weight as well.  A couple minor issues with the process as they arrived curled due to the shrink-wrapped foam packaging--but that can be remedied I think.  The supplier (Ponoko) is US based in the SF Bay Area.  This was 0.25mm thick, it might be better at 0.15 but passable at this thickness.


I lettered another tri-level with some newly-arrived decals, and used my Chopper to make the logo panel out of 0.20 thick styrene.  The 3D printed ones want to curl when decal solution was applied so styrene is the way.  Love the Chopper, nicked myself on it (of course).  That's a Showcase Miniatures Econoline on the top that I bought for the Bi-Level.


The trucks btw have N-Possible couplers.

I also finished the wiring for the control panel/model board and it is connected to the layout, still need to do some live testing.  I'll post more on that in the Layout Engineering Thread.

.. exhaust fan installed in the basement window close to my paint area, and  I'm still alive.

Unfortunately I have no windows in my train room, and I rent so I can't cut a hole in the wall (or door), and very little space for a booth.  Clean-up is currently pretty simple since I have iso alcohol around for the 3D printing, and can just clean up airbrush acrylics with that--spray out into the same bucket as the resin cleanup waste.

[Angus Shops]

Oh no, I’m going to miss the Tru Color rattle cans. I’ve collected a variety of useful colours and use them pretty extensively for structure painting and many of my freight car models. I agree that spray control is lacking, but good enough for my uses. Passenger cars and locos get the full airbrush treatment however.

As for ladders, I’ve got a technique that works for me: tape two parallel lengths of .008 phosphor bronze wire to a block of wood with distance between = to width of ladder. These are the ladder rails/stiles. Tape additional lengths of wire at 90 degrees to represent the ladder rungs. Make these long enough that you can manoeuvre them and get them taped down neatly. Solder all these joints. Lay 2 more ladder rails/stiles directly over the first two and solder these joints. Untape the assembly trim the rungs back to the rails/stiles. Now the fun part - tape the ladder on edge such that one of the rails is facing up and flood the space between the rails with solder. Flip the ladder over and repeat.  Clean up with files as required and trim ladder to required length.  I use my low wattage soldering iron so that heat can managed and never had a problem.

[up1950s]

WOW Max, that caboose looks fantastic. 

I am interested in how you made the ladders, because I have been contemplating doing that, too.  Did you drill through the verticals for the rungs, or just solder them on with some sort of jig for spacing?

Also, you seem to have used a lot of parts that I am familiar with in HO, but have never seen available in N scale. Can you share where you found some of those detail parts?

The coupler springs says to me it's HO on Max's beautiful hack job .

[u18b]

I was scanning some old print photos and came across these from the days of the old Atlas board around 2003 (based on the car road number).
It was one of those great sharing threads where one piece of equipment was passed around the country and people photographed it on their layout... usually with a narrative.

My story was that the boxcar had arrived on the Central Gulf and immediately had problems- an over heating bearing.


So the car had to be set out on a siding.


The railroad then dispatched a remote repair crew.


Arriving at the scene, they got to work.








The repaired car was then picked up and moved to its delivery spot where it was emptied and then reloaded.



With new cargo, it headed to its next destination....

[mu26aeh]

One reason the Scalecoat reboot has been pushed back and back and back with i think 2 different new owners now, is the ability, or lack thereof, to find someone to put the paint in a rattle can at a price they can actually sell it.  Believe it or not but I still get a lot of modelers that prefer the rattle cans over the airbrush route