Here is an Ambroid Reading Reefer. Minor changes included some additional brake rigging and converting the scribed sheeting for the roof walk and ice hatch platforms to individual boards. The original kit decals were used. It rides on Atlas 2 rail Andrews trucks.
HO scale, 3 Rail guy here. Red Caboose kit back dated brake gear with added details.
Inspired by.
Pete
I’m about to start a Mainline Models kit. It is my first one and I’m a little afraid 😁
Brother_Love posted:I’m about to start a Mainline Models kit. It is my first one and I’m a little afraid 😁
Yes, wood, not styrene. Great fun and raw materials in a box; probably will end up tossing all the castings into the scrap heap pile on the layout.
Here's a Main Line Models 'basic kit' finished as an ART reefer. It rides on Athearn metal Andrews trucks with full under body detail. Floquil paint and Champ decals finished it.
The B&O flanger is older, built from of a Train Craft No. 404 tool caboose first put together in 1954. Rebuilt as seen here in the mid 1990's, The Old Pullman arch bar trucks are fitted with Precision Scale leaf springs. Truss rods were added and the plow is brass, built from B&O drawings. The Train Craft body is a perfect match for the B&O M-8 class box car body, which prototype SF 43 was originally.
Both are all wood construction, with a few stamped and cast metal details. The Main Line body has inside sheathing of 1/16" sheet wood glued on using contact cement, with its grain running lengthwise across the vertical grain of the car sides. This helps keep the sides stable and resist splitting. The flanger body was done that way as well.
S. Islander
S. Islander,
Those are great looking cars. Mine is a CB&Q 40’ OB boxcar. I doubt mine will look that nice.
is it best to seal the wood with sanding sealer before assembly?
thank you
Brother_Love posted:S. Islander,
Those are great looking cars. Mine is a CB&Q 40’ OB boxcar. I doubt mine will look that nice.
Don't sell yourself short - you've got skills!
is it best to seal the wood with sanding sealer before assembly?
I am sure that there will be those that will state that sealing wood is a paramount necessity. Never done it....or found it necessary....and I file it as yet another fine example of model RR'ing mythology.
Re-freshed these kits, which I started many years ago. I find it amazing the detail. Who would of thunk, the windows move up/down. I was thinking interior finish with wood stain, lighter oak, for the floors, may be a dark walnut for the walls. I do have a blue stain on the shelf. ???Caboose green interior??? I was surprised to get a lot done, with-out a trip to the hobby shop, or local hardware store. Wood assembly, with Elmer's white glue.
Buffalo and Pittsburgh caboose kits, matches Montour Railroad woodside cabooses. 
One more: Golden Oak stain, probably the easiest way to paint the interior.
Update April 6, (Monday), 2020 Additional interior parts added, curved roof panels complete, and cupola work started.
Sealing would really depend on whether you were using water based or solvent based paints. Water based would raise the grain and potentially warp the wood. Also if you were using acc or epoxy to assemble you should be all right without sealing, however, white or yellow wood glue could cause problems with larger laminations of thinner material, like roof sheathing over a solid substructure. Personally I use a sandable grey spray model primer.
"is it best to seal the wood with sanding sealer before assembly?"
I think so. Even on all the cabinets I built, the purpose of the sanding sealer was to make the soft grain "fuzzies" hard enough so they would break off during sanding, leaving a smooth finish. We have all seen wood fuzz on painted models, and one practical way to get rid of it is sanding. This could be done after assembly, but is much more difficult, or in some cases , impossible.
Now, the down side...The easiest sealer is lacquer based because it dries fast and does not load sandpaper. (a lot of sanding sealers are just lacquer and talcum powder). It goes fast and produces an excellent surface for painting when sanded with 400 or so grit. BUT ,, the sanding sealer makes a barrier for your adhesives...so even if you assembling with CA, your joints will not be any stronger than the lacquer--I guess you could imagine assembling a model with lacquer paint for glue. I find it is strong enough for most joints on a model , but not all.
Still, lacquer sanding sealer has produced such nice results for me that I continue to use it , but I scrap it off where I am gluing on things like bolsters, or little details like brake platforms ect. this can be a major pain on things like all the diagonal braces on a single sheathed car, but the next time you see a house car with a missing roof batten, you can bet they were glued on after sanding sealer.
I will keep using it because I like the results. Take scribed sheeting for instance. most all of it is way too deep, and sometimes fuzzy. I brush on one or two coats of a lacquer paint and presto the the scribes are a believable depth. Going over after with a tooth brush really cleans it all up and removes fuzz without ruining the wood grain look. That activity would not be possible with the grabs and door hardware already on .
Kind regards, Jeff 'JJ' Davies San Ramon Ca
J J Davies posted:Take scribed sheeting for instance. most all of it is way too deep, and sometimes fuzzy. I brush on one or two coats of a lacquer paint and presto the the scribes are a believable depth. Going over after with a tooth brush really cleans it all up and removes fuzz without ruining the wood grain look.
I use a soft brass wire brush to prep scribed siding for painting. Clean out all the dust and debris.
Just posted pics of Omaha box. I've never posted pics here, so please be patient with a Luddite.
This car started life as an Ambroid Oly beer refer....I was just taking pics n bad light, but was trying to show scribe being filled in some. Regards, Jeff Davies
Jeff, that is an outstanding job in changing a rudimentary kit into an exact scale model. About all that's left of Ambroid is the scribed sheeting. Coincidentally, I am also converting an Ambroid Olympia reefer to a truss rod underframe. Mine won't compare though; I don't have that much skill.
Jim
My first Walthers passenger car kit. Very enjoyable to build.
Yes Jeff - had to look several times to make sure it wasn't the real thing in a museum.
I too use sealer, but am not enough of a wood expert to recommend anything. Jeff surely qualifies as an expert.
Nice baggage car - try your photo editor to lighten the photos up. Easy.
jjscott posted:Jeff, that is an outstanding job in changing a rudimentary kit into an exact scale model. About all that's left of Ambroid is the scribed sheeting. Coincidentally, I am also converting an Ambroid Olympia reefer to a truss rod underframe. Mine won't compare though; I don't have that much skill.
Jim
Nonsense. Your models are every bit as good as mine and yours display a clean crispness that is very difficult for me to obtain. The only possible difference is on this model I used more NBWs --but man, the camera sure shows I did not put a rivit or pin detail on the brake rod shackles--I'll take it apart this afternoon.....Uhh, no.
Anyhoo, I really enjoyed seeing what you have built. I like nicely put together models so much, I have even been buying some on Ebay that have damage from careless clunk heads & it's a matter of satisfaction to repair them just like their proud builders had them one fine day long ago.
And, Bob, thank you for the kind words. You've done a great job yourself and have promoted nice kit building and scratch for many years --don't think I haven't noticed! Kind regards, Jeff JJ Davies San Ramon Ca
And BRR-- A very nice job on your baggage , particularly for your first !!! The roof is very well shaped , and you even included the curved edge that a lot of guys leave out ! It's a heck of a lot better than my early models , let alone first!!!!!!
You guys think it would be fun or a good idea to start a thread featuring pics of first or early models? I might have a HO car or two from fifty -odd years ago that would be good for laughing at me --I'll show you mine if.......
Jeff JJ Davies
Appears model paints do well without a sealer. Attempt is to preserve as much laser cut detail as possible. Stains work well, model paint is thin/provides the color needed. A dull, satin, or gloss coat applied with an air brush a final two steps. Gloss before decals, Satin or dull after decals as a finish. IMO Mike CT.
Paint today April 7 Floquil (acrylic) Zinc chrome primer Engine Black
Hi BRR - Looking back in the thread, I misunderstood--It's your first WALTHERS car.
But, anyway, anybody want to expose their early attempts?
Mike, that looks great! Glenn did a wonderful job with those kits --who else had scribed roof sheeting on the UNDERSIDE ! Glenn has actually rebuilt full size old time passenger cars --quite the craftsman. It is regrettable that his kits are no longer being made.
J J Davies posted:Mike, that looks great! Glenn did a wonderful job with those kits --who else had scribed roof sheeting on the UNDERSIDE ! Glenn has actually rebuilt full size old time passenger cars --quite the craftsman. It is regrettable that his kits are no longer being made.
Yes, Mullet River was the ultimate wood kit. It is such a pity nobody could resurrect that company.
Yves
jjscott posted:Ambroid Erie-Susquehanna 50 Ton 3 Bay Hopper: Posted here, but it didn't turn out as well as I hoped. My first mistake was to seal the wood with nitrate dope mixed with automotive flattener. Then I primed with Tamiya lacquer primer. While the process sealed the wood, it meant that most glues including C.A. didn't stick well, so parts kept falling off. Second mistake was the Grandt Line .043 rivets; they're not straight (my fault) and show all the excess glue blobs. Not much sticks to the metal ends and body ribs. I resorted to 5 minute epoxy. Add dirt on the surface when painting and impenetrable decal film. As a finale, I dropped my airbrush needle when cleaning and bent the tip. It was sure a challenge, and I am relieved to have it finished.
It is pretty much out of the box except for the rivets and 1/8 brass angle corners. I used the old Walthers kit decals.
It sits on Atlas 2 rail Andrews trucks. I did build the HO version of this way back when and have always liked the looks of the car. Despite my complaints, I do enjoy building these old kits and will start another soon.
Jim
This car looks great!!!
A couple of labelle cars....The Heinz is the Moore refer. Both these cars I built a while ago , but after I finely realized that truss rods need to look like they are threaded over the bolster, and that if you are running 72 radius, the trucks swing very little and the rods can be placed in and out side the wheels . Hence, I set up the rods so that they might even touch the wheels if entering a 60 inch radius.
That and leaving the brake rigging hanging down on the ...err..hangers,, well, I like the way it looks.
I have found that installing the grabs, and then pricking and drilling directly above them for plastic NBW works well. The NBW is then forced in and when it is, the washer part sort of bends into the grab wire. I glue the grab wire , but not the NBW , having found the paint and overcoat holds them in their holes without getting glue slopped around .
Russ at Clover supplied the transfers
Norton posted:HO scale, 3 Rail guy here. Red Caboose kit back dated brake gear with added details.
Inspired by.
Pete
I do believe I see a Jack Delano photo!
The Racine car is a little diff. It is cut down in length. Often, I cut cars, but usually from 36 to 34--By the way, I adjust car length to the scribed sheeting --yupp. Most your sheet is 1/16th thick and scribed 1/16th -- wouldn't be groovy if on corners, the thickness of the sheet exposed as the first board? or at least not having half a board ?--well, you can. as example, procedure for sides overlaying ends:
Dry fit the side pieces together, beveling just enough to get a consistent scribe-line at the joints. glue face down on parchment baking paper. Now , take the side sheet and lay it on the car floor. You can figure out which scribe line the car length will fall on by looking at the two while allowing for the thickness of the end sheets. Hopefully, a couple of pieces of strathmore paper under the end sheets will lengthen the body to the desired side scribe. mark the sides as they will not be interchangeable.
Once the length is figured, you can glue the end sheets on, mindful that you are going to sand the body with end sheets attached to the next end scribe. use a full sheet of quality 80 or 100 sandpaper glued to a flat surface . Put a little bevel on the ends to match the scribe before gluing the sides on --and don't forget to laminate something to the insides of the sides--both these models have scribe separation because I'm stupid and I didn't ...I know of no way to fix it.
The end hardware is HO Grandt line mining gate hinges--I showed it to Cliff and he really liked it --in fact , see that broken brake wheel? Cliff Grandt himself accidentally snagged it with his wristwatch while examining and broke it ! I will probably only half *** fix it cause it reminds me of him and how much I enjoyed our interactions--he was really a great guy and an astounding craftsman!
Oh! , the trucks ....those are All Nation--the ones with that big blank on top above the springs--well, I cut the top arch bar and bent it down, then filed off the top ..and Voila' , a pretty good flatter top arch bar...It would probably look better with new san jaun or equal trucks, but I was so proud of myself at the time ..
Regards, Jeff JJ Davies San Ramon CA
rex desilets posted:Norton posted:HO scale, 3 Rail guy here. Red Caboose kit back dated brake gear with added details.
Inspired by.
Pete
I do believe I see a Jack Delano photo!
Big fan of Jack. Another Red Caboose kit.
Pete
Roof panels installed. Still a lot of work.
J J Davies posted:Russ at Clover supplied the transfers
Clover House transfers are such a delight to make unique looking cars.
This is a conversion of an Ambroid Olympia Beer reefer. It has scratched ice hatches and a truss rod underframe using Protocraft queen posts and turnbuckles. Door latches are Berkshire Valley. The trucks are Protocraft brass archbar; the decals are by K4.
That's a nice car ! . Love the hatches.
J J Davies
Back on page 3 of this thread, and about 1/3 of the way down, adferraro posted his build of an All Nation wood reefer. I think the kit I've just finished is essentially the same kit. As he noted, the primary advantage of this kit over some others is the one piece scribed plywood sides. It is a fairly crude kit, though, and he did an excellent job on his.
I bought this kit on ebay, primarily because it came with some Walthers Liebmann Packing Company decals. Liebmann was in Green Bay, Wisconsin and had their name and city prominently on the side of ART leased cars. Inevitably, the decals proved useless. The lettering was impervious to all solvents, and the ART logo shattered into a million pieces when it hit the water. I had tested the lettering prior to applying but didn't test the logos. Perhaps the 1957 copyright date on the package was a warning. K4 Decals are what I ended up using after removing the Walthers end decals and repainting the ends. Because the car had been painted with orange sides and red ends and roof, I was limited in decal options.
For the build I added some roof ribs but used the All Nation ice hatches; I thought they looked pretty good. I did use that plastic roof walk but sanded it with coarse sandpaper to flatten it and give it some grain. The inset frame edge on the bottom of the sides was removed. The car got some metal doors (styrene, actually) to break up the scribing. The ladders were from an Ambroid kit. Brake detail was added. The stirrup steps are All Nation.
The sides are Floquil reefer orange with a bit of black added; the red is Model Master, altered with black and brown. Trucks are San Juan T section Bettendorf. I do like the Greenlee Packing decals and feel they resulted in a better looking car than the car using the Walthers Liebmann decals,
Jim
You guys are really good at this! I am keeping my vintage cars out of here, lest they contaminate these pristine builds!
J J SCott ---That's a super nice refer car ! I really like the colors and crisp paint separation that shows your planning and forethought. The ladder stand-offs look great .
Yeah, Bob...whatcha say we start a new thread with first or early builds ? i know I sure as heck was not born witha pin vice and dial calipers in my hand . I still have some 50 +year old HO models that were , uh, kinda made according to lessor understanding.
And to be straight, Bob, even your 'muffler boilers' were very presentable and a great inspiration to builders everywhere.
Regards, J J
An oldie but a goodie'... Art Fleming'..
Art Fleming kits - that is one I had never heard of. Is this a recent or older build? The trucks suggest it was built a while ago. Nice car; thanks for posting. Jim
I've finished another kit build from LaBelle. This time a CL&W gondola. I used a lot of extra detail pieces from Precision scale and Scale City. Painting and dealing is up next.
I've been trying to work on my soldering skills so the underside is brass details and wire soldered together.
I also took a liberty here and there. Such as where I added on end sills and brass grabs.
This was an old LaBelle kit, and the fishing line is thicker than currently used, and didn't straighten as well as it should. I should have replaced it, but didn't think of it at the time.
Obviously, I am not building to exact prototype details.
@adferraro posted:I used a lot of extra detail pieces from Precision scale and Scale City.
What parts did you add from Precision Scale and Scale City? Think I have this kit up next in my kit building queue.
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