Model Railroading > Freight Car Friday Projects

Here are a couple of HO freight car projects that I’ve recently finished. Both cars were weathered using airbrush paints and oil paints.

Dennis

1.This car started out as an RTR Kadee car painted CNW 153007. It had the factory boxcar red with yellow lettering, which turned out to be too early for my 1976 modeling era. The C&NW’s paint shop records listed the 153008 as painted in 1974. I painted and lettered the car from a 1981 photo and free-lance weathered it to show two years of service.

2.This hopper started as an Exact Rail RTR DRGW car. I sanded off the lettering and gave it a new identity using Polly Scale paint and a 30-year old set of Herald King decals.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/15 17:44 by CNW.

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As always, just right!

Tom Y

Very nice looking work. Thanks for posting them. What did you use for the rust colour on the coupler in the first photo?

Jim

Sure like those a lot better than the "rusted out" type.

Nice work. Love the trucks and road grime. Very nice!

Joel Brazy
Coatesville, PA

Not to be a jerk, but if you are modeling 1976, why does the CNW car have a wheel inspection dot and no ACI label?

How exactly did you sand off the previous reporting marks? How fine a grit sandpaper? Any special technique you use?

Here are a few answers to questions.
Dennis

Jimmies Wrote:
> What did you use for the rust colour on the
> coupler in the first photo?
The couplers were airbrushed with a 50:50 mix of Polly Scale Rust and Grimy Black

TT Wrote:
> Not to be a jerk, but if you are modeling 1976,
> why does the CNW car have a wheel inspection dot
> and no ACI label?
The boxcar should have an ACI tag. I intended to put one on after I weathered the car but forgot. Thanks for reminding me; I will add it. I’m not certain when the wheel dots were applied to freight cars, but the 1981 photo I referenced showed one.

70ACE Wrote:
> How exactly did you sand off the previous
> reporting marks? How fine a grit sandpaper? Any
> special technique you use?
On the hopper, I used a ¾” x 1” wood block, which is covered with 300 grit sand paper, to gently sand off the lettering. Some of the paint was also removed in the process .

First, let me say the models look great. But the wheel inspection dots are from 1978, a '76 car shouldn't have them. I just thought you would want to know.