It's been a while since I added some more photos here, so here we go. Descriptions and comments above the referenced photograph.
First one below is an repainted MPC era 027 short flat car with a repainted trailer. The trailer mount is made out of bass wood and mounts in the holes that the rivet (in this case, blackened screw) goes for mounting the trucks to the car body.
The next photo has the trailer removed so you can see the underside of the trailer mount. I used Plastruct pipe, so that it fits around the diameter of the blackened hex screws used to hold the trucks to the car body.
The advantage of doing this is that I can easily swap loads from one flat car to another. I could easily put the trailer mount on the NS flat car below.
We see regular threads about correct scale of vehicles. My three concerns are cost, weight and "how does it look."
This tractor was bought at a dollar store, though I've seen the same one in a 4 or 5-pack at Walmart. I actually prefer plastic versus die-cast metal for vehicles that are going on train cars.
I used very small blackened nails, put into the sides of the flat car so that I can use girls hair bands (the kind without the metal joiner) to secure the tractor to the flat car.
The B&M has to be one of the most popular of the iconic 6464 Lionel box cars. Not wanting to be left out of the loop, this is a repainted K-Line 5000 series box car with new door guides made of styrene, so I could paint them the same color as the car body. Standard procedure at the Brianel shops. And a fascia wood floor inside the box car. It also has Lionel trucks instead of the k-Line Symington type.
Next below is a Lionel short 027 gondola with a cover I made from some sort of plastic pipe, which I forget now.
I noticed the LCCA is offering a traditional size box car done up in the uncommon (and varied) reefer paint scheme. But it's $90.00! That's not criticizing the LCCA: The prices of the new traditional cars are right up there on par with the newly tooled scale cars, and in some cases, even more. Even the separate sale 027 cars for the Lionel Junction sets listed for $44.95. In my version of English, that's translated as "insane."
Fortunately for me, I did this one years ago based upon a photo in the Conrail Freight Car Color Guide by Morning Sun. Again, a K-Line 5000 series box car, obviously with the wrong kind of door for a mechanical reefer. I actually made the decals myself for this car on a Xerox copier. I've never had any luck printing decals on a laser jet printer.
Although K-Line did make this one for awhile, I believe this was a beat up MARX version, which is typically the condition of rolling stock I look for to do my repaints. I'm not going to repaint something that is either in good condition or might have some value. Especially the MARX plastic cars, since finding a good one of those that isn't beat up or missing parts is getting more difficult.
The screen on the lower deck of the car is the type they use for embroidery, I think... I got it at Hobby Lobby. The cars, obviously not scale, are larger Maistro types that I got at a dollar store. The BNSF logo on the screen I made on my computer. Inside the lower deck of the car, I have some rolled up black plastic window screen, so you can't see that there aren't any cars inside on the lower level... at least when viewing the car from this angle.
Since the Norfolk Southern has a yard in my area, I get to see a good deal of older Southern rolling stock, regardless of living in New York state. Adding a dome platform, a little suggested undercarriage detail and a nice paint/decal job makes these cheaper less expensive cars look so much better.
Here, a K-Line 5000 series gondola made from the old MARX dies. I always add a fascia wood floor to these gondolas as well as a metal brake wheel over the plastic molded in one. But I show this car because I'm always on the lookout for cheap items that can serve as train loads. These are women's hair rollers from a dollar store that I randomly spray painted black, grey and rust colored primer.
Another common short MPC 027 flat car with bulk ends and stakes. I painted the Delrin plastic stakes brown after first coating them with wood glue. The load is made from the square plastic leg from one of those dorm room or porch tables. I measured it, then made GP Gypsum load on my computer, printed it out on paper and glued it to the square table leg. Then added some basswood strips to the very bottom of the load.
More to come another time.
