Notes on Designing, Building, and Operating Model Railroads
A hobby adventure
Rapido Trains released a new HO Scale boxcar model in October that follows a Northern Pacific prototype built in 1923. A few paint and lettering schemes were produced and I picked up one that represents the Pre-WW2 appearance. This ready-to-run model nicely captures the prototype.
Westerfield Models is holding a National Train Day Sale through to midnight on Monday, May 21, 2018. There are a few purchase options and codes to save some hobby dollars when you stock up on a few kits. Westerfield honcho Andrew Dahm sent an announcement to his email newsletter list last week. If you have not received the info, or if you have misplaced the newsletter email, I recommend dropping an inquiry to westerfieldmodels@gmail.com for the sale details and codes. You will need the purchase codes to save some cash.
Check over your freight car kit stash and drop a note to Andrew at westerfieldmodels@gmail.com for more details on the National Train Day sale. Then review their website for what you need. It’s always a good time to pick up a few new resin freight car kits.
Fenton Wells has presented an interesting kitbash at a couple recent RPM meets. He shares his tips and techniques to transform an Accurail 36-foot boxcar into a Southern ventilated boxcar. Click on any image here to view a larger size.
Ventilated boxcars were once a common element of the freight car fleet. Several southeastern railroads had thousands of ventilated boxcars on their rosters to move fruits and vegetables from packing plants to wholesale grocers in northern areas. Distinctive screened doors and end vents set them apart from typical boxcars. Most of the ventilated boxcars were older cars of double-sheathed wood construction, thereby standing out all the more over the years as the national freight car fleet modernized with taller steel-sheathed cars.
Last week I shared disappointment after completing an underframe and realizing a major error. The image is above and the KC brake system is on the wrong side of the centersill. It is pointed in the proper direction, jut not in the proper location.
I’ve just spent much of my morning on a special resin kit a friend has created. The sides and ends were glued into a box yesterday and I wanted to complete the brake hardware on the underframe today. I’ve been excited to push this model along so it will be ready for display at the upcoming RPM Chicagoland event.