I started kit bashing a Labelle 50’ boxcar for my Northeast track cleaning car.
With the NE car being shorter and the aluminum base thicker, I first had to cut the roof structure to length and shorten the end blocks to accommodate the wall panels so the aluminum base would be covered.
The aluminum base is 1/8” wider than the wood frame from the kit. I used a 1/16” filler on each side of the blocks. I also had to widen the roof structure with 1/16” strips on each side. I then sanded the overhang on the roof and blocks.
The blocks were squared to the roof and glued.
While the glue was drying, I tediously trimmed and filed all the needed castings with the rotary tool.
I opted for the hinged side doors which were cut and glued with the end walls.
Next was trim, fit, sand and glue the letter boards to the ends.
On to the side walls. Because this is removable and the bottom of the walls won’t be glued to the base(frame), I had to make gusset stiffeners for the inside walls. I cut strips from the unused kit frame. The wall sheathing is very thin and flimsy.
Gene
