It's tax season, money gets tight and we have to buckle down and make due. This month's challenge, short line boxcar modeling! Let's make due and model a "runner pack" again, but this time, there's a twist, all equipment, if class one, needs to be patched! Again time for the rules, 1. There has to be something Micro Trains on EACH car 2. This contest will be a month. 3. Post before pictures And now for the prizes! Era doesn't matter, graffiti is optional, this is a contest to weather 3-4 boxcars, all for a shortline....
Same road, not unless you want to, but I think that it might be cool! As for lease cars, Golden West/Railbox type cars are out....
I did make a trip to the LHS this morning, mainly for some decals. I did manage to pick up a Hutchinson Northern boxcar. I seen a lot of these last night researching what I could patch, although I did not save the links . Here are my before cars, am going to do three, just have to decide which CSX cars to patch. 20160402_130703 by Adam Henry, on Flickr I did manage to find a picture of an HN car with the XF logo on it as well. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmysmith/210273305 HS has two sets of ex-CSX cars, so it will probably be the ribbed cars from above, and not the smooth side. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=HS&rid=143600 http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=HS&rid=143700
John, What about a lease car that's been patched for a short line ? Looking at prototype photos it looks like lots of Railbox cars found their way to the short lines.
This is great because it makes us think / learn about railroads that we may not have modeled or even known much about before. Short lines are certainly under represented in model releases and I really didn't have much in my fleet. This was something I purchased at the convention in Sacramento last summer either in the room sales or dealer table. It caught my eye and the price must have been right but I had no idea where this railroad was or it's history, fleet, etc. ASAB7208c by nscalestation posted Apr 3, 2016 at 11:08 AM So my plan will be to weather this car and then patch for ASAB and weather 2 to 3 other same type Micro-Trains box cars from other roads to enter in this months contest. When I've picked out those other cars, I'll follow up with before photos for them. The way we're going with this thing, next time I get to run a train at a show I'll have a good length train of modern weathered cars !
Brad- Railfan & Railroad Magazine did an article in their March, 1988 issue. Also: http://www.train-orders.com/TOUR/A/ASAB/ASAB.html
Thanks Boxcab, I also found this: http://www.reverendlinux.com/trains/bayline/asabinfo.html A little railroad that has it's followers.
Here are the prototypes I'll be trying to replicate. The cars are currently in a bath of 91% alcohol to be readied for repainting. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4005596 http://www.fredstuckmann.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2060213 http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3019679 It'll be a challenge but should be fun.
@bnsf dash 8 , I think you missed something in the original post. "This month's challenge, shortline boxcar modeling !"
It sure does. I've been able to come up with a nice selection of prototype photos for the Bay line. Seemed they have stuck mostly to 50 ft exterior post with sliding doors. As luck would have it, One of the Micro-Trains releases this month is the Wabash Valley box car so I got to my LHS and purchased the one they had left. Here's a photo of the three "before" that I have. If I get a chance to pick up another then I'll be doing a set of 4.
My 4th car for this project showed up in the mail today. It's another MTL 25000 series car that will be patched and re-numbered for the Bay Line. Here is the prototype reference for what I'm going to do with it. Don't know if this could have been a Cadiz car but it was the right type of car and the right color for what I wanted. And as it's already being half way through the month I did not waste any time getting started on it. I've already got a good start on the other three.
Well it has seemed really quiet this month. Guess everyone has been working on their weathering projects. Got the first two of mine done. Found another photo of an actual Bay Line green box car, but this one had at least one of the original doors replaced with a Superior door painted in a different color. So my number 7208 got a new Superior door painted oxide red as well as BLMA metal wheel sets. Used Model Master acrylic washes, Dullcoat, and Bragdon weathering powders. Next is the recent Micro-Trains release of the Wabash Valley RR box car patched as ASAB 7387 to match the prototype photo I posted on April 7th. Looks like the bottom of the door was bad enough that it got a touch up at the same time as the number was patched. This one also got BLMA wheel sets, one of which was painted to look newer than the others like it had been recently replaced. Same weathering treatments used on this car. So that's two down, I'll follow up soon with the rest. Look forward to seeing what others have come up with.
Here are the other two plus the group together. ASAB 7401 was one that looks like it got a bit of touch up when it was re-numbered. I posted my prototype reference photo on the 16th. BLMA metal wheels, and same weathering treatments at done on the first two. ASAB 7443 is in the best shape of the 4. Went by the reference photo I posted on the 7th. Mine started out as a Conrail car. Same weathering treatments again, just a bit lighter. BLMA wheels and also added the reflector decals from Micro Scale. Here are all 4 for them together. Another group shot looking down to show the roofs.
I got as far as taking numbers off my CSX cars, and after seeing Brad's pictures, I'm not doing any more. I can't top that.
