I was thinking a mini-scene, with guys working on it. Bare metal showing where they've been grinding or sandblasting the surface.
Is it possible...
- Thread starter doctorwayne
- Start date
I'm not aware of any "modern" cars in metal, but for a scene such as you describe, it wouldn't be too hard to remove one or two panels from an outside-post boxcar, then replace them with metal. I'd suggest using a piece from a tin can, preferably pre-rusted, with paint as required and dents, scrapes and repair work all done before installation on the car.
Wayne
Wayne
Model Power has releasd a line of metal cars. They have been on the market for 3 years, I haven't seen any, but in Schenley, (population 59) it is hard to find trains. I need to get to a hobby shop to see some of this stuff.sign1 (edit) MB Klein lists a bunch of these cars under Model Power "Metal Train" they look darned good in the photos. here is a link to one picture http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/PhotoDetails.asp?ShowDESC=N&ProductCode=MDP-2228
Charlie
The flatcar is nicely done and pretty heavy. The 40 ft boxcar is reallllllly heavy, but I thought the details were too thick and heavy.
If you're asking about the Varney car, it came with body-mounted couplers, although not Kadees, and, of course, was a kit.
Wayne
I think the Model Power metal stuff is a re-issue of Mantua...they have re-issued the Mantua Logger and 0-6-0 engines along with some rolling stock. Not 100% sure the car in the link is one of them, however.
Wayne - Great work! There's an old Athearn 50' Round Roof box car in my pile of unbuilt kits. The roofwalk has got the old metal crud so it will need to be replaced. I will keep this thread in mind for the day I pull it out to upgrade and build it. Awesome as usual!
Wayne - Great work! There's an old Athearn 50' Round Roof box car in my pile of unbuilt kits. The roofwalk has got the old metal crud so it will need to be replaced. I will keep this thread in mind for the day I pull it out to upgrade and build it. Awesome as usual!
planeshavings42
Member
The Model Power MetalTrain products are ok... but they are way too heavy.
When did Varney go out of buisness?
According to Wacky-pedia, 1960, although I'd guess that it was "early '60s". They made some plastic cars, too, including a stockcar, ore jenny, and a doubledoor round-roof boxcar. I have two of their plastic hoppers and am working on re-lettering a plastic tankcar. I also have one of their catalogues, with photos by John Allen: this little booklet was one of the things that really drew me into model railroading.
:-DWayne
A further update on C&O 7207: Pete (sumpter250) was kind enough to send me a PM regarding the paint schemes of C&O boxcars in the 1930s, pointing out that it would most likely have been a brownish shade of boxcar red, with black ends and roof. While making it "browner" would have required a complete repaint and re-lettering, changing the roof and ends to black was fairly simple. Of course, in my rush to do so, I masked the car with some green masking tape - that's the kind which, for me, usually won't stick to anything. In this instance though, it stuck well-enough to lift some of the dry transfer lettering. Luckily, I was able to mix up some suitably-coloured paint and re-touched things with a fine brush. Here's the "closer to correct" version:
I have a door-and-a-half C&O boxcar in the paint shop now (here she is in a more modern paint scheme):
I've already re-painted it, and it's partially lettered, but, as I'm modelling it as a 1920s car, I'll be weathering it more heavily and then adding re-weigh and re-pack data. It is brown, with black roof and ends, though.
Thanks, Pete, for the additional information on these cars. It's never too late to learn and I really do appreciate the help.
Wayne
I have a door-and-a-half C&O boxcar in the paint shop now (here she is in a more modern paint scheme):
I've already re-painted it, and it's partially lettered, but, as I'm modelling it as a 1920s car, I'll be weathering it more heavily and then adding re-weigh and re-pack data. It is brown, with black roof and ends, though.
Thanks, Pete, for the additional information on these cars. It's never too late to learn and I really do appreciate the help.
Wayne
I've got a plastic Varney hopper (the red one)....I think it's a little on the smallish side when compared to the "regular" hoppers...
Gus,
can I give you an idea for a better coal load?
Make a well formed basic from wood (balsa is a very good usable material) and glue real fine milled coal on top replacing the plastic coal load. You will see the big difference also for this old Varney hopper.
Bernhard
Gus, I've got a couple of those Varney hoppers, too, and while they are shorter than the Athearn ones, they're very close to the Accurail USRA hoppers - almost dead-on. Mine have been re-painted several times (one was originally the covered hopper version) and both are currently "in service" as Grand Valley cars. Right now, I'm working on a Varney tank car - I upgraded the details a while back, lettering it as an EG&E car in company service for diesel fuel, but with my diesels all gone or soon-to-be, I'm relettering it for general service.
Wayne
Wayne
Wayne,
Great job on a car that anyone would be happy to have on their layout. I really like the details the car now. With the ones it had (rivets on the underside) and the ones you added it is a car as well as you would get today. Did you build the roofwalk or did you get that from another car detail?
Dave
Great job on a car that anyone would be happy to have on their layout. I really like the details the car now. With the ones it had (rivets on the underside) and the ones you added it is a car as well as you would get today. Did you build the roofwalk or did you get that from another car detail?
Dave
Dave, the roofwalk was built-up from strip styrene and is shown in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th pictures in this thread. And I didn't add any rivets - those on the sides of the car were stamped into the metal when Varney made the kit. They're a bit on the large side, but I can live with it. (Makes 'em easier to count.) :-D
Actually, making the roofwalk in this manner is easier than my other method, which is to remove the stock roofwalk, which on many older (and some recent) kits is too thick, and file the bottom side of it with an autobody file. I still use that method on cars with roofwalks that are supposed to represent metal ones, as the real metal ones are fairly pricey. Most cars in the '30s, though, had wood roofwalks.
Wayne
:-DActually, making the roofwalk in this manner is easier than my other method, which is to remove the stock roofwalk, which on many older (and some recent) kits is too thick, and file the bottom side of it with an autobody file. I still use that method on cars with roofwalks that are supposed to represent metal ones, as the real metal ones are fairly pricey. Most cars in the '30s, though, had wood roofwalks.
Wayne
I did build several coal loads using a foam base and sprinkled WS coal and dust on them....They do look nice.
The Varney hopper was my Ol' Man's so it's going to stay just as he left it to me.....as several other cars from him.
The Varney hopper was my Ol' Man's so it's going to stay just as he left it to me.....as several other cars from him.
