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I got bit hard by the Freedom Train bug in 2014 and began to collect all that was available at that time.  I also found the freedomtrain.org website which led me to Accumen Media and their HO decals for all of the cars.  I contacted them to see if they could supply decals for the cars which were not manufactured and they sold me decals for the flats, the wagons and the Freedom Train Promo car #200 Splendid Spirit.

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Well, a few years later I am now retired and have time to pursue all of the projects I put in the queue over the years.  I started on the flats and wagons today.  Back when I was planning this project and buying the decals, I was searching for an acceptable flat car that would 1) be representative of the real flats, and 2) run well on my layout.  I could not find any 85' flats for sale and was skeptical about their running characteristics anyway so I settled for Atlas O Trainman 68' flats.  They were short but with 3 20' containers on board they would look just fine.  On top of this the cars have a nice heft to them and when I tested them with the train they tracked well.  The next task was to find the containers.  I decided I would not scratch build the boxes but would use something commercially available.  The Atlas O Trainman 20' containers looked good so I bought 10 of them.

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The first step was to remove the lettering from the flat and paint it white.  Next I sanded the outside bracing off of the containers with an orbital sander.  This took about 1 hour per container.  Next I painted the containers.  I used Krylon Dual Superbond Satin white for both the cars and the wagons.  I painted the deck of the cars flat black. 

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My next project is to build the carriage which was under the wagons.  I have sourced some wheels and am using styrene shapes to fab the carriage.  I also have some 0.005" styrene sheet for the signs for the wagons.  I hope to have the first wagon finished next week.

Rolland

 

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Last edited by RLaHaie
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That is great!  I was talking to another forum member about making these cars and was (still) looking at the Atlas 89' foot flatcars.  We were also looking at containers, but undersized ones from Lionel and MTH, and gluing a thin sheet of plastic on the outside to give it the smooth look of the AFT equipment.  I like how you sanded the braces down but would need to buy the sander and make time for it (maybe I'll stay with the plastic sheets).

Waiting to see your finished cars.

Here are some pictures of the first wagon box.  It turned out very well.  The decals provided by Accumen Media are very good quality and easy to apply.  I had to do some more sanding on the box once I primed it since the ribs were still showing thru.  This is where the detail sander worked its magic.  It looks like a small clothes iron and shakes like crazy!

The under carriage is a work in progress with lots of small fiddly bits and not much to go on from pictures.  This one will have a towing yolk like in the pictures on the Freedomtrain.org site.

The first flat is nearly done and I will post some pictures of the wagon on the flat next week.

Rolland

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Last edited by RLaHaie

Ron;

First, it is Accuen Media, my mistake.  Their store is at http://www.themetrains.com/theme-trains-store.htm

Second, they do not advertise decals in O scale, but were very gracious about making them for me.  I don't remember what they cost but they were not cheap.  I bought the decals in 2014.

I bought decals for the three flats, all of the wagons (10 total wagons), the Chevy Blazer, the fork lift (several sizes were sent to fit what ever fork lift I could find), the Step Van and the GMC utility truck.  Also included was a small scale plan view of the wagon tow bar.  Additional information was included on placement and sizing.

I am very pleased with the quality and they were sent well packaged to prevent damage. 

Rolland

Here are a few pictures of the first flat complete with the first wagon box on it.  Since the cars are 68' long I will only be able to carry 3 wagons on each flat but that is all right with me.  I am trying to convey the idea of how the Freedom Train was composed, not produce an accurate scale model of it in every detail.  That said the car looks great to me.  The weather here has taken a turn for the nasty and I cannot paint during the day (too hot, long experience with this) but it is supposed to be cooler later next week.  I was hoping to have all 3 flats done by the 4th to display at the local club but that looks unlikely now. 

The under carriages are not coming along as well as I had hoped.  Looks like I will be adding them later once I get an assembly I am satisfied with. 

Rolland

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Over that last few days I have been able to finish the three flat cars and five of the wagon boxes.  I have not made any progress on the under carriages and am waiting on a new order of wheel sets ( the first ones were too large.)  I think the flats look terrific and the wagon boxes turned out great.  I have to wait for the wheels and working out the under carriage before I finish the souvenir wagons since they had a deep skirt which will require some modifications to the basic box.

Here are some pictures of progress to date.

Rolland

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I was really busy most of July and August.  Just got back to working on the wagons today.  Built the undercarriages for two more wagons along with the tow yoke.  Here they are on the flat car.  As I said before I can only carry 3 wagons per flat, but I think it looks really nice.  Will be finishing up in the next few weeks.  I have to figure out how to tie the wagons down.  This was done with turn buckles and chains on the real train.

Comparing these to the pictures at https://www.freedomtrain.org/a...onsist-012-wagon.htm I think they turned out real well.

Rolland

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@RLaHaie posted:

I got bit hard by the Freedom Train bug in 2014 and began to collect all that was available at that time.  I also found the freedomtrain.org website which led me to Accumen Media and their HO decals for all of the cars.  I contacted them to see if they could supply decals for the cars which were not manufactured and they sold me decals for the flats, the wagons and the Freedom Train Promo car #200 Splendid Spirit.

IMG_5504IMG_5505

Rolland



Rolland

Do you have any contact info for Accumen Media?   I could not find them on a web search.   I did find a dead link to AccumenDisplay.com    I hope they are still in business.  I would like to get a set of these decals.

Beautiful work on the cars and wagons, by the way.

Bob

Bob;

As I pointed out above, the actual name of the company was Accuen Media.  I talked to the proprietor a few months ago and he was no longer printing decals.  He was a member of this forum but I cannot find any of his posts now, so it looks like he even left this forum.  The Freedom Train websites are down as well, which is really unfortunate.

Rolland

Thanks Rolland

I found his website (when spelled correctly!) and I sent him an email.

The Freedomtrain.org website was down yesterday, but fortunately, it's back up today.

Did you finish your other 9 wagons?   Your work is excellent.   I would love to see more pictures and/or video of your train.

Bob

@RLaHaie posted:

Bob;

Unfortunately I have had some health issues the last year or so that stopped that project after finishing 5 wagons.  I intend to get back to it this year and perhaps run the entire train over the summer.  I will post pictures and video as I make more progress on the project.

Rolland

Rolland,

I am sorry to hear about your health issues.  I'm working though some myself.  Hope you get well fast.

Your work is great!  After seeing your post I ordered the decals but have not done anything with them yet; too many other projects.  I have three Atlas 89' flatcars for my train, although they are a bit longer than the 85' flatcars on the actual AFT.  I also have a GGD HW combine that will become the tool car.  If I can complete those four cars I will have 24 of the 26 cars of the train.

Rolland, I wish you continued recovery.  

Ron, I wish I had ordered decals when you did.  Hopefully, I will be able to acquire a set.  I just acquired the MTH AFT baggage car (in a 2-pack with the generic MTH passenger car) and an extra shell, which can be converted into #20/33 or #200.   I was looking for a car to convert to the tool car.  Is the GGD HW combine an 80' car?  

Still not sure about a donor for the boxcar #33/34.  Have you found anything?

Bob

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