LNE Custom Caboose

TomPM

Another Fried Egg Fan
Here is my latest custom car. It is a LNE caboose.

The caboose started as a Mantua Radio Dispatched Caboose. I stripped the lettering off it and painted it red using Polly Scale paints. The paint gave me nothing but troubles. It didn’t cover correctly, the airbrush clogged. Finally after about four tries I got the paint to look good. I then began to decal it as a Western Maryland caboose. Well that turned into a disaster. If it had not been for some reassuring from a few folks I would have given up on custom cars.

Well I then stripped the Polly Scale off with brake fluid. The first time I used brake fluid. I then repainted it and used some leftover decals for a LNE boxcar. The car still looks a little shinny right now. I still need to weather it and hit it with some Dullcoat.

For those who interested here is the list of materials:
Mantua Heavy 36’ Caboose Radio Dispatched (726-174)
Kadee # 38 couplers
P2K Flat Back Metal Wheels
Undercoat: Folk Art Dove Gray (708) thinned 1:1 with blue windshield washer fluid
Sealer: Plaid Clear Acrylic Sealer-Matte (CS200306)
Final Colors: Apple Barrel Kings Gold (20760) thinned 2:1 with blue windshield washer fluid
Apple Barrel Red Apple (20784) thinned 2:1 with blue windshield washer fluid
Sealer: Plaid Clear Acrylic Sealer-Gloss (CS200304)
Decals: Walthers Box Car Lehigh & New England WHT 67-15
Sealer: Plaid Clear Acrylic Sealer-Matte (CS200306)
P2K Flat Back Metal Wheels
Paint: Americana Burnt Sienna mixed with Folk Art Bright Peach (682) 1:3
Sealer: Plaid Clear Acrylic Sealer-Matte (CS200306)
Trucks
Paint: Folk Art Dark Gray (426)
Drybrush: Americana Burnt Sienna
 

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shamus

Registered Member
Hello Tom
Very nice job you made of that Caboose, I use brake fluid to get paint off plastic loco's, but sometimes it takes weeks to get it all off.
Shamus
 

jon-monon

Active Member
Looks fatastic, Tom!

Originally posted by TomPM
Well that turned into a disaster. If it had not been for some reassuring from a few folks I would have given up on custom cars.

Exactly why I've been doin' backwoods modlin'; when it looks bad, it looks good, so even I can do it :D :D :D
 

Sir_Prize

Member
Blue windshield washer?
Hmm... Ain't heard 'a that.
It looks like it does right well.
Any particular brand you found works best?
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Blue Windy washer flooid

Ken:
We tolled the guys in Oztraylya, the blue washer flooid is good to -40 degrees Centimetre; the green stuff is good to -45 degrees.
The pink stuff freezes in a strong wind.
South of Kentucky it's sold as "whisky". :D
 

RailRon

Active Member
David,
I'd rather prefer REAL Whisky! :D :D :D

But then again you can't paint a caboose with it. :p

Tom - now in earnest: Does this washer fluid contain some alcohol? And did you notice a difference in spray paintig compared with water-diluted paint? E.g., does it dry faster?

Ron
 

TomPM

Another Fried Egg Fan
Thanks everybody for the comments.

Ron

When I tried distilled water I did not like the results. The paint seemed to not adhere as well and I got a fair number of runs. Also things kind of looked chalky. I don’t use tap water. Our local tap water is very hard and does not mix well. Heck it is so bad that I have to treat the “clean drinkable” water before I add to the fish aquarium otherwise it will kill the fish.:eek: :confused:

As far as the blue windshield washer fluid having alcohol in it, I read somewhere else that it does. Now I will have to check the bottle to be sure. To me paint thinned with it does dry faster and cover better. The use of the blue windshield washer fluid was suggested to be by several forum members when I was struggling with airbrushing. I would have never thought of it on my own.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
I've found that if you try to use isopropel (rubbing) alcohol to thin water based paints, many will "shock." Denatured Alcohol is the best thinning agent for water based paints. You can buy it by the gallon at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. in the paint dept.
 
It turned out well in the end though Tom, it looks real good.
You learned a lot with that project :) :D .
And I've just learned from your mistakes :) thanks for posting it all.

Errol
 

TomPM

Another Fried Egg Fan
Thanks for all the compliments.

Here is the finished weathered product.

Weathering:
Drybrushing: Folk Art Dark Gray 426
Wash: Folk Art Dark Gray 426 thinned with blue windshield washer fluid 1:5
Sealer: Testors Dullcoat
 

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