kit building – Page 6 – Notes on Designing, Building, and Operating Model Railroads

Resin Freight Car kit builds, part 3

After building several resin freight car kits in about a month, I feel resin kit building requires the confidence to improvise. Not everything will fit perfectly. Some parts may be missing or damaged, and some steps take longer than others. I no longer expect a build to go smoothly and I try to break away every 30-45 minutes to clear my head.

I also try to have another project nearby that is not at the same stage as the main build. I may work on lateral running board detail for the previous build, prep and wash large parts for an upcoming build, or assemble sides and the ends of the next build. I may even take an email or a pudding break.

Did you get that? Not the pudding break part but that other stuff.

Work on small detail part
Work on large assembly
Take a break.

Any resin kit requires more attention and work than an Accurail, Athearn, or MDC kit. Staggering fine work with basic work and taking regular breaks can help move your builds along and reduce frustration levels. Do not expect to plow through a build in one sitting. Maybe I’ll get to that point, but right now I find it best for me to vary the tempo and take an intermission between songs.

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Resin Freight Car kit builds, part 2

The image above is basically how a resin kit build begins. A few kits on hand at the workbench can spur action. Once you begin one, it’s very easy to keep moving along and build more. This isn’t the complete stash as that is overwhelming. I just pulled a few that looked interesting and decided to take the great leap forward.

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Recent Resin Freight Car Kit builds

With a move to a new home looming on the calendar, the layout work has stopped. In mid-April, my wife and I decided to have a few areas of the new house upgraded before moving in to live. As I am between employment opportunities, I could be on site to answer questions and keep the work moving forward. I set up a small table into my new hobby space along with some basic tools and a few resin kits. I started building on April 28. Along the way I learned a great deal and enjoyed almost every kit. The dates noted are when the build for each kit started. Continue reading “Recent Resin Freight Car Kit builds”

1920s Era Freight Car Model Guide

After a few months of discussions with several model railroad friends, I began developing a list of available plastic HO scale freight car models that are suitable for use on a model railroad set in the 1920s. I had several of the models on hand and took pictures to illustrate this freight car guide. I’ve posted the info as a separate page of this blog, so the link will always be in the list at the top of the column to the right.

While all of these models represent prototype freight car designs in-use or introduced in the 1920s, not all of these can be used for the full decade. I am focused on November 1926, which limits my use of a freight car prototype introduced in 1927 or later. I’ve also noticed that some freight car hardware was introduced just after my modeling period. Prototypes equipped with Dreadnaught steel ends or Youngstown corrugated steel doors are often crossed off of my wish list. Some may say I am too picky, but I actually enjoy fine-tuning my purchasing so the freight car fleet “looks right” to my eye.

Again, the link is to the right, or just click here and review a guide to 1920s era HO scale plastic freight cars. Drop a note below if you are so moved. Please follow the directions of the anti-spam program when you leave your comment. All comments are reviewed and approved before they appear here.

Dave builds some box cars

My friend Dave is modeling a portion of the Toledo & Ohio Central railroad through western Ohio. He has twisted history a bit and is modeling this railroad as a Nickel Plate Road (NKP) division, rather than the New York Central (NYC) division that it was. Dave just likes the Nickel Plate more than the NYC. Additionally, he has focused his modeling on 1928. Recently, Dave has been wrapping up details on several interesting NKP box cars that were pretty common for his era. The cars pictured above are 36-foot, double-sheathed cars with upgraded components. Let’s follow along with prototype details and Dave’s descriptions of the modeling. Most of the images on this post can be reviewed in a larger size by clicking on the image.

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