resin freight car kits – Page 10 – 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”

Another guest post!

CB&Q GS gondola

Through the course of our hobby years we meet a variety of people who inspire and encourage our own efforts. I met Jim Kubanick a number of years ago when he moved to Morgantown, WV. He became a member of the model railroad club where I was a member at that time. We share an affinity for the common and uncommon freight car, and the history of freight cars. Jim has built a number of fine models and he has shared tips and data as I progress in building the many kits in my stash. As I am still getting settled after the move to Texas, Jim will guest on this post and share some of his models and notes. Jim works in HO scale and concentrates his efforts on the early-to-mid 1950s.

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Harold’s Pennsylvania Railroad box cars

I am in the process of moving to Texas, so I have a guest blog post!

Collaboration and communication with other modelers who have similar interests can spur progress on a number of projects. My friend Harold Oakhill is modeling the Ulster & Delaware Railroad in the heady days of the early 1920s. We regularly discuss developing an era-specific freight car fleet. Of the many details, paint and lettering are frequent topics. Harold recently wrapped up a few HO scale Westerfield Pennsylvania Railroad XL box cars, which were the backbone of the huge PRR box car fleet in the early 1920s. Please follow along as Harold discusses his concerns and methods in the finishing steps for these models.

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