kit building – Notes on Designing, Building, and Operating Model Railroads

Motorized drills

I am frequently asked how I drill all the holes in my freight car kits. I’ve made mention in past posts that I use motorized drills to make easy work of the tasks. I guess it’s time to feature those tools.

3D printed ventilated box car

I bought a pair of HO scale Chesapeake & Ohio 36-foot, double-sheathed ventilated box cars a few months ago. These are 3D printed models available from Yuma Car & Foundry (YC&F) through 3D Central.

Resin ladders

Summer projects and tasks have kept me away from the workbench but I found time to make progress on a Westerfield Models HO scale Baltimore & Ohio M-15b box car kit. There are four ladders to install and they are cast onto a resin sheet with other details. Here’s my preparation process.

Resin kit builds – Missouri Pacific cars

I’ve built several HO scale resin freight car kits since the summer of 2023. For some reason, I’ve forgotten to share the overall progress. Some details have appeared on the blog, but overall summaries have been lacking. Let’s start with a couple Missouri Pacific cars that were enjoyable builds.

Brake rods

I’ve been building several HO scale resin freight car kits over the last several months. I’ve always had a problem determining the length of the center rod on the brake gear. I figured out a simple way to make these the correct length. I know if I’ve had a problem with a modeling detail, others have also experienced a similar issue.