Needing some cars for Team Track Tuesday, I rehabbed 4 flat cars that I had laying around.
First off is a flat car that was part of a Trainz auction I won. Its a basic plane, unlettered scratchbuilt flat:
That plain desk just screams out to have wood deck placed on it. And I love those stake pockets
Here it is after the board by board deck has been installed...
After couplers were added, decals and some weathering...
And in service for a Team Track Tueday...
Next is an Industrial Rail flat car (with the automobile removed). I weathered this and turned it into a wheel car...
and with the wheel set load...
Next are two AHM flat cars that I had lying in a parts box. very basic with no trucks or couplers...
with all those nice stake pockets, who would put those holes in the deck? These have to be filled along with losing the clunky stirrups and molded in grab irons...
Here the holes are filled, the stirrups replaced with Tichy stirrups and the grab irons installed. For the grabs, I used Tichy Train groups "S" scale grabs as they fit better than the "O" scales ones would have. I noticed that these cars do not come with a handbrake of any kind. So I installed vertical hand brake on one end...
I filled the bolsters in so they can be drilled to accept a 2-56 screw to attach the trucks and finally ready for paint...
Here is a photo of a car I used for inspiration on painting/decaling one of the cars...
and here it is out of paint and ready to paint and weather the deck...
Here the basic deck is painted and ready for weathering...
here it is weathered and Atlas trucks and dummy couplers installed...
The last one is painted black with Protocraft decals and weaver trucks...
And so you have it. Some rehabbed flats waiting go to work and appear in future Team Track Tuesdays...