Single sheathed boxcars

Looking good, Brad. 

More wood

Brad - models look great.  Have you tried Clover House's dry transfer "chalk" markings often seen on freight cars in the steam era?  The "x" on the Pacific  Limited truss rod  hopper bottom box car is from a Clover House set.  The other lettering was CDS dry transfers.  I was amazed to find a color shot of this prototype in a train passing through Altoona, PA circa 1952.   I previously thought truss rod cars were out of interchange service by then.

Ed,

i have chalk marks marks on some other steel boxcars.   Rick leach offers them on his NYC sets.

thanks for the reply.    I am working on my approach to aged wood cars.

ideas?

BradA posted:

    I am working on my approach to aged wood cars.

ideas?

Build them out of wood?

Clover House has lots of useful stuff and dry transfer lettering sets!

Ozark Miniatures has the CDS line of dry transfer lettering...

Martin

i am not skilled like you in that area---  I am hoping to build some wood structures.  I will have to settle for brass freight cars.....

Keystoned Ed posted:

Brad - models look great.  Have you tried Clover House's dry transfer "chalk" markings often seen on freight cars in the steam era?  The "x" on the Pacific  Limited truss rod  hopper bottom box car is from a Clover House set.  The other lettering was CDS dry transfers.  I was amazed to find a color shot of this prototype in a train passing through Altoona, PA circa 1952.   I previously thought truss rod cars were out of interchange service by then.

 

 

Just beautiful Ed!  I think the GN cars as well as the Burlington XM23 cars that Mullet River did were some of the last truss rod cars in service in the 50's.  The WFEX/FGEX truss rod reefers lasted longer (I think) and some of them had AB brake conversions.  Been working on getting someone to do them in brass. 

I love the PL GN truss rod cars, one of Pat's nicest models.  Hopefully someday the ones I own will be in a train too. 

BradA posted:

Martin

i am not skilled like you in that area---  I am hoping to build some wood structures.  I will have to settle for brass freight cars.....

Everybody starts at the starting line - you might surprise yourself.  Wooden cars are just structures on wheels,

I am going to try building s first 

mwb posted:

BradA posted:

Martin

i am not skilled like you in that area---  I am hoping to build some wood structures.  I will have to settle for brass freight cars.....

Everybody starts at the starting line - you might surprise yourself.  Wooden cars are just structures on wheels,

Certainly a valid description.  And building wood things, whether structures or cars is lots of fun.  Nothing looks like wood like wood.

With that said wood cars with metal things attached to them like roofs and ends and grab irons are a bit more difficult to build accurately. 

Take for instance the Mullet River car kits,  probably the most "modern" design wood kit on the market.  The laser-cut wood part is great.  

To build the metal parts accurately requires metal forming and punching rivets and building and attaching metal bracketing to mount those metal parts like brake gear, steel underframes, steel ends, etc.

That needs to be done if you want wood kits that look as good if not better than brass.

Rule292 posted:

mwb posted:

BradA posted:

Martin

i am not skilled like you in that area---  I am hoping to build some wood structures.  I will have to settle for brass freight cars.....

Everybody starts at the starting line - you might surprise yourself.  Wooden cars are just structures on wheels,

Certainly a valid description.  And building wood things, whether structures or cars is lots of fun.  Nothing looks like wood like wood.

With that said wood cars with metal things attached to them like roofs and ends and grab irons are a bit more difficult to build accurately. 

Take for instance the Mullet River car kits,  probably the most "modern" design wood kit on the market.  The laser-cut wood part is great.  

To build the metal parts accurately requires metal forming and punching rivets and building and attaching metal bracketing to mount those metal parts like brake gear, steel underframes, steel ends, etc.

That needs to be done if you want wood kits that look as good if not better than brass.

Yup.  It's all just part of the fun.....

Ed - Think the Great Northern truss rod cars were rebuilt with steel underframes, which allowed them to remain in service. The Great Northern ran a perpetual "chop shop", rebuilding equipment continuosly, such as their O8 Mikados which were rebuilt from early 2-6-8-0's.

mark s posted:

Ed - Think the Great Northern truss rod cars were rebuilt with steel underframes, which allowed them to remain in service. The Great Northern ran a perpetual "chop shop", rebuilding equipment continuosly, such as their O8 Mikados which were rebuilt from early 2-6-8-0's.

I'm curious. If the under frames were replaced with steel, wouldn't that eliminate the need for truss rods? The truss rods are to compensate for body sag, correct?

Roy Boy - your question prompted me to look at my car. Two u-shaped channels were placed down the center of the car approximately in line with the coupler boxes. It was not a complete replacement of the lower framing, so the truss rods were perhaps retained out of necessity, to maintain the car's structural rigidity and loading capacity. Perhaps the channels allowed the GN to comply with an ICC order in a minimal fashion. The Great Northern Ry Historical Society had a bulletin on these cars some 25 years ago. I dug into my archives but couldn't find it. Maybe another GN fan could comment?