Workbench

by

Nice Caboose…

If you’re describing something that brings up the rear, you call it a caboose, right? And if your wife looks good in those new jeans, you might (carefully) tell her you like her caboose. It’s a useful term, universally understood.

So when’s the last time you saw one?

The FCFL is a modern railroad, and like it or not my trains are caboose-less.

If you’re not familiar with railroads, since the mid-1980s the ends of trains in North America have largely been marked by “end of train devices” instead of cabooses. These are electronic boxes usually strapped to the trailing coupler of the last car to monitor the train – the pressure in the air brake lines – and send information by radio to the crew in the locomotive up front.

End of train devices usually also have a flashing red light to visibly mark the end of the train, leading to their other name, “flashing rear end devices,” or FREDs. Folks who miss cabooses – especially those who used to make a living riding in cabooses doing the work now done by FREDs – substitute a more derisive word for “flashing.”

I only vaguely remember cabooses, seeing them as a boy and occasionally waving to crews aboard them from the back seat at grade crossings. Most of my railfanning days are post-caboose, so I don’t miss them all that badly.

But now and again, I get a hankerin’ for the old days. Plus, I’m planning to add a switching district, and my crews will be doing a lot of shunting and a good bit of waiting around.

I think most railroads today use old cabooses simply as “riding platforms,” where crews doing a lot of switching and backing can stand on the platforms rather than hang on garbage-man style to the sides of the cars. I don’t like that idea. A whole glorious caboose, welded shut with only the porches put to use? No. The crews that will handle the Flagstaff turn are going to ride in style. A mobile office, with bunks and seats in the cupola and a pot of coffee brewing (though it is 2013 – maybe one of those Keurig things?).

This project started with an Atlas Norfolk & Western caboose, $12.50 at my favorite hobby shop. I would have preferred a more modern “wide vision” caboose, but those are more pricey and I figured I could bring this one up to date.

I disassembled the model and discarded the roofwalks, ladders and friction bearing trucks. I used Squadron White Putty to fill the ladder and roofwalk mounting holes, then painted everything Competition Orange. Once that dried, I painted the ends of the carbody and ends of the cupola blue. The roof got a coat of silver before I added safety stripes on the ends and the other decals, then weathered the whole thing with alcohol ink washes and some weathering powders. New running gear is a set of Micro-Trains 70-ton roller-bearing trucks and 33-inch Fox Valley Models metal wheels.

fcfl14

FCFL Caboose #14 waits for its next assignment at Salvation Point yard. The model is from Atlas, custom paint, decals and weathering, upgraded with MicroTrains trucks and Fox Valley Models metal wheelsets.

Old No. 14 here might not get much use. Only when I’m in the mood, and only then to show the way on long push moves during switching. But I think it looks pretty good just sitting in the yard.

Plus, my kids will know what a caboose is.

by

Onboard Camera

Thanks to my friends at the Milwaukee N’ Southeastern for spending some time this weekend taking onboard footage of the FCFL. This video starts as we exit southwest staging, crosses the Benjamin Henry River, rolls through Herbst Junction, passes the Salvation Point Yard, then skirts Many Lost Ways National Park and crosses the high bridge before coasting into northeast staging. It’s a whole new way to see the layout.

I’m a novice video editor so forgive the amateur treatment. To save time I trimmed out the staging yards and long tunnels. I wasn’t able to trim out the giant people wandering about trackside. See anyone you know?

by

What’s in the bag?

photo

A solitary backpacker waits for the train at Herbst Junction after a few days of wilderness hiking. His bedroll and backpack – crafted from bits of Play-Doh – complete the scene.

Very few of the N-scale figures I’ve encountered seem to be carrying anything. That’s a problem when your layout is focused on a National Park and a tourist-heavy town on the edge of the desert. Visit your favorite rail depot, outdoor destination or vacation spot and you’ll see people hauling all kinds of gear – backpacks, roll-aboard suitcases, duffel bags, sleeping bags, and more backpacks. The factory options for this kind of luggage are limited, and what is available is spendy.

What’s a modeler to do?

Get out the Play-Doh.

I got playing with some bits of the stuff during a recent sculpting session with The Superintendent. After a few minutes with a toothpick, a steady hand and a scale rule I had crafted fashionable bags for passengers and shoppers, as well as rugged gear for backpackers.

2

A scale rule helps keep the size of the sculpted luggage in check. These Play-Doh pieces were dry after about 24 hours.

It takes about 24 hours for Play-Doh sculptures this size to dry. I brush a coat of Tamiya acrylic paint over each piece, then highlight pockets and edges with a contrasting color. I glue backpacks to the backs of a figures with CA and paint straps on with a fine brush.

5

Highlights with contrasting colors along the edges and pockets give the luggage dimension.

photo

This tourist looks much more authentic carrying a backpack.

Pieces stacked on the ground add nice detail to any scene, from station platforms to the beach.

3

A rested tourist watches the luggage while his

wife does some last minute shopping. They’ll board the next train east, toward home.

4

The cool water of the Benjamin-Henry Reservoir were so inviting, this bather didn’t bother to unroll his beach blanket before wading in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have people on your layout, are they traveling a little too light?

by

Check yer Neck

What’s a model railroad without a couple of hillbillies? Here’s how I transformed a “stock” Atlas Ford F150 into this jacked-up monster.

7

Check yer Neck.

The project begins with disassembly of the stock model.

The body of the truck is conveniently molded in two pieces: the cab/front clip and the bed. To give the truck a more authentic “redneck” feel I sprayed the front half with gray primer and the back half “bomber tan.” Any drab, ugly colors will do. I then added a coat of dullcoat and finished with a wash of india ink and rubbing alcohol.

Next is the chassis work, which is what makes this model distinctive.

The stock wheels are easily removed by simply pulling the axle out of the molded pockets on the undercarriage. I then cut two lengths of Plastruct 3/64″ tee styrene strips to span from the front of the front axle pocket to the rear of the rear one. I glued these in place to create frame rails.

2

Styrene frame rails added to undercarriage.

I then made four shock absorbers out of doorbell wire. I stripped about 1/16″ of insulation, cut another 1/8″ of wire above that, and repeated the process until I had a set of four.

3

Shock absorbers made from bits of wire.

I then used CA to glue the shocks into the axle pockets.

Next I made suspension arms with more of the tee styrene. Rather than measure, I simply found the middle of the frame rails, held one end of the strip there and cut where it met the bottom of the shock. I secured these in place with plastic cement at the frame rail and CA at the shock. I then used a round jeweler’s file to notch the bottom of the arms to accept the axles I made later.

4

Suspension complete.

I painted the frame rails and suspension arms competition orange and set the chassis aside to dry.

While the suspension was drying, I made a transfer case from a small block of styrene. I drilled a 1/16″ hole in the center of one side, and another on the other side offset to the driver’s side. I then used CA to secure driveshafts made of wire, then secured the assembly to the undercarriage with plastic cement.

5

Transfer case and driveshafts in place.

I made the axles by cutting lengths of spare railing from an old engine service terminal kit. Any round styrene about 1/16″ in diameter will do. I cut two pieces to 5/8″ lengths.

I used the white metal cast rear wheels from two old straight truck models. I used white putty to fill in the groove between the dual wheels to make one wide tire. I then sanded them smooth and sprayed them with Pollyscale grimy black. When the paint dried, I drilled a hole into the center of the back of each wheel and secured them to the axles with CA. I then painted the rims flat black and put a dot of silver on the hubs.

Next I glued the axle/wheel assemblies to the ends of the suspension arms with plastic cement. I then bent the wire driveshafts to meet the axles and trimmed them to length. Then I used white putty to sculpt differential housings around the axles and driveshafts. When the putty dried I painted the housings black with silver covers.

A redneck pickup is not complete without rednecks, so I crafted Zig and Lerline from a couple of unpainted Model Power figures.

Zig was a hefty gentleman wearing a coat, tie, and for some reason a ball cap. I cut his torso just above the waist, then used a jeweler’s file to remove the molded clothing detail. I then carved a buddha belly and flabby chest. I filed his ball cap down to a bald head. I then mixed up a sunburn color with white and Rock Island Red and painted him, making sure to give his neck an extra coat. A few dabs of rail brown were added for a goatee and nipples.

Lerline was another odd Model Power figure of a chubby woman wearing a slinky dress. I trimmed her above the waist as well, then painted her with the sunburn color, brown hair, and a red bikini top. After the paint dried I glued Zig and Lerline into the seats molded in the chassis.

6

Zig and Lerline.

The stock window glazing would not fit above their heads, and I wanted the windows open anyway, so I trimmed the windshield and rear windows out of the glazing. I accidentally cracked the windshield, but I think that’s a happy accident.

Before final assembly, I used some more styrene tee strips to make a rugged-looking brush bumper, and glued it in place with plastic cement. Then I put the body back on and placed the model on the layout.

1

Heading out of Salvation Point for a day on the trails… Y’all.

Another time I might make a set of roll bars for the bed of the truck. I also might add a whip antenna, a flag, or a dog. Oversized mirrors and exhaust stacks would also be a nice touch. For now the model does a nice job helping establish Salvation Point as a recreational hub on the edge of the desert.

by

Dear Digitrax,

Can you please come get your crap out of my house?

Our torrid affair started about ten years ago when you lured me away from my trusty but immature MRC Prodigy by flashy promises of wireless control and 128 speed steps. Now, here I sit, wounded and fuming at you once again, blinking DCS 150, LocoNet network, a couple of battery-eating wireless paperweights.

I should have known from the start by the sheer smugness of your computer geek directions. When you told me, “In advanced 28/128 speed step mode, the V-start value is interpolated from the first speed step to the middle speed step or ‘mid’ step, 15,” I didn’t understand but I trusted you. You knew what you were doing and you would let me run my trains, not my track, isn’t that what you said? Little did I know your “IT Guy” attitude permeates everything you do.

I started to get you figured out, though. We had some good times, did some steamy advanced consisting and we programmed, you remember, right there on the main? But now you make my locomotives randomly run, or randomly stop. I tell you I want this consist for train A, and when I turn the throttle, train B starts to roll. I’ve given you fresh batteries, keyed in the consist again, restarted you. I’ve held you close to my face and pleaded. And, I’m sorry for all the times I’ve yelled “you suck, you suck, you suck, you suck, you suck” at you.

Maybe I’m not smart enough for you. You as much as told me so, in that heady time when I still had faith and was willing to go to your website for help.

I wanted to move on a long time ago, but I’d invested too much. You can change, I told myself, so instead of letting you go I kept letting you get closer. Another throttle. More decoders.

Starting over is so hard, though, and costs so much.

Maybe if I put away the laptop, and hold you just right…

by

Weathering a Covered Hopper

Today I am going to demonstrate how I weather rolling stock. This is my down n’ dirty, quick n’ easy process that I’ve refined over the last few years – if you’re looking for a complicated, highly detailed project that involves an airbrush and an entire weekend, this ain’t it. This takes about an hour, most of which is drying time. That said, my fleet has received a lot of compliments, so maybe I’m doing something right.

Our subject today is Norfolk & Western 178134 from Intermountain. Right out of the box, it’s a pretty model. Too pretty:

IMG_0950

The first step is to carefully remove the trucks and set them where they will stay clean, unbroken, and be found again.

IMG_0951

The next step is to decide how weathered we want our car to look. According to the marks on the car, it was built in 1973. We know that the N&W merged with the Southern to become Norfolk Southern in 1982. Since I model present day, that means we have about 30 years of abuse to replicate. So, we don’t just want the car to look dirty – we need to distress the lettering and add some rust.

I use a sanding block to knock the lettering down. Go slowly and check every few strokes until you get to the look you want. If you intend to use the original reporting marks, which I do in this case, tread lightly on the numbers. It is also important at this stage to run the sanding block in between all of the ribs on the side of the car, even the “blanks” where there aren’t any letters. This will rough up the surface and help our weathering solutions “streak” more effectively.

IMG_0952

Here is the car after sanding:

IMG_0955

IMG_0954

Now we apply our weathering solution. I use a mix of Adirondack brand inks and rubbing alcohol. I buy the inks at Michael’s; I think they are supposed to be used for stamping. Any alcohol-based ink will do, I suppose. I use baby food jars and mix five or six drops of ink to maybe 1/4 cup of alcohol. This takes some trial and error, and I keep a few jars with varying concentrations on hand. I also have a mix with a drop of India ink in it. I’d love to give you the exact recipe for my solutions, but I don’t have one. I just mix until it feels right.

IMG_0959

I use a cheap one-inch paintbrush to apply a liberal wash of the lightest solution and let it dry. I then add a wash of darker solution. While it is still wet, I experiment with holding the car upside down, or laying it on its side, so get the distribution of color I want.

IMG_0960

Now let’s turn our attention to the trucks. Carefully remove the wheels and set them aside. We are going to use weathering powders to add some years to the trucks and bring out the molded detail.

IMG_0964

The trucks and wheelsets are acetal plastic, so I hit them with a little dullcoat to give the powder something to hold on to. But first, mask the couplers and the inside of the sideframes so we retain a slick surface for the wheelset to roll in and don’t gum up the couplers.

IMG_0963

In a well-ventilated area, give the trucks (but not the wheels) a coat of dullcoat. I use the Testors stuff in the spray can. After the trucks dry, I use a stiff brush to dust on gray and medium earth weathing powder to the outside of the sideframes.

IMG_0966

A note about dullcoat: Sometimes I give the carbody a coat and sometimes I don’t. I’ve found that dullcoat put over my weathering solution makes it look too grainy. But, weathering solution or just plain rubbing alcohol, applied in a wash over dry dullcoat, produces a craized finish that nicely simulates faded paint. (You can see this effect on the GN boxcar in the “about me” section.) In the case of our N&W hopper, I gave it a coat of dullcoat and didn’t like it (too grainy!), so I applied another wash of the light weathering solution, scrubbing a little with my brush to loosen up the dried stuff.

After everything dried, I reassembled the car and turned it loose on the layout.

IMG_0950

Before

IMG_0968

After

I think the hardest thing for some people about weathering is fear. I just paid $30 for this Micro Trains boxcar, I’m not taking a sanding block to it! Well, don’t start with your $30 Micro-Trains stuff. Get a cheap car and experiment until you build some confidence. Weathered rolling stock – as well as weathered buildings, weathered track, weathered vehicles – adds a very satisfying element to any layout.