Built Up Vintage Kits - Rolling Stock

Thought I would add this MainLine models kit of sticks and wire and not much else. It’s not as old as it looks. Finished it almost, still need to add stove pipe over the interior stove.

Leon Butler

@Purplepapa posted:

Thought I would add this MainLine models kit of sticks and wire and not much else.

Neatly done; don't see too many building the poultry kit.

@David Eisinger posted:

Dave, I remember that big Sante Fe box car. I also remember Hank Knapp from the tractioneers. I had a party at my house and one of the guest as a Fran Knapp. I asked her if her father was by chance Hank Knapp. turns out Fran is Hanks daughter. about that decal. I had trouble applying that Sante Fe map on the reefer in one piece. it turned out fine but if I had to do it again I would apply it in more manageable sections pieced together.

I just realized that I did not reply to your post, so here goes. I did not meet any of Hank's children but did meet his wife Toni (ISTR) when we would go and pick him up to go to a trolley meet. One time she even had a light breakfast waiting for us. I did run into someone at an NJ trolley meet that had gotten most of Hank's trolleys; he had a freight motor on his table that I instantly recognized and asked about it; I think that I told him more about it than he already knew. It was Hank's favorite car to bring to the Tractioneers.

As far as sectionalizing a large decal, I would be more worried about aligning the sections than getting the one piece version down correctly.

Note: The Santa Fe car now has a running mate:

My only claim to its construction is installing metal wheelsets; I bought it at a train show.

86' cars, doesn't take many to make up a long train...

@oscaletrains posted:

86' cars, doesn't take many to make up a long train...

Two should do quite nicely :

@oscaletrains posted:

86' cars, doesn't take many to make up a long train...

Indeed, they behave/perform similar to passenger cars and like large radius curves.

@atlpete posted:

Indeed, they behave/perform similar to passenger cars and like large radius curves.

I like the PC green "Hello Dolly" car seven cars forward of the cabin.

Nice work everyone, thanks for sharing

@PRRMP54 posted:

I like the PC green "Hello Dolly" car seven cars forward of the cabin.

They're Quality Craft wood kits from the mid-seventies. only saw them listed once in the 1976 Walthers catalog for $10.95, described  as a "70' Private Lumber Car"

I got three of these from my brother, that PC, a CR and B&O version, builder while unknown did a nice job aside from mounting the bolsters inward to reduce their minimum radius, which made them look weird. I rehung the bolsters on all three to spec before re-selling two of them.  I kept the PC version, though none of these schemes were prototypic.

In actuality PS built something like only 50 for their TLDX lease pool custom painted for various lumber companies employing them, and then sold a batch to the Apache Rwy. Kind of an obscure design and small production total.

I have two, one that is temporarily MIA in a house-move shuffle and this one (talk about un-prototypical!) that I recently found floating in the bay:

Note that I have no idea if the bolsters are properly located but the trucks will get metal wheelsets.

I do have a slight fascination for these types of "commemorative" cars, I probably have a dozen or more. This Heatbath has been a favorite, mine is the bottom one:

Or the occasional odd-ball:

There was a seller at the San Antonio O Scale National that was making three-bay hoppers out of the Weaver two-bay PS-2s; I asked him what he did with the leftover parts. He reached down under the table and brought this out. It took a while, actually two days, to finally persuade him to sell me this to me.

Neat cars! Ironically your TLDX version looks like it was built with slightly reduced bolster spacing too,  I love that shorty CH, would make a really cool looking work trolley "trailer." I wonder if the silver and blue Timkin 40' xm by Athearn similarly qualifies as commemorative (or promotional) car like your HCX Pentrate cars?

Dave (PRRMP54),

Your single bay covered hopper is very similar to one built by Tom Smink (chairman of the 1991 O Scale National in High Point, NC) back in the 1980s. Tom's car had 100 ton trucks and was lettered for Duke's Septic Service and was car number 2. Car number 1 was a shorty tank car. I don't know what happened to those cars and Tom passed away many years ago.

@Jerry Davis posted:

Dave (PRRMP54),

Your single bay covered hopper is very similar to one built by Tom Smink (chairman of the 1991 O Scale National in High Point, NC) back in the 1980s. Tom's car had 100 ton trucks and was lettered for Duke's Septic Service and was car number 2. Car number 1 was a shorty tank car. I don't know what happened to those cars and Tom passed away many years ago.

Those I would liked to have seen. Mine was built by someone named D Hodges (M L & C Shops); the writing is his, btw:

I now wish that I had gotten one of his three-bays also. This would make a neat cut: a one and a two and a three and a four (Weaver's later rib-side) all lined up in order. Same paint schemes, of course!

From a Suncoast kit...  Santa Fe Bx-3 Panel-Side Boxcar.

Per John Dobyne III's book on Santa Fe boxcars, Bx-3 and Bx-6 panel-sided boxcars all featured Andrews trucks.  This model has old Athearn die cast Andrews trucks that roll beautifully.  Built with a K brake system, survivors were later converted to the AB brake system.

Did I say "survivor"??  These cars were built (4,000 of them) between 1923 and 1925, about a thousand remained in service through to the mid-1950's.  One car of the Bx-3 class, however, lasted until 1966, and that was car #116279...celebrated on this model.  Hey, we 'survivors' gotta stick together!!!

This was a particularly fun build, a great kit.  I'm sorry Suncoast and the continuation of their O scale car kits have not survived.

KD

Neatly done!

@dkdkrd posted:

From a Suncoast kit...  Santa Fe Bx-3 Panel-Side Boxcar.

Per John Dobyne III's book on Santa Fe boxcars, Bx-3 and Bx-6 panel-sided boxcars all featured Andrews trucks.  This model has old Athearn die cast Andrews trucks that roll beautifully.

KD

They are some of the best mass-produced trucks available. The later Delrin are just as good. My standard truck set-up is Athearn (or Weaver) with Intermountain metal wheelsets for all (if possible) my cars equipped with 33 inch wheels.  For 36 inch wheels, I use NWSL.

@PRRMP54 posted:

They are some of the best mass-produced trucks available. The later Delrin are just as good. My standard truck set-up is Athearn (or Weaver) with Intermountain metal wheelsets for all (if possible) my cars equipped with 33 inch wheels.  For 36 inch wheels, I use NWSL.

Dave...  I'm just hopeful that Kadee's announcement of entering the O market with their trucks will have an Andrews in the mix.  I'm not sure what they have planned re O2R vs. O3R.  Frankly, the flanges on the Athearn die cast Andrews trucks on this Bx-3 model are perfect for running on Ross/Gargraves O3R track.  I know the flanges are oversize for today's NMRA adherence among the O2R folks.  But, by the same token, I hope they strike some sort of compromise for the O3R folks, offering something less than the wildest of 'pizza cutter' flanges.

Ah, well, time will tell.

KD

dkdkrd,

Beautiful build!  You are to be congratulated for your skill and care.

Ed

@Purplepapa posted:

Thought I would add this MainLine models kit of sticks and wire and not much else. It’s not as old as it looks. Finished it almost, still need to add stove pipe over the interior stove.

Leon Butler

Great job!  Those kits are certainly “a box of sticks” but you did a beautiful job on it. Malcolm

I recently got hold of this car already assembled.  It looks a little “All Nationy” but it came in a box labeled Monarch Models.  Can anyone shed any light on its origins.  I am looking for a prototype so I can paint it but haven’t found one yet.  I was hoping for Wabash but not enough outside bracing for that.

Thanks, Malcolm

This thread has been languishing a while; so have I with my kit building. I started this Ambroid Santa Fe caboose two years ago and finally got around to finishing it. My heart wasn't really in it; I just wanted it done, so it's not that great. Stock build, paint I had and brass arch bar trucks.

.....this Ambroid Santa Fe caboose two years ago and finally got around to finishing it. My heart wasn't really in it; I just wanted it done, so it's not that great. Stock build, paint I had and brass arch bar trucks.

Looks good and those trucks are sharp!

Well, I thought it time to tackle another old kit. This one is a Mainline stock car, bought complete (I think) with some NMRA regional letter boards, a set of Champ Great Northern decals and a set of CDS dry transfers for Quebec Central. I have never had any luck with CDS transfers; they either don't release or don't stick. I'll give them a try but don't expect much.

The kit itself is a jumble of all sizes and lengths of sticks and some nice pre-assembled sides. After much time of trying to match the sticks to the plans and instructions I ended up identifying only about half of them. Looks easy but it wasn't. Hopefully, identification will be easier as I progress.

The frame builds up nicely in a mostly scale fashion. The sides and ends go on, then the roof. I'll post as I go along.

@jjscott posted:

Well, I thought it time to tackle another old kit. This one is a Mainline stock car, bought complete (I think) with some NMRA regional letter boards, a set of Champ Great Northern decals and a set of CDS dry transfers for Quebec Central. I have never had any luck with CDS transfers; they either don't release or don't stick. I'll give them a try but don't expect much.

The kit itself is a jumble of all sizes and lengths of sticks and some nice pre-assembled sides. After much time of trying to match the sticks to the plans and instructions I ended up identifying only about half of them. Looks easy but it wasn't. Hopefully, identification will be easier as I progress.

The frame builds up nicely in a mostly scale fashion. The sides and ends go on, then the roof. I'll post as I go along.

You have way more patience than I have.

The weathering/staining of the wood looks absolutely fantastic, keep up the great work.   Looking forward to future updates and thanks for sharing.   Dwayne