I picked up the N scale Bachmann version at a model shop in Edinburgh, Scotland back in 2003. It is also a very nice locomotive. I posted this photo last weekend in the Photo Fun thread.
Not a physical, but a digital workbench; although I have a good amount of plans sitting in front of me. This is a model of the power truck for my Green Diamond project. My intent is to 3D print them. The wheels are just stand-ins to make sure the clearance is good, but the actual version will be powered with manufactured components. Next up will be a gear train to fit in here. I think I will only power the front truck and leave the articulated one as a dummy. The drop equalizers and bearings are separate pieces from the main frame, my hopes being to have them sprung.
On my workbench right now is a Southern Railway Hogshead Boxcar. I am building it from the Ambroid kit instructions, but out of styrene, not wood. This model reflects its appearance late in life. The model will be sans-roofwalk and full height ladders. As built, they had roll-up doors. The Ambroid kit has these same doors, but I chose to model the replacement plug door. This is the only major departure from the kit plans. The roll up was almost immediately disliked, so the Southern had the cars modified. Almost everything on this car is scratchbuilt, from the plug door to the coupler boxes. I had to bend my own grab irons, since the exterior posts are not a standard 18”. The car still needs brake equipment and end details to be finished, along with some other things.
That some serious scratchbuilding! Really like all the detail. I had forgotten about these very unique cars.
I've been working on some cabooses lately. 1st is a Westside outside braced caboose decorated for WP. The 2nd is a NWSL 24' Northern Pacific caboose just waiting for decals right now. IMG_3987 by Nick Lorusso posted Nov 29, 2019 at 11:20 AM IMG_4027 by Nick Lorusso posted Nov 29, 2019 at 10:56 AM
The Hogshead is ready for painting. The end details are finished except for the crossover platforms. I am going to get some etched metal parts, but since they are not boxcar red, they can wait until after paint. The Ambroid kit I based this off of still has its decals, but I am reluctant to use them since they are slightly yellowed and curled, the latter of which I interpret to be moisture damage. I will probably use a set of Microscale decals to be safe. I had to take the photo in the kitchen since my desk looks like a styrene bomb exploded on it, but that means that work is being done...
The Hogshead boxcar is named for the Tobacco Hogshead, the cargo it carries. These cars are 94’ long over the pulling faces and have about 2.5 times the volume of a 40’ boxcar. They have a row of windows along the angled part of the roof, although mine will just be dummies. The cars were built in 1962 (I think) and were exclusive to the Southern. At least three survived into the early 2000’s, and one is on display in Bramwell, West Virginia. This photo is shows the contrast between the the Hogshead and a regular boxcar. It is much longer and slightly taller than what looks to be an AAR boxcar. In later years, the cars carried tires and other high volume, low weight cargo. This article has lots of cool photos and information on the cars: http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1963/63-7/big.html
I’m not a big fan of taking photos while I am working, but I will say that my construction method is to the Ambroid instructions. The only wood part I couldn’t replicate was the milled roof. Instead, I built the body of the car, then the horizontal roof, and then sanded the angled roof pieces to fit.
The roof ribs are made from from .060” angle stock. The horizontal roof had its ribs glued on first, and then the angled roof had its ribs cut so that the mating and terminating ends stayed vertical in relation to the angled roof. This was extremely time consuming, having to make each cut at an angle to match the other pieces. I made a good amount of mistakes, between the angle being off, cutting too short, etc. Here is a sketch I made showing how the car went together. You can see the roof profile in the bottom right with the ribs in profile as well.
I have a bunch of cars in the works right now: PRR B60B PRR M70B PRR ND Bobber Caboose Branchline REA Express Reefer Southern Hogshead PRR PS6L The B60, REA reefer, and ND are in the paint shop. Both PRR cars need their underbody painted and decals, the reefer just needs decals. The M70 needs its mail room finished, then it can be painted. Of course I messed up the Hogshead. The paint I was using was a new brand, but it was kind of low quality. The airbrush spit flecks of paint and messed up the finish, so I had to strip it and start over. It is back to bare plastic now, and I need to find a new shade of brown for it. A new project for me is the PS6L. These were a class of ten cars with 6 bedrooms in one half of the car and a lounge in the other. They are similar to the PS5L and the PS6LB. I got a Cricut cutting machine for Christmas, so I am working on cutting car sides for a core. I don’t think I have ever shown photos of the ND, so here is one. I started it a long time ago and forgot I still had it. It is a Funaro and Camerlengo Kit, and my first resin build. The body hasn’t been secured to the frame, so the end cage isn’t glued in either, but here is how it looks. You can see some spots on the roof where the paint pooled like the Hogshead, but I didn’t want to strip it, so I just accepted it. Here is a look at the M70. It is a Bethlehem Car Works Kit that has been modified to reflect a modernized car. I cut out the wood panel doors and installed custom steel doors. I also patched the first three windows. It rides on Walthers trucks. I modeled this car after 6510 at the Ohio Railway Museum and reference photos for other general parts of the car. The kit-supplied underbody is very simplified and places the hardware in the incorrect locations, so I scratchbuilt my own. The pigeon holes in the mailroom still need to be constructed, but I did scratchbuilt mailbag holding racks from wire, so I’m halfway there. The roof has two banks of drawers/cabinets installed above the mail rack, but I do not know what the prototype used them for.
