Details: Written by Josh Baakko; Category: Freight Projects; Published: 06 March 2019; Hits: 139

Tank Car Data Upgrade

Published in the December 2011 email newsletter, with updated material in 2012.

Recently I was working on a few Walthers 16,000 Gallon Funnel Flow tank cars, decorated for Procor-Sulphur, blue with UTLX reporting marks. These tanks cars are numbered randomly in the UTLX roster. After a considerable amount of searching, I came across a few, though not the same numbers Walthers used on the 3 cars I have.

Prototypes:
UTLX 66373: http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=23413
UTLX 71651: http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=6926

I noticed that both cars had the emergency call placards, and the more recent photo of #66373 showed the new tank car testing placard. Though very hard to see, but present was the appearance of reporting marks on the top of the car, required on tank cars now.

I set to work, updating the data on my cars. To begin, add the emergency placard, from Microscale set 87-1236. Look closely, as there are placards in French on the sheet as well, I used the English, 800 number version.

I then added the top reporting marks, using Microscale 87-1320, stencil lettering. The last decals, the testing data placards, come from Highball Graphics, #F-163. I used the white version, but the sheet also includes black, which I used on an Atlas ACFX Kaolin tank car I'm working on at the same time.

Smooth Side Containers

Details: Written by Josh Baakko; Category: Freight Projects; Published: 14 February 2019; Hits: 56

Bulgy Gondola Sides

Excerpt from the Model Railroad Tips newsletter, Volume 1 Issues 2 through 4.

Modeling bulgy sides on gondolas (and other cars) has always presented a challenge. We're faced with
a decision, heating the sides of the car, or building it up with some modeling medium.

Recently I took on this challenge on an Eastern Car works PRR G26 gondola kit. I started with an
undecorated gondola kit. I'd recommend this as the technique I'm about to show requires painting over.
The final gondola will be painted in a semi-freelance Conrail paint. A small number of the G26 series
made it into Conrail paint, however I've never found a photo online (if you have one, please reply!).

I began by assembling the car, though you can do the work on the flat car sides.

Modeling a Turtle Creek Central Boxcar

Drawing from Model Railroader's famous 4'x8' layout, the Turtle Creek Central

Microscale decal sheet, Roundhouse double plug door 50' boxcar, and Model Master SAC Bomber Green.

Details: Written by Dave Allen; Category: Freight Projects; Published: 28 January 2019; Hits: 59